


Miraculously Ladybug?

by zephyrus_0207



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Admiration for partners, Adrien always trying to be Marin's friend and vice versa, Adrien and Alya are Friends, Adrien is specifically a distinguished straight, Adrien/Marin super fluff, Angst, Baking, Because They're Just Friends, But there is some violence, Chat Blanc effectively scarring Marin for life, Chat Noir and Ladybug arguing about almost nothing but me stringing them along for as long as i can, Chat Noir probably falling for Marin, F/M, Fluff, Friends having argugments, Genderbend, Genderbend Marinette, He's Too Adorable, Heros getting injured, I care for him very much, I care for them very much, I just wrote this story for fun, Just in general, Kagami/Adrien and Marin/Luka are a thing, Kwami's being bastards, Kwami's being cute, Ladybug dealing with a lot of bs, M/M, Macaroons, Male Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Marin being a sweetheart, Marin caring about the Kwami's, Marin is Alya and Ninos third wheel and they love him v much, Marin making others fall for him by accident, Marin not knowing how to practice self care, Maybe - Freeform, Me placing the seeds for future angst, Multi, Nino is a more prominent character, Parallels, Plagg - Freeform, Rule 63, Season 2 is more shippy, Some angst, Sorry for any grammer errors, There aren’t graphic depictions of violence, They're present though, a slow burn, adrien being sad, and resolution, because his dad is a jerk, because tension, bed sharing, but Adrien also being happy because he has friends who love him, but also disaster gay, but idk they're not consistent enough to tag 'em, continuity, emotional torture, filler arcs, gabe being a bad dad, hard knock lives, heart eyes, heart hurts, he’s a good boy, lots of marichat, lotta angst, love square, love that stuff, me deciding to take what little happiness our protaga can find and then promptly ripping that away, more Plagg just doing his thing, no beta we die like men, not roommates, or being in denial about it, specifically for Ladybug, that's a thing, they also have cute nicknames for each other which are baked goods, they are his kids and he cares for them very much, they're good kids, watching over his disaster bi son, who knows - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-01
Updated: 2020-10-27
Packaged: 2021-01-16 14:40:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 76
Words: 414,321
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21272840
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zephyrus_0207/pseuds/zephyrus_0207
Summary: Marinus "Xiang" Dupain Cheung just wanted to go to school and keep his head down, design clothes, and bake cookies. Instead, he finds himself jumping across rooftops, defeating supervillains and partnered up with a cat who has the ability to destroy anything he touches. What a first day of school.Adrien Agreste just wants friends and the freedom to live his life outside of his father's influence. He's all too eager to become a hero of justice and defend the people of Paris. Gaining a handsome ladybug-themed partner who embodies said ideal is just a bonus.





	1. The Stonehearted Poet pt.1

**Author's Note:**

> POV changes between Marin and Adrien.

Adrien quietly walked through the house with his socks on, holding his sneakers. His heart raced as he walked past his father's office, knowing that he was probably in there already working. It was early enough that Natalie would still be preparing for the day and his bodyguard wouldn't be around for a few hours. So now was the ideal opportunity. 

Slowly, he opened the front door, siding through the small opening he'd made for himself and just as carefully, closed the door behind him. Immediately he slipped on his shoes and ran past the gate that was already opening for the morning deliveries. As he ran into the streets, a smile erupted on his face at his escape. 

Now all that stood between him and the school was getting there on time and in one piece. There was no way his father could pull him back into the house if he made it there!

* * *

“Marin! Your alarm has been going off for fifteen minutes! You're going to be late for your first day back at school!” 

Marin groaned in his slumber as he felt around his bed to find his phone. He groaned, turning it off and slipping his hand back under the blanket. [“Five more minutes ma…”]He moaned out, curling back up under his comforter, surrounded by pillows. Right now he was at peak comfort, as though he was sleeping in a ray of sunlight without being outside. 

[“Do you want me to come up there?!”]

Marin grumbled as he reluctantly left the warmth of his bed. Quickly he brushed his teeth and put on his clothes, slugging downstairs to where his mom placed the hot chocolate mix on the table. 

[“Mornin’ mama.”] He greeted, kissing her cheek before mixing some hot chocolate up. 

“Are you happy to be going back to school?” She asked placing the carton of milk next to him. 

“No, I bet you anything Chloé will be in my class again.” He grimaced at the thought. 

“I doubt that it’s not possible to have the same classmates for four years in a row.” 

“You haven’t read the class roster, mama.” He sighed. “ I must have been cursed to live a tortured life.” 

His mother frowned, wrapping her arms around him in a hug. “Oh, don't say that! It's the start of a new year - I'm sure everything will be just fine!” 

Marin couldn’t help but smile at his mother’s optimism, setting down the cereal. But as he did the milk spilled over, falling to the floor but not before he accidentally elbowed the bowl of fruit, which caused them all to fall to the ground now bruised. He could only stare at the mess he made, less responsive as his mother began to clean up another one of his messes. 

“ This is fine.” 

* * *

“Could I have your autograph, please?!

“Adrien, can I have an autograph, Adrien, I'm a huge fan!!” 

Adrien stumbled past his new classmates quickly signing autographs as he made his way into the classroom, shutting the door behind him. Sneaking away from Natalie and his bodyguard wasn’t an easy task, but then sighed in relief believing that he was out of reach from his father.

"ADRIKINS!!" He didn't have time to react as he was then hug tackled by an all too familiar face. 

"Hi, Chloé." He greeted sheepishly as he noticed everyone in the class staring at him as his friend dragged him to a nearby desk. “This is your seat, Adrikins. I saved it for you. Right in front of me!”

Adrien nodded his head towards her, “Thanks, Chloé.” Sitting down he turned towards the boy next to him with his headphones on and a disinterested expression. “Uh… Hey! I’m Adrien.” He reached out his hand towards him, garnering the boy’s attention as he took off his headphones, sizing him up. 

“So you're friends with Chloé, then, huh?” He asked disinterested, resting his head on his hand. 

“ Kind of I guess, we grew up together.” Adrien shrugged. 

“Yup, we’re practically inseparable.” Chloé butted in with a smug grin on her face. “After all, poor Adrikins has no idea how normal schools run.” Adrikins. Watch the master.” She remarked taking her seat behind them next to Sabrina. 

“Hey, Chloé that’s Marin’s seat.” Nino lamely said. 

“Who cares, it’s not like he’s here to claim it. Probably because he’s too scared to step outside the house.” She laughed 

Adrien turned towards Nino with curiosity, “Who’s Marin?” 

* * *

“Good morning my wonderful son!” Marin’s father greeted happily as he stepped into the shop with a yawn, still not used to how his parents were morning people. 

“ Morning.” Marinus groaned as he walked past him. 

“Why so glum?” Tom asked, he then suddenly gasped, “ you’re not still ill are you?!” He grew worried and immediately pressed a hand to his forehead. “ Ah! You’re warm!” he exclaimed, worried for his son’s health. 

Marin laughed gently, brushing away his dad's hand. “ No papa, it’s just because you’ve been baking bread all morning. The shop is always warmer inside because of the oven.”

Tom laughed heartily, remembering his profession. “Forgive your silly papa?” He asked wiping away the flour he had placed on his son's face. 

“ Always,” Marin said turning towards the door as he shouldered his messenger bag over himself. 

“ Wait a sec-“ Tom suddenly said, he quickly picked up a white box that was lying on the counter. “ Ta-Da!” He opened it to reveal 2 dozen matcha macarons with white chocolate filling. “ Homemade by the best macaroon baker in all of Paris.” 

“ Papa I made these.” Marin pointed out. 

“ Exactly, once your classmates try them you’ll make friends in no time!” 

As much as he wanted to deny his claim; That the last time he had tried to do this he’d ended up with a box filled with broken cookies thanks to his clumsiness even before he made it to class. He merely thanked his father with a smile, hugging him. “See you tonight.” 

* * *

"Oh, just this kid who's been out for a week," Nino explained, lowering his voice so that Chloé couldn't butt in. "He got sick because of the rain and it knocked him out." 

Adrien narrowed his eyes trying to recall, "But it just rained last week didn't it?" 

"Yup." Nino nodded, "It's been like that since I've known the guy at least. Missing half of the classes can make it easy for _certain_ people to pick on him." Nino emphasized one of his words glancing towards Chloé's direction. "Honestly, if that guy ended up getting homeschooled, it wouldn't surprise me." 

Adrien glanced away for a moment, a pang of guilt bubbling up as he could only imagine how Natalie would react finding that he snuck away again; angry probably. 

"Well, you should meet him something," Nino pulled him out of his thoughts, "He's a cool dude more or less."

* * *

At first, everything was fine, Marin was about to cross the street and walk into school like it was nothing. Then he spotted Chloé walking in first. Next thing he knew he was walking right past the school and in another direction, far, far away from the building filled with concentrated negativity. He sighed heavily to himself. Walking across the street towards the riverside. Maybe try and find a way to his secret garden without getting caught by the police. But then, something caught his attention. An old man struggling to cross the street. Marin saw the car, no one looking up from their phones and simply reacted. 

He immediately ran towards him, pulling him quickly across the rest of the way just narrowly avoiding the car speeding by, followed by a few police cruisers. Just before stepping onto the sidewalk, Marin tripped over the curb, dropping his box but luckily the old man didn’t fall down alongside him. 

“Sorry!” He reflexively said, picking up his mess, trying to hide his embarrassed expression as he cleaned up. 

“That was quite a fall young man, are you alright?”

Marin shook his head “Don't worry, I'm no stranger to disasters like this," He insisted as the old man sat down next to him, a guilty expression drew on his face as he helped Marin clean up.

“I’m quite sorry about your cookies. I hope I haven’t inconvenienced you in any way.”

“Oh, no no, It’s alright. Besides, there are still a few left. Would you like one?” He asked shyly opening the box and the few remaining dozen. 

The old man took one taking a bite, the moment he did his eyes lit up. “Mmmh. Delicious!” 

“Thank you, sir." He bowed his head respectfully in thanks, helping the old man to his feet, placing the rest of the cookies in his messenger bag. 

“Shouldn’t you be in school young man?” The old man questioned curiously as Marin escorted him to the nearest bench, one overlooking the riverside. 

Marin felt an overwhelming feeling of uneasiness. Even mentioning that place reflexively started to trigger his anxiety. He looked away, not wanting to answer, but his reaction wasn’t ignored by the old man, as he gestured for the younger boy to sit next to him. “Why don’t you tell me what’s wrong?” 

At first, Marin was anxious, talking to this stranger, but ultimately sighed, lowering his head as he folded his hands in his lap. “See there’s this girl, she’s so mean, and every time I’m there I get an upset stomach and my headaches. Not to mention I don’t have any friends there. I just know people, but I guess I can’t offer enough to merit being someone’s friends.” 

“Young man.” 

“Marin.” He corrected with a small smile. 

The old man smiled at his openness, “Marin then, friendship isn’t about how much you can offer another person, it’s about respecting and treasuring who they are as people. Just because it hasn’t happened yet doesn’t mean that it won’t." he advised. 

“ Yeah, but I can’t keep ditching school, can I?” Marin sighed again. He knew what the right thing to do was, but it in no way eased his troubled mind. 

“ Only you can really answer that question, can’t you?” 

“**Excuse me**!!”

Marin flinched as they were approached by a nearby police officer wearing a blue uniform. “Shouldn’t you be in school young man!?” He asked in a harsh tone. 

“I...I…” Marin stammered as his face paled in fear. It wasn’t as though he did anything wrong in particular, he simply assumed the position of a guilty person whenever confronted.

“Pardon me officer, but it’s my fault my grandson isn’t in school right now.”

“Hm?” The officer turned his attention to him. 

“See, he was escorting me on my way to my morning tai chi class and saved my life when a speeding driver almost hit me. He was just insisting that he walk me home, such a good boy.” 

Marin couldn’t believe what he was hearing. 

“Yes well, those speed demons are really causing a ruckus these days.” The officer’s face softened as he looked back towards Marin. “It’s good to take care of your elders but education is important. I’ll escort your grandpa home.” 

“Yes, sir.” Marin nodded standing up, glancing back at the old man.”Thanks for talking to me sir, I really appreciate it.” 

“ Think nothing of it.” The old man remarked, happily watching as Marin ran towards the school building. “In fact, perhaps it is I who should be thanking you.” He remarked under his breath. He was smiling to himself, then noticing the police officer’s confusion at the way Marin spoke to his supposed grandpa. 

“He’s a good boy.” The old man remarked. 

* * *

With half the day gone Adrien was more than content being surrounded by so many peers around his age, way better than staying inside with Natalie all day. Even Chloé wasn’t so bad when she wasn’t all over him at all hours of the day. 

As the midday bell rang, he and the rest of his classmates scattered during the free period. He returned to the classroom, noticing that there was someone new in the classroom. They were seated right next to Chloé who stood nearby with a scowl on her face with Sabrina right next to her friend- as usual. 

“Hey, Dupain Cheung. Get lost.” He saw Chloé remark as he took his seat right in front of the bickering. 

“But Chloé, this is my seat, it’s on the-” 

“Who cares?!” She suddenly snapped as Sabrina covered the boy’s only exit. 

A smile then drew on her face as she placed her hand on his bag, immediately sliding them off the desk. 

“Hey!” He called out, leaving the desk to clean up the mess of papers and his phone. Adrien could hear a groan of displeasure, out of the corner of his eye he saw the new student looking over his phone with a frown. 

“ Hey Adrien, stick out your foot,” Chloé whispered as Adrien reflexively did as he was told. 

“ WAH-“ The student tripped over his food dropping his box as the contents inside were destroyed at the impact. 

“I’m so-“ Adrien began but was interrupted with Chloé and Sabrina laughing. 

“It wasn’t enough that you trip over your own feet. Now you’re going out of your way to trip over others? How pathetic are you?” She and Sabrina laughed, dragging along Adrien as their escort. 

Adrien felt a pang of immense guilt watching his new classmate having to pick up a mess he himself caused. As they walked towards the entrance Adrien pulled his hand back away from her. 

“Hm? What’s wrong Adrikins?” Chloé questioned innocently. 

“Back there, what you did wasn’t right.” He stated clearly. 

“Oh Adrikins, that was just for fun, Dupain Cheung doesn’t mind at all.” 

“ It didn’t look like that at all Chloé.” He angrily responded turning around, planning on apologizing but suddenly he stopped in his tracks as he saw who was standing at the doorway next to the teacher. 

“Adrien!” 

Natalie gave him a disapproving expression on her face, one he recognized as “Your father will hear about this”. 

_Uh oh. _

* * *

Marin mumbled under his breath, trying to push back the tears as he felt so embarrassed, tripping over someone like that. This was a whole new level of clumsy for him. 

“ Hey,” he looked up to see someone else kneeling next to him, helping him clean. “ Don’t let what she said get you down, I saw what her lackey did.” 

“ No, It’s my fault, I want looking where I was going and...” he reflexively responded but stopped as the girl placed her hand on his shoulder. 

“ Poor you, she’s got you thinking that?” The girl said. The mess was cleaned and so she reached for the last cookie in the box. “ You mind?” She asked to which he simply nodded. Tossing the now crumbs in the trash. 

“ Holy-“ 

“ What?! What?!” Marin reflexively responded, wondering what he did, but only saw the girls' eyes light up. “ This is amazing! Where did you get it?!” 

“ F-from my family’s bakery.” He quickly responded. 

“ Well now we have to be friends, I’m Alya.” She said with a smile, reaching out her hand. 

Marin couldn’t help but smile, the two shaking hands as he recalled his father's words. “ Marin.” 

* * *

“Adrien, your father was worried out of his mind.” Natalie scolded as Adrien hung his head. She was good at making him feel guilty about disobeying his father. 

“But I wanted to go to school. Staying home all day is driving me crazy!” He tried to explain. “I want to talk to other people my age, not just you.” 

“You’re exaggerating.” 

Adrien stopped in place, gripping his bag. He could break away from Natalie, she always wore heels how fast could she be? 

“Adrien?” Natalie called standing in front of the car. 

Just as he was about to sprint off, something caught his attention, an old man who had tripped and was reaching for his cane. 

“Adrien, now.” Natalie said sternly, now narrowing her eyes as her patience waned. But Adrien quickly ran over to the old man’s side, first grabbing his cane as he knelt down at his side. “Are you alright sir?” He asked as he helped him up. 

The old man flashed him an appreciative smile. “Thank you, young man. I hope I have troubled you with your mother.” 

“Mo-” Adrien was taken aback for a moment but laughed it off. “No, she’s my dad’s secretary. But are you alright sir? Do you need to call anyone?” 

“Adrien!” Natalie called. 

A frown was drawn on his face, slumping his shoulders. “Sorry, I have to go.”

  
“The day is still early, there’s still time for it to get better.” The old man advised. For a moment, Adrien smiled at the man's optimism but it soon faded as he turned back towards Natalie. Not wanting to return to the diamond prison that was his home. 

* * *

“I wish I could handle Chloé the way you do.” Marin sighed as he was showing Alya around the school, the two making their way to the library. 

“You mean the way Majestia would do it.” Alys pulled out her phone, showing him a photo of said comic book hero on her phone. “She says all that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good people do nothing. Well, that girl back there was evil in every sense of the word. And if she’s bad, then we’re the good guys. Meaning, we can't let her get away with being horrible to other people.” 

“Well, that's easier said than done. It’s like she’s drawn power from making my life miserable the past few years.” Marin sighed. 

Alya turned towards him, placing a hand on his shoulder. “ That's because you let her walk all over you! All you need more confidence!”

“Easy for you to say, you’re still new around here. Give it time, she’ll wear you down too.” He lamely remarked. But became startled as Alya suddenly slammed her arm at the wall in front of him, blocking his path to the library. 

“ Hey, you’re cute, so I’m telling you now. The moment that you start actually listening to her, she wins. Clearly, if you’re someone this awesome and anyone thinks otherwise, they’re the losers.” 

He could feel his face reddened at her compliments, though he was particularly sure she was just being nice for the perks of knowing the son of the best bakers in the city. 

Suddenly below their feet, the earth seemed to shake and there was the sound of footsteps, but loud ones. 

“Did you hear that?” Marin questioned as suddenly there was a loud crash, and walking before them was a giant stone man. 

“ Oh.” Marin rasped as the shock overwhelmed him as he grasped Alyas' arm, who was transfixed on the monster in front of them then jumping out onto the streets yelling out. “**KIMMMMMM!!!!**” 

Marin blinked for a few seconds, “ W- was that Ivan?” 

“ How could you tell?” Alya questioned as she pulled out her phone. 

“The way that was his voice and the way he was clearly angry at Kim.” Marin hastily explained, “Kim’s not that bad a guy, but he’ll take his gags too far sometimes." 

“ Sounds like he took one of his jokes way too far this time. It's like he's been transformed into a real-life supervillain!” Alya exclaimed happily as she took out her phone."Any idea where Kim is now?" She asked. 

"The stadium?" Marin reflexively responded. "But why-" 

“GPS, check. Battery, check. I am so outta here!" She immediately said racing out of the school. 

“ Hey! Where are you going!? Did you not just see the 10-foot monster walk right past us?!” Marin yelled in exasperation. 

“Where there's a supervillain, there's always a superhero close behind! No way I'm missing this!” She called back running to the entrance of the school. Marin spotted Stoneheart pick up a car like it was nothing, tossing it at the school and causing a lot of damage. 

“**KIM!!!!!**” 

Marin winced at the volume of the monster but only hesitated for a few moments before running after his friend. 

* * *

“I believe I had already told you one that you would not be going to school.”

Adrien lowered his head before his father shamefully as the older man looked down from him atop the staircase. He hadn’t raised his voice, but Adrien could feel how angry he was through his very being. 

“But Father, Mom said I-” He tried to explain but was given no ground as Gabriel spoke over him. 

“Everything you need is right here where I can keep an eye on you. I will not have you outside in that dangerous world.”

“It's not dangerous, Father. I'm always stuck in here by myself. Why can't I go to school and make friends just like everyone else?

“Because you are not like everyone else!” Gabriel suddenly snapped. Adrien clawed his shirt at the sudden change in tone. “You are my son, and you will speak no more of this.” 

His word on the matter finalized Gabriel retreated back to his study, leaving his son behind with his tutor and personal bodyguard. 

“We can begin in a few hours if-” Natalie began but Adrien suddenly broke away, immediately running towards his room and slamming the door behind him. He threw his backpack on the soft, sitting down and placing his head in his hands, sighing heavily as a wave of sadness washed over him fighting back the tears. He wished his mother was here to convince his father to change his mind; but she couldn't, not anymore...

Adrien sighed, scolding himself for wishing. He lifted his head, noticing a small black box sitting before him on the coffee table. It was engraved with a strange red symbol. He picked it up eyeing it curiously, unprepared for what came next as he opened it. 

* * *

“ Alya wait!! Marin ran after Alya as she sped ahead on foot. “ I’m...not...athletic...” he gasped for breath. “That girl...” he grumbled reaching into his bag wanting to call her but pulled out a box, much to his surprise. “Huh? What's this doing here?” It certainly wasn’t his, opening it a bright light flashed before him circling around before it took shape. 

“ Hello, I’m-“ 

“Ahh!! It's a giant bug! A... a mouse! A... a bug-mouse!!” He tried to swat it away, backing up into the alley only to fall into a trash can. 

“Everything's okay! Don't be scared!” The little bug mouse tried to calm him down but it approaching him only freaked him out more. 

“ Why are you talking?!!” He was struggling to get out of the trash but was effectively stuck. 

“Listen, Marin. I know everything may seem a bit strange to you- “ Tikki tried to explain but was cut off. 

“ Who-What are you, and how do you know my name?! 

The bug mouse sighed, “ I am a kwami, and my name is Tikki. Now just let me explain. I was sent by my master to help you.” 

“ HELP ME?!” He yelled out in disbelief. 

“ Marin, You must trust me. You're the only one who can stop Stoneheart!” Tikki pleaded. 

“ What?! You mean Ivan? This must be some mistake! I can’t do anything. I’m literally incapable of getting out this trash can as we speak!” He argued as Tikki giggled. 

“ You’re not stuck, you just need to calm down. Here, take a deep breath with me.” 

He complied, getting unstuck, as he calmly removed himself from the trash can instead of flailing about in a wild panic. 

“All you have to do is find what object the Akuma is possessing and break it. 

“ An Akuma?” Marin questioned. 

“To you, it will look like a butterfly. To help defeat it just your special powers. The lucky charm." Tikki explained. 

“Tikki... I... don’t think I’ll be able to pull this off, you should find yourself someone else.” 

“Marinus Dupain Cheung you are the one chosen to wield the Ladybug miraculous in order to protect this city. Just yourself. To transform put on the earrings and say "Spots on".

Luckily he already had his ears pierced. Marin placed the earrings on, glancing at the Kwami in uncertainty. “Spots on? What is that-Whoa!” Suddenly Tikki disappeared and he saw a bright light. “What is happening?!” 

A moment later he wore a skintight jumpsuit, a red belt that had a yoyo attached, black boots that reached his thighs, black fingerless gloves that reached his forearms, and a long black scarf that was decorated with red tips. 

“ Ohhhhh no.” He took one look at his reflection in a broken mirror that was in the alley, taking a few steps back in confusion. “ I look like some kind of clown!” He then looked around realizing the Kwami was nowhere in sight, “ Tikki?” 

* * *

Adrien looked himself over once, his heart racing at his new suit and appearance. “Too cool!” 

He jumped out of the open window in his room, realizing he had enhanced strength. 

“ Hm.” At his belt, he reached for a baton that extended into a staff at his touch. He couldn’t hold back his smile at his newfound powers, his past sadness quickly disappearing. 

“Now then, I have a villain to stop!” He remarked jumping onto the rooftops of the city. 

* * *

“Okay, I have special powers, a Kwami, the aesthetic of an athletic clown," Marin noticed he had something attached to his belt, he removed it, looking it over curiously. "... and apparently this yo-yo?” He held the device in his hand for a few moments. Playing around with it for a moment. It appeared that it had some pretty good distance to it. He looked around. Aiming for a gargoyle atop a building nearby, he gently pulled it down feeling the tension in the cord. 

Suddenly the situation washed over him. "What am I thinking, I can’t do this!!” He suddenly confessed, unable to let go of the cord of the fear of being launch to who knows where. “ Of course I can’t do this, what kind of superhero would be afraid of heights?! Not to mention that Ivan is thrice my size, he’d squash me like a pancake!” He grasped his heart, feeling a sudden pain, sadness, disappointment in himself. 

He thought about going back home and curling up in his bed. No more superheroes, no more magic, no more of him ruining anything. But something caught his attention, someone in a black suit jumping over the rooftops. Running in the direction where Stoneheart was headed. 

“Who’s that?” He wondered. Curiosity got the better of him as he pulled down on his yoyo trying not to scream as he was flung across the city.

* * *

Adrien landed in the stadium, grabbing Stonehearts' attention as he stood over one of his classmates. “Hey, it's not very nice to pick on people who are smaller than you!” 

“I guess you're talking about yourself!” Stoneheart roared as the classmate ran towards the exit screaming at the top of his lungs. 

Adrien jumped towards Stoneheart, slamming down with his staff. But he was repelled as the monster grew larger. He tried to attack against, this time aiming towards his legs to try and unbalance him. But Stoneheart was more agile than he appeared, grabbing him in hand. 

Adrien struggled to escape was trapped in the grasp of the enemy. Only watching as he threw a net towards a civilian. 

Alya froze in place unable to evade the net. All of a sudden, the net stopped where it was for a split second, being flung back towards the monster as a flash of red and black caught everyone’s eye. Suddenly, there was a shrill whistle, catching Stonehearts' attention as he caught something red in his other hand. 

“Huh?” Adrien eyed what appeared to be some kind of bright red suit. Only a moment later it was filled up with something and something dropped to the ground. Next thing he knew, he was falling through the air, unexpectedly landing in the arms of someone else rather than on the ground, when only a moment before he’d heard a cracking sound and a butterfly flying away. 

Adrien’s eyes widened, his eyes lighting up as he saw the other hero shining against the midday sun. 

“Who are you?” He asked in awe as the other person placed him down. He realized that this other person was about a few inches taller than him, For a moment the taller boy looked uncertain, eyes searching for something. Immediately he walked towards the classmate as he was no longer Stoneheart with something in his hand, looking as though he was saying something. 

"Uh, hey wait-" Adrien tried to approach him but was cut off by another one of his classmates, the girl that sat alone who wore glasses. 

“Uncanny, amazing, spectacular! Are you gonna be protecting Paris from now on? How did you get your powers? Are you that other guys’ partner?! Were you bitten by a radioactive cat?!” The new girl from his class asked with a phone in her hand with a sparkle in her eye. “Who are you?!” 

Adrien was stunned for a few moments before he shrugged turning back to the black-spotted person who just saved him but he had already escaped from the stadium, leaving him speechless. Even though he was left behind, he couldn’t help but smile, turning back to the camera phone. “I’m Chat Noir, and partner if you’re out there,” His heart couldn’t help but race at the face that out there right now who would be fighting crime alongside him. “ I look forward to formally introducing myself.” 

“What’s your partner’s name?” She asked, to which Chat Noir couldn’t respond to, hearing his ring beep he waved to the girl, quicking leaving before he could transform back. 

* * *

Marin landed on his bed after somehow not falling off any roofs. He groaned in exhaustion as he reached for his remote, turning on the tv so he could listen to it. His earrings beeped and he was detransformed, his Kwami landing on his stomach now looking exhausted. She flew down towards the tv at the sound of the news reporter. 

“So thanks to this amateur footage, the Parisians now know the identities of their heroes!”

"Hm?" Marin picked himself up, glancing down to the screen that Tikki hovered in front of with a smile. The small Kwami then noticed the freshly baked cookies his mother placed in his room. The small Kwami glanced up towards him and he simply nodded. 

"Go ahead." 

“You see? You were up to it!” Tikki praised, munching on the cookies as Marinus sighed heavily, dropping all of his weight back on his bed, placing his hands on his face. He was done, no more hopping around rooftops looking like a clown. Still, his chest felt warm at Tikki’s praise, that maybe he didn’t mess up for once.

“I’m done now, right? You go back to your master and I get back to relative normality?” He asked hopefully but just as Tikki was about to answer, he overheard his mother calling. 

“Marin! Dinner time!” 

“ Dinner?” Tikki questioned as Marin jumped off of his bed loft. He turned back with a tired smile, “I’ll bring you back a snack.” He remarked as he headed down the stairs directly into the kitchen as Tikki’s eyes lit up with excitement. 

As soon as he met his mothers' eyes she asked, “So how was school?” And he couldn’t help but grumble at the prospect of trying to explain his day without mentioning flying around the city with the help of a magic bug. 

Oh well, it wasn’t like this day was going to get worse. 

* * *

“I am pleased to announce that we will organize a huge celebration in honor of our city's new protectors. Ladybug and Cat Noir.” 

Adrien’s eyes lit up as he saw the mayor’s announcement to the entire city. “Ladybug. His name is Ladybug…” He couldn’t help but claw his heart in excitement. He wondered what kind of person Ladybug was, someone kindly? Strict? Perhaps someone who could crack a joke once in a while? 

“Eww, what is this?!”

Adrien was snapped out of his thoughts as his Kwami flew around. “Seriously? My personal chef made all this!” 

“If you expect me to get my energy back after the transformation, I need to eat something more... delicate!” Plagg snapped back, crossing his tiny arms. 

Adrien sighed. “Okay. What do you want?” 

“I’ve made myself clear!” Plagg insisted as Adrien grimaced.

“Hey, do you know who Ladybug is?” He asked curiously. 

But Plagg scoffed in amusement, “Of course not! I was only released today!” 

“Okay, but do you know who Ladybug’s Kwami is?” 

“Sure, she’s a real stickler for the rules. A real stick in the mud when it comes to fun.” Plagg explained. 

“Do you think Ladybug might be the same?” Adrien asked curiously. 

“Oh for certain, that Kwami has a knack for ending up with the most assertive, put-together, boring, no-nonsense kind of person as her ladybug.” 

* * *

“Dang it!” Marin cried out as he dropped another dish crashing onto the floor. “Sorry, Ma!” Immediately he scrambled to get the broom, sweeping up his mess as he heard the reporter. 

“Just as Paris is about to celebrate the appearance of our two new superheroes, Ladybug and Cat Noir, a new wave of panic is sweeping across the capital as dozens of people are mysteriously transformed into stone monsters. It's simply unbelievable!” 

In that moment Marin dropped the broom he was washing and raced back upstairs as his parents were glued to the television. 

* * *

Adrien starred as his Kwami gobbled up all the cheese placed in front of him, almost impressed at how much he ate. “Camembert cheese. Fantastic. All he eats is Camembert, which means I'm gonna smell like stinky old cheese.” 

“You should be grateful to smell so wonderful!” Plagg retorted just as the screen flashed with breaking news. 

“These victims transformed into stone beings are still like statues. The police are perplexed as to what will happen to them. Will they come back to life or be frozen in time forever?” 

Adrien glanced at his Kwami in confusion, “Plagg? What's going on? I thought we defeated Stoneheart!” 

* * *

"Tikki!” Marin called out as the Kwami hovered before him at his call. “ What’s going on?! The city’s in chaos!” 

“Did you capture the Akuma?” She asked. 

In a second Marin felt his entire body tense up as he heard those words. He felt something creep up his spine as he remembered that butterfly flying away and how relieved he felt within that moment. 

“An Akuma can multiply, that's why it must be captured. If Ivan's emotions become negative again, then the Akuma will turn him back into Stoneheart! He'll control all the stone beings and bring them to life to serve as his army!”

Marin took a step back sitting down on his chair. “So that means... this is all my fault?” 

Tikki immediately tried to grab Marin’s attention as she saw the young boy hung his head, trying to cheer him up. “This isn’t your fault, this is just your first time. Everyone makes mistakes when they’re starting out.” 

“ But I just made the problem worse! Anyone else would’ve realized that they should’ve captured the Akuma, but I just stood there like an idiot watching it fly away!”

“Marin you have to keep calm. You’re being too hard on yourself on this. All you have to do is go back and capture Stoneheart's Akuma, and do it successfully! We can fix this together!” She insisted, but Marin turned away from the Kwami. 

“I can’t Tikki. I told you, I'm a disaster. I mess up all the time! I'll only make things for you and for everyone. There's no way someone like me can be Ladybug.” 

“But what about Chat Noir?! He needs you!” Tikki pleaded. 

* * *

“So I can't do anything without Ladybug?” Adrien repeated as Plagg hovered before him. 

“Only Ladybug can capture akumas and repair damage caused by supervillains. It’s your job to help him any way you can, you two need to work together.” Plagg explained as he scarfed down more cheese. 

Adrien nodded, “I understand. No problem, between the two of us, there’s no way the bad guys are going to win!” 

* * *

“I’m sorry,” Marin said somberly taking out his earrings.

“No, wait Mari--” He glanced in the space Tikki used to be, grasping the earrings in his hand once before placing them back into the box he found them in, hiding it away in a drawer. 

“Cat Noir needs a Ladybug, not someone like me.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- Marin is just trying his best but is easily overwhelmed.  
-Adrien is a sneaky boy who has practice in evading his "wardens"  
-Chloé is meaner at first, but I will try to tone it down in later chapters. 
> 
> [Mandarin dialogue is in brackets]


	2. The Stonehearted Poet pt.2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marin tries to back off from being Ladybug, but there's one person who he can't turn his back from.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize.  
For shippy stuff, and fluff, and parallels.

Marin opened his eyes feeling a heavy weight on his body. After yesterday's events, he'd immediately crashed on his bed. His clothes were wrinkled, he was still wearing his shoes, and his bed head was at its worst; defying the laws of gravity. Speaking of; "Ah yes, guilt." Marin mumbled to himself trying to pull himself out of bed.

As a shortcut he jumped off the loft in his room, wobbling to his feet he realized that the bags under his eyes had worsened.

Quickly, he washed his face and brushed his teeth, grabbing his bag. It didn't help that in the drawer below him sat Tikki inside the earrings, inside the box, inside the drawer he'd locked her in. For a moment he hesitated before grabbing the miraculous box, placing it at the bottom of his bag before he walked down into the kitchen where his father was pulling something out of the oven, humming a happy tune.

Marin walked towards the door, not particularly hungry that morning. His hand was just on the door hand when his dad easily picked him in and placed in at the kitchen table.

"Hold on there my figlio piccolo, leaving without a freshly baked chocolate croissant?" He asked holding the plate of delicious treats before him.

"Um, not hungry this morning papa-"

"Not hungry?! For papa's croissants?!" Tom gasped, turning away so his son would see the concern rapidly growing on his face. "Are you sure there's not something else wrong? Everything went alright at school yesterday didn't it?"

Marin tried to shove back the memories of yesterday as he reached for a croissant, taking a large bite.

"Ishe gub!"

His father chuckled, placing the plate on the table and handing his son a glass of milk. Both turned to the sudden sound of crashing in the distance. The night hadn't quelled the Stonehearts who were now rampaging around the city. Marin wiped away a milk mustache, looked out of the window towards the heart of the city.

"I know how upsetting and scary this is, but don't worry;" Tom said placing a hand on his shoulder reassuringly. "We've got two superheroes looking out for Paris, and the best way of helping them is to show them that we're not scared because we trust them."

"But what if Ladybug fails?" Marin looked away, uncertain. "There are so many monsters. It's impossible."

"You're forgetting. Ladybug has an equally super-partner, Chat Noir!" Tom said cheerfully, but it only made Marin feel worse. He was chosen to be a hero just as Chat Noir did. But unlike the latter, he would turn tail and abandon his Kwami. It wasn't as though it wasn't justified, it was his fault that the Akuma swarmed across the city. It was his fault that now there were people getting turned into stone monsters. Chat Noir would be better off without him...

"But if those two are out saving the world then I'd come and save you. Super Baker to the rescue!" His dad's words pulled him back to reality. As his dad had a large smile drawn on his face.

A giggled escaped his mouth as he hugged his dad, quickly grabbing another croissant for the road. "I'm leaving now."

"Have a good day son, don't forgot to take the box of macaroons today!" Tom called as he watched his son run down the stairs.

"I will!"

* * *

Chat Noir landed behind the school, about an hour before class could begin.

"Plagg, claws in." He said as his Kwami landed in his hands with a yawn.

"You're such a strange kid. Who would want to be at school when he can stay at home all day?"

Adrien shook his head, "You don't get it, Plagg. I've had enough of being shut up at home by my dad and Natalie. I want to meet people and make friends! Go to a normal school like everyone else!"

Plagg simply sighed as he dramatically fell over, feigning starvation. "Uhhh, I think I'm feeling weak…

"You know what's strange?" Adrien sighed in exasperation."The fact that all you eat is this disgusting, rotten-smelling Camembert cheese, and then I have to smell like it 24/7."

Plagg flashed him a cheeky smile," If you want to be able to transform into a superhero, then stinky cheese is the deal, my friend!"

* * *

"Ta-Da! The Ladyblog!" Alya remarked as she handed Marin her phone. He saw a page with a ladybug print background against the main article pages. "Bringing you all the latest news about the coolest superhero, Ladybug! How awesome is that?! Check out the number of views since I posted the video!"

Marin's stomach sank at the rising views, now over half a million as he handed back her phone. "I don't see what the big deal is, Hardly anyone saw Ladybug, shouldn't you be making a blog about Chat Noir? After all, he's the real hero here."

Alya shook her head, "Of course he helped out too, and I'm going to be covering him alongside Ladybug. But Ladybug was way more captivating if you ask me."

"What, no way," Marin remarked lamely.

But Alya shook her head, "He's gonna handle 'em. Trust me on this Marin, I'm a pretty good judge of character."

Marin felt the guilt from earlier creep up, he felt like vomiting but even so, pressed on "But what if he's not really cut out to be a superhero even though everyone thinks she is? What if he buckles under the pressure that everyone places on him and if forced to become a recluse while Paris is destroyed?!" His ranting placed him right in front of Alya's face who just stared at him in surprise at her friend's sudden energy. "All I'm saying is maybe you shouldn't have such high expectations for someone that just appeared for about a minute before disappearing.

Alya's expression broke into a soft smile, "What are you...Ohhhh, I get what this is about." For a moment, Marin froze like a deer in the headlights, but Alya scooted closer to him, pulling him into a half hug. "I know you're scared, but don't be! I've seen him with my own two eyes! Ladybug is a true superhero you just have to believe."

"But how do you know what?" Marin questioned.

Alya turned her head towards the main crowd of people gathered around Ivan. He looked uncomfortable with a large group of people asking him questions. "Because of him." She simply said, walking over to him as she dispersed their classmates. While her attention was stolen, Marin slipped the box with the miraculous into her bag.

"Alright, guys let the poor guy have some space!"

Marin was confused for a moment. Ivan was the reason that Alya believed in Ladybug? Sure he'd turned him back from Stoneheart, but he couldn't think of anything else more significant that he had done to him. But even so, he knew that she would do a better job than he ever would. After all, she was everything that he wasn't, confidence went a long way. One thing was for certain, Alya would never be weak enough to give up.

"Once a monster, always a monster." Marin noticed Chloe's voice above the crowd as she mocked poor Ivan who was already stressed. Ivan shot an angered glance at her but walked away from the situation, heading into the locker rooms. "Don't let the door hit you on the way out!" She laughed as Sabrina and a few others followed her up the stairs to their class.

Marin glanced at where Ivan headed, picking up his bag and white box and following after him-

"Ah!" He was suddenly knocked to the ground, the box slipping from his hands once more.

"I'm so sorry!" He heard someone say, but when he looked up he saw the boy from yesterday. Chloe's friend who'd tripped him in class. He was incredibly handsome, with soft blonde locks, fair skin, and gorgeous emerald green eyes. Marin saw him flinch back slightly when he recognized him, but even so, he still offered him a hand.

"ADRIKINS!" Chloe stepped on the box already on the ground, hugging her friend tightly as the boy looked uncomfortable at the sudden contact.

"Excuse me," Marin said quietly as he walked towards the locker room, not noticing the lingering apologetic gaze the boy was giving him.

* * *

Adrien suddenly snapped awake as he realized he'd dozed off due to how early he had woken up. Looking at his phone he only had a few minutes before class began and dozens of calls from Natalie.

He quickly deleted the missed called, internally apologizing to his father's secretary and ran to the front of the building.

"Plagg why didn't you wake me up?!" Adrien demanded but got his answer as he saw his Kwami still snoozing in his backpack. He didn't even notice the boy walking in front of him until after he had crashed into him.

"I'm so sorry!" He immediately apologized, but his eyes widened in surprise as he saw who he'd bumped into. It was the boy from yesterday, Marin, who he'd tripped accidentally. Getting a slightly better look he saw that Marin had dark hair, wearing a grey suit. He was unable to discern the boy's reaction to being knocked down by the same person twice within a short amount of time due to the way he kept his face down. But Adrien assumed that he was probably really mad. Even so, he felt a wave of guilt as he saw Marin dropped his white box again. Just as he was about to help him up he heard a familiar voice.

"ADRIKINS!" Chloe called out, running down the stairs and unceremoniously stepping on the box as she trapped him in a tight embrace. Adrien took a step back to balance herself after her impact but keep his eyes trained on Marin as he muttered something under his breath, walking towards the locker room.

"Chloe, it's nice to see you." He automatically said as she smiled up at him, dragging him up the stairs by his arm.

"I know isn't it?" She confirmed.

"Um, Chloe, I need to head to the locker ro-"

"How could you say that to Ivan? You're the real Stoneheart!" Alya scolded angrily as they both entered the classroom. Chloe pulled away from him, stepping in front of Alya as he slipped by, taking his seat next to Nino while the two girls argued.

"Ugh, so I'm the one who broke Sabrina's dad's arm, am I? Just because your footage of those lame superheroes was shown on TV, doesn't mean you have to get so high and mighty.

"You little-" Alya looked furious as Chloe smiled cheerfully, raising her voice to grab the attention of the class.

"Lookout, she's angry! She's going to split her underwear and turn into a huge muscly monster!" She laughed it off as she swatted Alya with her ponytail as she walked past, sitting behind Adrien as he noticed Alya glance in his direction for a moment.

"Man, you've been here two days and you already have girl trouble," Nino commented as a small smile broke out on his face at his own joke.

"So you think you're funny huh?" Adrien asked as he rested his head on his desk.

"Lil' bit." Nino said.

* * *

Marin sighed heavily at his most recent encounter with that boy as he stepped into the locker room. But almost immediately forgot as he saw Ivan sitting on the ground, looking down with his headphones on. In his hand, he held a crumpled paper, something that Marin recognized.

He tapped the taller boy's shoulder, grabbing his attention as Ivan took off his headphones. "You know, you should tell Mylène how you feel," Marin recommended as he sat down next to Ivan.

Ivan suddenly grew red as he turned away from Marin. " I… don't know what you're talking about!" He insisted.

Marin rested his head against the locker, "Come on, we've all seen the way you look at her. Even Kim knows." Marin pointed out as he saw Ivan furrow his brow angrily, most likely thinking about yesterday's events. "We both know that Kim's a little doofy, but you know he not malicious." He said placing his hand on Ivan's shoulder. Ivan seemed to relax at Marin's words. "I'm sure that Mylène has feelings for you as well, she's just as shy as you are."

" Mylenes so nice and pretty and sweet," Ivan remarked but still hung his head, uncertain. "I'm no good with words anyway."

"Words are overrated. You could draw her a picture, send her flowers, send her some treats?" Marin remarked picking up his box of macaroons, only half of them were broken. He offered one to Ivan who accepted one of the non broken ones. His eyes lit up as he tasted one, licking his lips for the crumbs as he took another.

"I could… write her a song?" He suggested and Marin couldn't help but feel at ease as he saw Ivan's eye twinkle with some hope.

"That's a great idea! Who wouldn't want a love song written especially for her? Something that only you can make from the heart. Go for it, Ivan!" Marin stood up, offering Ivan a hand as the taller boy pulled him in for a quick hug.

"Thank you Marin!" Ivan scurried off, excited, leaving Marin with a small smile on his face.

* * *

Adrien was looking through his textbook as he saw Chloe and Sabrina hanging around the desk next to his. He caught Chloe placed something on the seat as the two girls giggled. "Hey! What's that all about?" Adrien asked as Nino shrugged his shoulders.

"Probably another one of their pranks." His friend remarked as he placed his headphones back on. Nearby, Adrien saw that Alya was waiting at the door and he put two and two together.

Almost immediately he stood up. " Chloe this isn't right." He remarked as she turned towards him.

"Who cares, it's funny." She lightly remarked, stepping aside as the teacher stepped in.

"Alright class, take your seats."

Adrien faltered as he saw Alya walk back, sighing in relief as he sat out of the proximity of the gum. But then Alya caught his attention as she waved towards someone. He turned to see Marin walk past him, smiling At Alya and the empty seat beside her. He immediately stood up trying to stop him but was too late as Marin quickly sat down, placing his dented box on the desk.

"Huh?"

He felt bad as he could see Marin stand back up trying to take the gum off of his pants but to no avail as it was too sticky. He turned towards Chloe and Sabrina hearing them laughing behind him as their classmate fell for the joke intended for Alya.

"See? Is that hilarious Adrien?" Chloe asked as he could see Marin side glance him. He couldn't say anything as Marin only sighed sitting back down as Alya seemed to console him.

"Now do you see what I mean by respect?" Chloe asked as Adrien couldn't help but feel an anger spark in the pit on his stomach.

He knew better, his mother taught him as much.

* * *

"Agreste, Adrien?"

Nino jabbed his side gently, " Dude."

"Uh, present!" He reflexively stood up, but almost immediately grew flushed as almost all the other students laughed.

Marin perked up at the sound of the boys' last name. "I know that name…" he took out his phone, trying to tap through the cracked screen, but to no avail as it no longer registered his touch.

"Dang it…"

Alya instead placed her phone in front of him, and immediately he recognized the great Gabriel Agreste and current classmate standing next to each other.

He then planted his head on his desk in defeat. "Of course one of Chloes new minions is the son of the great Gabriel Agreste." Marin grimaces as he glanced at the handsome boy sitting a few feet away.

Alya hummed for a moment looking through more pictures. "Daddy's boy, teen supermodel, AND Chloé's buddy? Ha! Forget it ever making friends with that guy."

* * *

"Why didn't you tell them it was Chloé's idea?" Nino whispered as Adrien lifted his head, the guilt still evident on his face.

"I've known Chloé since I was a little kid. I know she's not perfect, but I can't throw her under the bus. She's like my only friend." Adrien admitted slumping down in his seat.

"Dude, it's time for you to make some new friends." He and Adrien fist-bumped as a smile broke out on both of their faces.

"Bourgeois, Chloé?"

"Present!"

"Bruel, Ivan?"

Suddenly Stoneheart erupted through the door enters, sending panic through the classroom. "**Mylène!**" He easily grabbed the smaller girl, who was yelling out frantically for help.

"Let go of me, Ivan!" Mylène pleaded, but it fell on deaf ears.

"I'm not Ivan anymore. I'm Stoneheart!"

Ivan, now Stoneheart grabbed Chloe as well, making another hole leading outside of the classroom and heading onto the streets.

"Come on! Let's follow him!" Alya immediately said, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.

Marin just stared at her, "You're kidding right?!"

Alya simply shrugged him off, "C'mon, you're gonna miss Ladybug in action!"

Marin faltered as his friend mentioned that name, instead, he picked up her bag, holding it out towards her. "You and Ladybug will both be better off without me." He said, feeling as though he was holding the weight of the world in his hands. But he knew that Alya would be capable, and Tikki would be a good mentor for whatever she lacked. After all, she was patient with-

"If you say so!" Alya called out, leaving Marin to watch as she sprinted out of the room at great speed.

For a few moments, he was stunned before realizing he had to run after her.

* * *

Chat Noir sat atop the school looking down at his target, Stoneheart and his two captives. With luck, perhaps he could get him to release the two girls then when Ladybug showed up. The two could think up a plan together. He jumped down, stabbing his baton where Mylène was captured, trying to use his weapon as leverage to open the monster's grip, but to no avail. As instead, Stoneheart only grew larger with the impact.

"Oh no. My bad." He flashed a sheepish grin as he tried to evade Stonehearts attacks.

"Ugh. Are you actually a superhero or are you just super incompetent!?"Chloé demanded as Chat Noir scowled at her.

"You wanted the cavalry? Well, here it is!" Stoneheart summoned his minions, all of whom began to corner Chat Noir, throwing everything in sight and causing chaos.

"If you can hear me, Ladybug, I could use a little help!" He called out.

* * *

"What's that guy waiting for?" Alya murmured as she sat far to close to the chaos. Marin stood atop the stairs of the school, spotting his friend, but from his angle also seeing that a Stone figure was throwing cars. One of them was about to crash into his friend. Marin was frozen, unable to react. He could see the entire world slow down as a car fell towards his friend. Not knowing what else to do Marin shut his eyes, grasping the strap on his messenger bag. But a loud bang caught his attention as the car flew past in.

He opened his eyes to see the hero from yesterday Chat Noir, kneeling near Alya. Immediately he ran to his friends' side.

" Alya!" He called, grabbing their attention as Alya smile in relief and Chat Noir turned away his back to the two.

" I'm alright." She insisted as she showed that there were no major wounds on her body. Marin looked up to Chat Noir about to leave but was stopped by Marin grasping to his hand for a moment. Surprising the Hero as he turned back with widened eyes.

" How can you do that? Act so heroically like that?" Marin asked absentmindedly. It was as his body moved on his own, wanting to know how someone like him could be so courageous.

For a moment Chat Noir hesitated, looking at Marin for the first time. He wasn't Adrien, the kid that an accomplice to his bullying, he was a superhero. Chat Noir's expression softened as a little of his guilt slipped through his words. "If people like us do nothing, then the bad guys win, right?" He said, as a matter of fact, like, but it was apparent that he was trying to avoid eye contact.

As Chat Noir saw Marin's eyes light up slightly at his words, something deep down made the hero smile, even though he didn't deserve to feel this kind of pride. He placed his hand on the taller boy's shoulder. "You two get out of here, I'll handle this!" He exclaimed, prepared to face the stone beings head-on, spinning his baton in his hand.

" What about Ladybug?!" Marin called, as Chat Noir turned around at the sound of his voice. " What if he doesn't show up?" He asked hesitantly.

He smiled confidently, " No worries, I trust my partner." He called out, leaving his two classmates behind to protect the city.

Marin looked in awe at the blonde-haired hero, jumping across rooftops. It was plain to see that someone like him didn't need any help from someone like him. Luckily, Alya would probably-

" Where there's Chat Noir, there'll be Ladybug!" Alya called as she grabbed her bike.

" What?! You're not serious are you?!" He asked as Alya put on her helmet.

" Blame the reporter in me." She lightly teased as she pedaled after the chaos, leaving him alone.

Marin fought the urge to slap his forehead but simply sighed. A determined expression was drawn on his face as he reached into Alyas bag quickly making sure the no one was around and put on the earrings. He was relieved to see Tikki appear before him with a bright smile on her face. "I knew you'd come around!"

Marin looked her in the eye with newfound resolve. "I've hesitated long enough. Tikki, spots on!"

* * *

Chat Noir scanned the tower for Ivan spotting something being thrown. Without hesitation the hero jumped to intercept the person, landing up with Chloe in his arms.

" I didn't promise." She said and confusion burst on his face as he helped her to her feet. She immediately ran over to her father as the police officer yelled out.

"We're clear to attack!"

He immediately turned towards the police, calling out "From experience, that's a really bad idea!" He called out.

"I have a new plan, unlike you! Move aside and let the pros do their thing. You've already failed once!"

Chat Noir winced back at this truth. But before he could respond, all eyes were on the hundreds of Akuma's erupting from Stonehearts mouth. All of them taking shape of a face of a sinister-looking villain.

"People of Paris, listen carefully. I am Hawk Moth."

"Hawk Moth?" Chat Noir questioned as he looked on.

"Ladybug, Cat Noir, give me the ladybug earrings and the cat ring, you've already done enough damage to these innocent people."

" You see?!" The officer yelled as he held up his walkie talkie. " Stand by on my order-"

" Hold on! Chat Noir pleaded, but his breath escaped him as he heard clapping turning to see Ladybug walk towards the giant hoard of Akuma and their new named foe: Hawkmoth.

"Nice try, Hawk Moth, but let's not reverse the roles here." Ladybug said in a loud clear voice that the entire world seemed to listen to. "Without you, none of these innocent people wouldn't have been transformed into villains. Without you and your evil, those children would be in class right now instead of being afraid for their lives. Mark my words we will find you and YOU'LL be the one to hand us YOUR Miraculous!"

Chat Noir watched in amazement as Ladybug swiftly jumped above the gathering of butterflies using his yo-yo, falling into the swarm. For a second he was worried, then only moments later every single butterfly was captured, and Ladybug was standing atop the tower.

"Paris, please allow me to make this promise you all a promise. No matter what comes, Ladybug and Cat Noir will always do everything within our power to keep you safe!" Erupted from his yo-yo was the captured butterflies, dispersing all throughout Paris before disappearing.

Cat Noir's mouth was agape in pure awe. This was his partner, someone who he realized he would be fighting crime alongside for a long time. For once he had no words as he witnessed the purified Akuma fly around the city in white light before disappearing.

" Help me!"

Chat Noir suddenly snapped to attention as he heard his classmates' cries. He used his baton to close the distance between himself and the tower seeing Ladying making his way up as well.

"You'll never take Mylène from me! Come to me, my stone beings!" Stoneheart called out as he assessed the tower with Mylène in hand.

He landed near to the black-spotted hero as both narrowly evaded the stone beings now climbing the tower. The two of them stood atop one of the platforms as they regrouped, assessing the situation.

"We're completely surrounded." Chat Noir noted as he saw an entire city of stone being heading towards them. "What do we do now? We can't attack him. The Akuma is in his fist like last time. But we can't get to it without him letting go of that girl. So…" He looked towards Ladybug for some kind of input. He saw his partner entirely focused, narrowing his eyes as he placed on left hand over his mouth, while his other was under his elbow.

His eyes then lit up as he turned towards him with a playful smirk.

"We give him exactly what he wants." Ladybug finished his thought as he used his yo-yo to bungee up the tower.

Cat Noir was stunned for a moment before excitement overtook him. "Not really following you, but something tells me that this is how it's gonna be from here on out.

* * *

Ladybug landed atop the base of the top of the tower as Chat followed.

" Cover me?" Ladybug requested as Chat Noir nodded, pulling out his baton.

" Leave it to me." He remained behind as Ladybug pressed forward, reaching the peak of the tower and getting a clear shot at Stoneheart and Mylène.

"How are you planning to get them closer than they already are?!" Chat called out as he tried to keep the focus of the stone beings on himself rather than his partners'.

Ladubug pulled out his yo-yo, throwing it over his head. "Lucky Charm!" He called and something fell into his hands. "A parachute?" He suddenly flinched turning around to see Chat Noir being almost thrown off the tower. Quickly he caught him with his yo-yo, pulling him back to safety right next to him placing an arm around his waist to steady him.

"You sure you know what you're doing?!" He asked, but his only response was Ladybug spinning his yo-yo again.

"Trust me."

Ladybug threw his yo-yo again around Stone's head and hand, pulling it so that the two classmates kissed. Almost immediately Stoneheart was shaken by the contact, losing his grip on both the tower and her. Cat Noir then jumped down knocking up the Akumatized paper with his staff into Ladybug's grasp; breaking it in his hand. He watched as the Akuma flew towards the sky for a moment, "That's enough mischief little butterfly." quickly catching the Akuma with his yo-yo before he jumped after his friends in free fall.

"Chat, Mylène!" He called out as he focused on Ivan.

" On it!" Cat Noir called, activating his power and securing himself and Mylène, now only able to watch as Ladybug and Ivan still fell.

Ladybug narrowed his eyes, using his yo-yo to pull Ivan towards him, keeping him secure as Ladybug pulled the cord of the parachute. "Bye-bye, little butterfly." Ladybug said as his yo-yo opened and a white butterfly flew away. They landed safely as Ladybug detached the parachute and the yo-yo as Ivan fell over, clearly shaken up. "Miraculous Ladybug!" He threw the Lucky charm into the air and its energy dispersed into groups of glowing ladybugs flying throughout the city and returning the stone people to normal and undid the damage done during the battle.

Chat Noir and Mylène landed nearby as Chat Noir used his baton to lower them to the ground carefully. As they touched the ground, Mylène was still winded from the day's events so she caught her breath. He looked up to see Ladybug's magic of creation flying throughout the city in amazement. His gaze was lingered down to where his partner was kneeling down next to Ivan as the black-spotted hero caught that Ivan turned his head away shyly as he caught Mylène's gaze.

"Remeber what I said yesterday?" Ladybug asked, re-handing the paperback to Ivan. "You shouldn't be ashamed of how you feel."

"Oh, uh… I… Uh…" Ivan stumbled over his words but calmed down as Ladybug placed his hand over his.

"Maybe it would help if you simply gave her the poem?" He suggested as he gave the taller boy the push he needed. He looked fondly at the two as Mylène read the note, smiling up at him as both of them blushed softly, then hugged.

Ladybug turned away, spinning his yo-yo, preparing to leave the scene.

"So, they're so made for each other, huh?" Chat Noir asked as he rested his hand on his baton as his miraculous beeped. "Maybe like us two?"

Ladybug didn't respond.

"You're not much of a talker, are you? That's alright I'll talk enough for the both of us." He held out his hand for a fist bump. "I look forward to working with you in the future, partner."

Ladybug looked back towards him, for a moment it looked like he was smiling. But he couldn't tell as the hero reciprocated his gesture, flying off as Chat ran in the other direction with a smile.

"Until we meet again, Ladybug."

* * *

"So, by the time I went to the Eiffel Tower, it was all over. I'm way bummed." Alya groaned as she grasped Marin's arm, both walking into the classroom.

Marin chuckled as he handed her a fresh chocolate croissant. "Don't worry. You'll get your scoop eventually."

Alya perked up, "You're right. Next target: Ladybug, an exclusive interview! Man, this is really good!" She remarked taking a bite of the pastry.

Marin shot her a smile

"Oh, wait! Even better: finding out who's really under that mask-"

Suddenly he felt uneasy. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves." Marin abruptly said as Alya wrapped her arm around his shoulder, pulling him into a half hug.

* * *

"You've disobeyed me a number of times now Adrien." Gabriel scolded as Adrien grasped his jeans. He sat in the car next to Natalie with his bodyguard driving. They were parked right in front of the school building as students walked together happily. "Take a look at that school. You will never, I say, never go back there again..."

Adrien complied, glancing towards the place where he desperately wanted to be. Awaiting for him to say the word, and then he'd be locked behind walls for the rest of his adolescent life.

"Without your bodyguard." Adrien immediately lifted his head, unable to believe what he was hearing. "He will drop you off and pick you off every day. Nathalie has offered to organize your a new schedule. You'll be continuing your music, Chinese, and fencing classes and your photoshoots.

Adrien smiled in relief, "Thank you, Nathalie. Thank you, Father!" he said before grabbing his backpack and then running inside the school, sincerely happy for the first time in a long while.

* * *

Marin glanced at his original seat just as Alya and he were about to walk past.

"Marin?" Alya turned towards him but soon smiled as she saw what he was doing; following in suit. The two friends taking a seat right behind where Nino and Adrien's desks were.

"Uhh… You're in the wrong seat. Go on, get lost!" Chloé demanded as Sabrina mirrored her friend's frustration.

Marin shook his head. "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil, is that good people do nothing."

Chloé shot him a bewildered expression. "What the heck is that supposed to mean?"

"It means that I'm not putting up with your terrible personality anymore, Chloé, and neither is anyone else around here. So take a seat before you make yourself look even worse if that's even possible." The class erupted with giggles as Chloé complied angrily.

Alya rested her hand on Marin's shoulder as the two smiled at each other, but the good mood soon faded as Adrien walked into the room. When he spotted Marin he waved with a small smile. But was visibly disheartened as he looked away and Alya glared at him.

Adrien's former happy mood turned sour as he sat down next to Nino, who nudged his side.

"Dude, you wanna make friends, right? Well, go talk to Marin. You know, about literally every interaction you've had with him?"

"But what should I say?" He asked.

"Just be yourself." Nino advised, but his words made Adrien frown.

"Nino, that's how I got in this situation in the first place. I literally made him crush his cookies among other things."

"Look," Nino turned towards him, pulling him close by placing a hand on his shoulder. "Marin is like one of the nicest dudes you will ever meet. Seriously, one time when I got the flu he took notes and helped me with my homework for the entire time so I wouldn't miss anything. He wasn't even mad that I got him sick for like 2 weeks afterward. Just be sincere, say you're sorry, and if you get forgiveness from him chances are Alya won't be giving you the stink eye either. But be careful, he has a way of making you avoid apologizing, don't fall for it."

"Okay?

* * *

After class Alya went ahead, leaving Marin to stan before a heavy wave of rain. He sighed heavily if he made a break for it then maybe he could run home and take a hot shower before he could get sick. Then again, with his luck he'd probably trip over everything in sight and still be out for half a year.

"Hey."

Marin turned to see Adrien standing nearby holding an umbrella. He turned away, uncertain of what to say.

" I've never been to school before. I've never had friends. So it's all sort of new to me, and I guess I was just swept along.I just wanted you to know that I'm-"

"It's alright."

"Huh?" Adrien was taken off guard as Marin buttoned up his jacket, popping his collar and rolling down the sleeves as though he were trying to repel the cold.

"I saw you try to apologize for those last few times even though they were accidents. And the thing with the gum, even I could tell that Chloé had a hand in it. Don't worry about it, I'm used to this kinda stuff."

"Yeah." Adrien nodded for a moment he was mesmerized at this person standing before him. Even though there was no light the rain seemed to illuminate Marin's figure, in a way where he could tear his eyes away from.

"I'll see you later."

But the boy's words snapped him out of his daze, quickly he grabbed his hand reflexively. He felt a jolt of surprise from Marin as he turned back, his eyes widened in surprise. With his other hand, he shielded Marin from the rain that he was about to step into, both of them now standing under the umbrella.

"What I did wasn't alright. No matter what you say, I shouldn't have walked away when you needed help. I..." Adrien faltered for a moment, turning his head away before placing Marin's hand on the umbrella, handing it off to him. "I'm going to try to be better because I don't want you to be used to this kind of treatment." 

Marin simply glanced at him as he took a step back, for a brief moment they glanced at each other fondly before it was interrupted by the umbrella closing on Marin's head. Adrien tried to hold back his laughter but couldn't, also seeing the briefest of smiles on Marin's face as it turned red with embarrassment as he tried to fix the umbrella. 

Adrien walked down the stairs but turned back towards him with a hopeful smile on his face. "I hope you won't think badly of me if I tried my best to be your friend." He then placed his hands in his pocket, walking towards his ride. 

Tikki hovered near Marin's face with a playful smile on her face. "I know that look!" She boldly proclaimed as Marin's face ran even more red. 

"What? What are you talking about?!" He demanded as Tikki hugged his cheek. 

* * *

"First day of school and we already have two lovebirds." Plagg remarked as he peaked through Adrien's collar. 

Adrien shook his head, "Don't be silly Plagg, he's just a friend." For a moment Adrien smiled to himself and blushing a the word as he couldn't help but be more clutch the hand that recently had just touched Marin's. "An actual friend…" just as he walked towards the car. 

* * *

Unbeknownst to the two teenagers, a familiar old man was standing nearby under the rain with a smile on his face and a green Kwami hovering nearby. 

"Excellent choice, Master." The Kwami complimented as the old man lifted his umbrella. 

He nodded thoughtfully. "Indeed, those two were certainly made for each other."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If ya can't tell, in my fic Chat Noir admires Ladybug and really wants to be his friend. 
> 
> But also, Ladybug admires Chat Noir and feels like a lesser hero around him. Because Chat Noir is really cool. 
> 
> Marin was indifferent towards Adrien but now is smitten because Adrien is actually a kind-hearted person.
> 
> And Adrien wants to be Marin's friend.
> 
> Also, Tom is a really loving Dad, a top tier dad, that fact cannot be disputed.


	3. A Bubbler Scorned

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien just wants a birthday party and gets what he wants the hard way. 
> 
> Meanwhile, Marin tries to practice some goodwill towards his crush, delaying catching an Akuma, and reaps what he sows.

Marin cleaned the flour and sugar off of his face and hands as he sat back down to put the finishing touches on a white box lain on his desk. He placed a plate of chocolate chip cookies nearby as he began wrapping it in light blue paper.

"What are you doing up so early?" Tikki asked as she watched her friend dressed for school messing around with something. He wore his usual grey suit and cuffed pants with a white cuffed shirt. With his hair almost always covering his eyes he began wearing pink bobby pins while he was working.

Marin turned towards his Kwami with a small smile, "Good morning Sugarcube." He greeted as Tikki rested on his shoulder, munching on a chocolate chip cookie. "I'm just finishing off my gift to Adrien."

"A gift?" Tikki questioned hovering over the blue and yellow wrapped present as Marin placed a card between the wrapping. "Dear Adrien, I hoped that we can be friends. Happy Birthday; From: Marin." Tikki read out loud.

"Is it Adrien's birthday?" She asked and noticed Marin's face redden slightly as he removed his hairpins.

"...Maybe." He said, placing the present in his bag. "Come on Tikki." He called, ignoring Tikki's smug smile as she flew into his messenger bag.

* * *

Adrien was just finishing off brushing his teeth when Plagg shoved a piece of cheese into his mouth, much to his displeasure. Peppermint and Camembert were not a good combination.

"Happy birthday, Adrien!" Plagg said happily as Adrien picked a red ribbon out of his mouth, disgusted.

"Ugh, Plagg! I just brushed my teeth!"

"I don't know why you're complaining, your beloved Kwami just gave you your first birthday present." Plagg turned his head, pouting as he crossed his arms.

"Okay okay," Adrien conceded, "Thanks for the tasty cheese, I'm sure nothing else I receive today is going to compare to what my precious Kwami gave me."

Plagg turned his head with an amused smirk. "That's more like it."

* * *

"Marin, don't forget to clean your room after school-"

"Cleaned it this morning mama." He said zeroing in on the cookie jar.

Sabine smiled at him sipping her tea as she watched her son shove a few in his pockets, while also placing one in his mouth.

He couldn't help but smile as he bit down, chewy chocolate chip cookies really were the best. He then walked over to his mother who kissed his cheek then made his way towards the downstairs bakery.

"Have a nice day, sweetie!"

"Happy birthday- I mean, have a nice day!" He stumbled over his words as he quickly closed the door behind him, leaving his mother confused for a moment before she simply shrugged her shoulders.

* * *

Adrien finished off the rest of his green tea, already used to the bitter flavor as Natalie walked in.

"Your schedule, Adrien." She said plainly, turning to walk away.

"Thank you, Nathalie." He scanned over his schedule for the day, a feeling of sadness erupting as he realized it was just a normal day packed to the brim. Nothing special or out of the ordinary. For a moment, he thought about asking Natalie about the birthday party that he wanted.

Just wanting Nino to come over and play some video games, maybe have some cake.

But it was probably too much to ask for from his father.

* * *

"Dude, seriously?" Nino groaned as he and Adrien waited for his ride. "Has your dad always been such a downer? You'd think he'd remember what it was like to be young and wanna party a little."

"No, I'm pretty sure he was exactly the same since day one. He's never been one for expressing emotion."

"It's your b-day, dude! Insist!" Nino prompted blowing more bubbles.

"You've never met my father, he can be intimidating."

Nino hummed for a moment. " You know what, I'm gonna have a little convo with your pops.

Adrien laughed, "Nino trust me, once he says no there's no changing his mind. I should know."

"Alya!" They overheard and saw Marin and Alya arguing over something. As Alya caught Nino's eye, she smiled and then dragged him

"Hello, boys." She said dragging over Marin's arm as he hung his head, avoiding eye contact. "Settle something for us, would you. Marin doesn't believe me when I say that there's nothing wrong with his baking."

"It can't be flawless Alya, this is my first time baking them," Marin said, embarrassed being put on the spot.

"Tough, because they're delicious, and you should hear it from people who are impartial."

Adrien and Nino exchanged a glance but simply nodded as Alya help out a bag before them. An amazing smell erupted from the paper bag as Nino reached in first,

Hey, chouquettes." He said popping one in his mouth. His eyes suddenly widened as a smile erupted, "Woah these are amazing! I didn't know the bakery sold these, where did you get them?"

Alya smirked as she passed off the bag to Marin, "They're courtesy of own Marin."

"Seriously?" Nino asked popping another into his mouth while Marin nodded sheepishly.

"My dad's been thinking about selling them in the store, these are some samples I helped out with."

"Dude you gotta try one." Nino nudged Adrien's side. "Some of them are chocolate!"

Adrien glanced toward Marin who still wouldn't look him in the eye. "Can I have one?" He asked. Marin only nodded as he held out the bag. Just as he was about to take one Alya and Marin were knocked aside by Chloe, who immediately wrapped her arms around him.

"Happy birthday, Mwah!" She gave him a quick peck as Adrien noticed Marin dropped his bag of pastries, now ruined as he scrambled to pick them up, not wanting to litter. Alya gave Chloe the stink eye as she and Nino helped him out.

"Yeah, thanks."

"Did you get the gift I sent you?" She asked fluttering her eyelashes.

Adrien struggled to try and distance himself, but to no avail, as his childhood friend latched on. "Uh, no."

Chloé grew seemingly replaced, grumbling to herself in annoyance but Adrien was just happy that she released him. "What? Oh, those delivery guys. I bet it was too heavy, so they had to go back and get another guy to help. Those slackers." She wrapped her arms around his shoulders again but to his chagrin. "I'll make sure they get it to you by tonight, but first. Mwah!" She kissed his cheek, before leaving, completely ignoring everyone else she walked past.

"Dude." Nino started, crossing his arms as his eyes quickly dashed to Alya helping Marin up. Getting the hint, Arien walked over to them.

"All I'm saying is, if she pushes us again, it's only natural to return the favor."

"Alya. Please don't." Marin pleaded as his friend looked enraged.

They both turned towards Adrien as he stepped closer. "Hey, Marin sorry about your deserts, they smelled really good."

Good? His mouth was watering even thinking about them.

"Tell you what," Alya cut in putting an arm around her best friend's neck. "If you really want to make it up to us, How about letting us tag along to whatever party Nino's going to throw for you?" She suggested.

Adrien chuckled, "There's no party. I'm not one for birthdays." he said, lying through his teeth.

"Oh yeah? Sorry to hear that." Alya responded, believing him.

"But I do want to try your baking, I'll trade you some camembert if I can have some of those chouquettes." He joked as no one would ever want to be around something as smelly as-

"Sure." Marin said shyly.

Adrien stood there dumbfounded for a moment. "No, wait, I was-"

"Dude, your ride's here." Nino said tapping his shoulder.

"Dangit. You're still coming over later, right?" He asked walking over and opening the door.

"You couldn't keep me away if you tried."

"Looks like I've got some business to take care of with Adrien's old man." Nino said to himself but what surprised as Alya called out to him.

"Great, you can take Marin with you!" Alya said pushing her friend towards him. Marin shot a glance back at her, but any semblance of annoyance faded as he smiled nervously at him. "I just need to drop something off."

* * *

Marin stood outside Adrien's house, dropping off the present. Pressing it to his forehead for a moment, internally wishing Adrien a happy birthday. As he was surprised by an eyeball popping out above him.

"State your business." A woman's voice came from the other side.

"Um, hi. I'm in Adrien's class and I, uh-" As his words faltered, he gestured to the present that was in his hand.

"Put it in the box."

The mailbox popped open from the wall, and Marin carefully placed the gift inside.

"Um, thank you!" He said, bowing his head to what he hoped was actually someone and not an AI.

"Sup dude-"

"WAH!" Marin flinched back as he felt someone touch his shoulder, looking at Nino who was standing nearby with a smile. He sighed heavily grasping his chest, "You scared me."

"Sorry about that. It just looked like you forgot I was standing here for a sec there."

"Me? No no, was just thinking. And I'll go think at home now. Okay bye, see you tomorrow." Marin rambled walking past him as his face began to turn red with embarrassment.

"Okay then, I hope Adrien liked your present."

He heard Marin whine something but his friend didn't clarify so he simply shrugged his shoulders and rang the doorbell.

* * *

Adrien glanced out the window as his driver pulled up to the house. He kept his head down as he entered the front door, noticing that his father was talking to someone inside of his study. The door was open so he walked in, passing by Natalie who was standing outside.

Adrien saw his father looking down at Nino with the same expression he always gave to him. "My son is not your concern, he does not need any distractions."

"But that's so messed up. He never screws up in class, he always does whatever you tell him. He's always leaving to go to photoshoots, fencing, Chinese, piano-"

"Nino?" Adrien asked walking up to his best friend. "What are you doing here?"

"Trying to convince your dad that you deserve a birthday. You deserve to have the best birthday!"

"Forget it, Nino. Really, it's fine." Adrien shook his head.

"Listen, young man. I decide what's best for my son. Just as I've decided that your disrespect to my decisions are not welcome in my house. Adrien, show your classmate out."

"Father please, he was just trying to do something cool for me." Adrien followed his father out of his study towards the main hall leaving Nino behind for a moment.

But something caught his eye, a light blue present and a yellow ribbon he saw Marin carrying earlier. Then towards a card that in the trash can, one that he recognized from his last birthday. The sight made him angry as he walked towards the front door as he walked past his friend.

"Nino, wait! I'm sorry. My father-he's pretty stubborn. It's just best to stay out of his way." Adrien tried to apologize but faltered as Nino turned towards him with an angry expression but it quickly faded as he saw his friends guilt.

"It's not fair, Adrien. You're like, one of the coolest dudes I know and your dad won't even let you have a birthday party. Ugh, no matter whatever we plan adults will always ruin everything."

Adrien looked away from his friend. He felt the same way, it wasn't like he didn't know what a happy birthday felt like. It was just that this one, in particular, was harder on his dad, since his mom always made him plan the evening with her.

He didn't stop his friend from walking away, knowing how he felt, only said. "Thanks anyway, Nino." As he was left alone.

* * *

Marin laid down on his bed with the covers on as Tikki cuddled him under the warm sheets.

"Do you think Adrien's opened his gift by now?" He asked as Tikki only mumbled, half asleep.

["Xiang, Lunch!"]

Carefully, he placed Tikki in his pocket as he jumped off of his bed loft and then jumped down the stairs as he could smell his mom's cooking even though the entire room was stuffy from the steam.

"Smells good, Mama." He said as his mother turned towards him with a smile. She walked towards the window after placing his lunch on the table.

Just as he was about to dig into chicken cutlets curry rice Marin quickly turned as he heard his mother scream. He saw her captured into a purple bubble looked terrified.

"Mama? MAMA!" As he tried to reach her, she'd floated away along with seemingly every other parent as his dad was captured as well.

"What's going on? Tikki!" He opened his jacket as his Kwami, still drowsy, flew out.

"Hello Paris, it's party time!"

Among the purple bubbles that were floating in the sky, broadcasting a message from the Bubbler.

"Today is your lucky day, little dudes. The adults have taken the day off, so make the most of it. No chores, no homework, no more nagging, just fun, fun, fun, fun. This is the Bubbler's gift to you."

"Hawk Moth must've released another Akuma." The Kwami observed

"We have to track him down, quick. Tikki- huh?" Marin saw someone colorful jumping across the rooftops. Landing before him in his living room with what was a sinister smile.

"Sup Dude."

He was utterly confused, "Who are you?"

"Don't you recognize your old buddy Nino?"

"Nino?! What happened to you?!" Marin suddenly grew distraught at the sight of his friend Akumatized.

"I was done with adults ruining everything." He explained, "They're selfish, self-righteous jerks that deserved more than what I did to them."

"Nino, my parents have always been nice to you." Marin pointed out.

"I don't mean your parents Marin, they've always been cool. But haven't you ever been so angry at them, haven't you ever wanted the freedom to do what you want?"

"Nino."

"Okay okay, they're some exceptions. But I'm not here to talk about me. I'm throwing Adrien the biggest birthday bash, and I want you to be there."

"What? Why me?" Nino, now Bubbler, rested his arm around Marin's shoulder, lowering him so

Their gaze was on the same level. "Because not only do you live above the best

bakery in Paris, you're like Adrien. Someone who was also ragged on by adults."

"Huh? What're you talking about?" Marin asked tilting his head in confusion.

"Details my friend. So, you come, we party, and I return the adults back. Deal?" He offered, placing his hand out.

"...Deal." Marin shook his hand without a second thought.

* * *

Adrien finished off his meal; what it lacked in flavor it made up for in nutrition.

"Wow. That was a birthday lunch break to remember. Yay!" He said lamely as he shouldered his messenger bag on. As he passed by the door he noticed that Natalie wasn't there, she probably working in his fathers office again. He shrugged off the sadness, opening the front door. The boy was taken off guard as he opened the door outside to a crowd of his classmates cheering along. There was an entertainment system and dessert buffet all set up.

Above him standing on a bubble was a colorful figure with a large smile drawn on his face.

"Hey, hey, hey, birthday boy. Guess what? The Bubbler's brought all yo homies together for one single-sole purpose, to party harder for one special birthday boy!"

Adrien narrowed his eyes at the Akumatized victim and it dawned on him "Nino?!"

The Bubbler jumps down from the bubble into a DJ booth"Let's get this party started!"

Everyone in the crowd cheered as the music began, starting to dance. Adrien, stunned by this turn of events, ran back into the house as he hung his head in confusion.

Bubbler panned over the crowd of disinterested kids, something inside him bubbling up. "Come on, everybody, I brought you here to party!" Still there was no response, so he leveled up the volume of this music, jumping on the turntable as he pulled out his bubble wand with a sinister smile.

"So dance or we'll all float down here."

* * *

" We need to free Nino!" Tikki said as the booth stood in the cleared out store. Why are you delaying this?"

" When I turn everything back, this'll all go back to normal right?"

"Yes, but when are you going to do that?!" She demanded as Marin walked out, jumped on his bike.

" Just put some faith in my on this Tikki?" Marin asked as he rode in the now-empty town.

As he walked into the Agreste estate, he saw the party was somewhat lively, but everyone was frowning. Suddenly, he felt someone rest their arm around his shoulder and he turned to see Nino, now Bubbler standing next to him.

"Hey, Marin. Would ya mind grabbing the birthday boy for us? Without him, this whole thing kinda falls apart.

Marin looked uncertain, "I just got here." He said as Nino guided him toward the front entrance. Are you sure you don't want to ask anyone else?"

" No no," Bubbler shook his head, placing something in Marin's hand. "I think you should be the one to see him, maybe check in the office the left first before his room."

"Uh, okay?" He said in confusion as Bubbler pushes him into the house, shutting the door behind him. "Hm." He opened the crumpled paper as he slowly pushed in the door to what appeared to be an office.

Marin's eyes widened as he saw the note he'd written that morning now in his hands, and the present he'd wrapped on someone's desk with another tag.

He picked up the present, resting the note.

" To Adrien, from Father…"

" Someone threw away your note and regifted what you made?!" Tikki observed, sounding mad. "Who would be so mean?"

But Marin hummed for a moment, taking out his note.

Adrien paced in his room, rubbing his ring as Plagg rested on his shoulder.

"What's your problem? Relax! You're getting the party you've always wanted." Plagg said in confusion at his partner. 

"But Nino's been Akumatized! I've gotta help him!" Adrien said. 

"You may never get this chance again!" Plagg reasoned, "C'mon, let's have a little fun while your father's away! Then we'll save Nino, trap his akuma, and once Ladybug pops up all will be good."

Adrien ran through everything horrible that could happen but came around at the thought of having a proper birthday partner. "Okay, you're right. This might be the only day in my life that I actually get to do what I want for once."

He opened the door quickly but hit something as he stepped out.

"Oh, Sorry-" Adrien apologized but is shaken as he laid his eyes on Marin.

"No, I ran into you." Marin insisted as the two glanced away from each other for an awkward moment. "So, you coming out?" He asked.

"Yeah, yeah, it's a party for me after all, right?"

"Right…"

"Is something wrong?"

"Nothing, just...enjoy yourself, Happy Birthday Adrien." Marin looked upset over something, but Adrien didn't want to press him as he simply followed him to the door.

"You're not coming?" Adrien asked.

"I'm not really, a… birthday party person." Marin admitted much to Adrien's confusion. But before he could inquire more about that, he was dragged away by Chloe who squeezed at the sight of him.

* * *

Adrien tried to dance among the crowd, walking up to Rose who looked sad. "Hey, nice party, I guess, since it's my first one." Rose smiled a little and giving him two thumbs up, but then kept dancing and looking sad. Adrien turned around and saw everyone dancing but with a grim expression. Well, everyone except for Chloe, who was talking to Bubbler about something before she rushed over and trapped him in an embrace.

" Is it me, or does everyone seem a bit weird?" He asked, looking around, but Chloe always focused his attention back on her.

"Forget about them, let's go dance!" She dragged him to the center, for a few moments they swayed together. But then he grew a little repulsed as she tried to kiss him again. Thank goodness for Alya who cut in, " Finders Keepers," She said, and that sent off Chloe who was annoyed by her.

"Thanks for that," Adrien said as Alya shook her head.

"It's alright, it looked like she was pushing out."

"Yeah," Adrien admitted, sighing.

Alya spoke up again. "You see Marin around?" she asked curiously.

"Not sure really, maybe still in the house?" He said, "He seemed kinda out of it."

"That boy..."She sighed heavily but perked up again as the music changed. " Ah well, I'm sure Ladybug and Cat Noir will show up in a minute to save us all. They never failed us."

All of a sudden, Adrien felt this overwhelming feeling of guilt at Alya's words.

* * *

"Marin!" Tikki complained as Marin couldn't help but wince at her tone, feeling extremely guilty.

"I know. But I figured, the Bubbler, he's not going anywhere; besides, Adrien deserves to have a birthday party. I promise we'll take care of it, but can't we just give him a little while?"

Tikki sighed. "You know you're being biased just because of Adrien right? You can't use him or anyone to justify not removing an Akuma's possessed. The longer you delay the problem the worse it's going to get."

"When you're right, you're right." Marin agreed, but something caught his attention across the yard as Bubbler approached Ivan. "Hold on a sec."

"Marin!" Tikki called out by was quieted by her friend closing his bag.

* * *

"Hey, Paris, how you doing?!" Adrien called out trying to reignite the crowd.

He raises the mike in excitement, but the people don't respond like he wanted. Bubbler took out his bubble wand, glaring at everyone threateningly, behind Adrien. Suddenly the energy picked up and Adrien smiled, happy that his friends were having fun.

As the crowd cheered Bubbler zeroed in on Ivan standing by himself with a scowl on his face. "Hey, you." Bubbler snapped. "Why aren't you having fun?"

"None of your business," Ivan said curtly.

"Then I'll make it my business." He chuckled taking out his bubble wand.

"Nino!" Marin takes his hand, stopping him from bubbling Ivan. "What're you doing?!"

"Buzzkills are real party killers, can't have the mode getting dunked on by one person."

"You've given Adrien his party. It's time for this to stop, there's only one person killing the mood." Marin retorted, trying to make his friends see reason.

"You're right about one thing." Bubbler said with a sinister smile kicking Marin back and swiftly trapping him in a green bubble.

There was panic erupting as Marin was bubbled while Bubbler turned against the crowd laughing like a maniac.

* * *

Adrien was shocked by the actions of his Akumatized best friend, dashing for his room and locking the door behind him.

"I think I've been a complete idiot."

"But you had fun didn't you?" Plagg asked still dancing but Adrien just looked away for a moment in guilt.

"Plagg, claws out!"

* * *

"Well, I'm in a bubble," Marin stated bluntly as he had to cover his eyes as he was gaining height, fast. "You can chide me now."

But Tikki instead hugged his cheek, "You always mean well, that's why you're a good Ladybug."

"I don't think it counts when I allow the problem to get this bad." He said half-heartedly.

Suddenly, he couldn't hear her voice anymore.

"Tikki?"

But there was no response.

He slowly uncovered his eyes, but his heart sank as all he could see were clouds. As well as noticing the bubble was shrinking due to his heavy breathing. "This is fine, that'll just be how I perish. In a bubble, floating above the city."

"Sorry to ruin your plans then."

"WAH-" Marin grasped his chest as he was shaken by the new voice. He turned to see Chat Noir wrapping his belt around the smaller bubble. "Chat Noir?!" He exclaimed in surprise as the cat-themed hero winked at him. He was balancing on his staff hundreds to thousands of feet above the city. "What are you doing?!" He asked still keeping his eyes covered.

"Do you trust me?" He asked.

"Are you going to let me fall?"

"No?"

"Then yes."

"Cataclysm!" He heard Chat Noir activate his power and for a moment there was nothing preventing him from falling to his demise. A terrifying moment later he was pressed against another, who he assumed was Chat Noir. Instinctively he wrapped his arms around the hero's neck, feeling something around his waist.

"Did you belt me to you?" He tried to confirm as he did not feel safe feeling a breeze against his face with practically nothing to support him.

"Do you have a problem with that?"

Marin couldn't help but tremble as he could hear birds fly by, whimpering a "No" as Chat Noir supported him by placing his arm under the back of Marin's legs.

"Hang on." Chat Noir said and reflectively Marin tightened his grip, now resting his head on the hero's shoulder. As they lowered towards the city at amazing speed Chat Noir tipped over his baton, landing on the streets. Marin was still holding onto him, trembling at the recent event.

"You're incredibly light, you know that?" Chat Noir remarked playfully as Marin opened his eyes, sighing in relief as his life didn't hang in the balance anymore. As his feet touched the ground, and Chat Noir removed the belt he turned towards the Hero with sincere eyes.

"Thank you Chat Noir."

"No problem."

They both turned to the scouts of screams as large bubbles began to rise from the courtyard.

"Oh no!" Chat Noir gasped as he sped towards where Bubbler was.

Tikki flew out immediately hugging Marin's face quickly, as he returns the gesture by placing his hand on her.

"No more wasting time. Tikki, spots on!"

* * *

In front of the mansion, Bubbler tried to get the party going again.

"Where is everybody? Get out there and party!" Bubbler called out but everyone had hidden once he turned on them.

"Sorry to burst your bubble," Chat Noir called out, resting his staff on his shoulders. "but the party's over."

Bubbler snarled towards him, "What's wrong with all you guys!? Why you gotta be such haters!?" He took out his bubble wand, quickly trapping every person in the courtyard in bubbles.

Cat Noir stared in shock as they all floated away, terrified for his friends' safety."NOOO!"

Bubbler merely laughed. "Outer space is the next stop for your precious peeps, and they're never coming back!" he then jumped to the other side of the courtyard and jumping into a bubble as he began heading towards the heart of the city.

Chat Noir snarled, preparing to extend his baton again. But was stopped as someone grabbed his hand from behind, he turned to see Ladybug, calm as ever. The presence of his partner somehow tempered his anger, allowing him to calm down as Ladybug placed a hand on his shoulder.

"We stop Bubbler, we save everyone." He said calmly.

" But…" Chat Noir faltered as he saw Ladybugs sincerity, something that never failed to reassure him. " Alright, I'll follow your lead."

The Bubbler jumps from the bubble to a platform on the Eiffel Tower. Ladybug and Cat Noir began jumping up the railing as Bubbler began tossing explosive bubbles at them. But Ladybug destroyed them before they even came close with his yo-yo, protecting his partner.

Bubbler grew angry at this turn of events. "Total party poopers, just like adults!" He scorned, jumping back as the two heroes reached the top. "Kids need freedom, fun, let loose and live it up. Adults are controlling and bossy."

"And what exactly do you call forcing those students to obey everything you said. Forcing them to have fun when all they were scared." Ladybug asked, swinging his yo-yo.

"That's different! I was doing it so my best friend could have a party!"

"The ends don't justify the means Bubbler. Even if some adults are bad, the rest care for their children." He informed as Chat Noir looked conflicted for a moment.

"He's right, you must bring the adults back!" Chat Noir supported as Bubbler just laughed.

"Nope, never. Know what, since you care so much about these adults, why don't you go float with them for a while?!" He created more bubbles around them from his bubble wand.

"Lucky Charm!" Ladybug threw up his yo-yo, and caught a large ladybug print wrench in his hands.

"Your... plumbing skill is gonna help us out?" Chat Noir asked as he deflected the bubbles with his staff. "

Ladybug shrugged it off, evading bubbles as he glanced around, his eyes lighting up as he found all he needed. "Chat Noir, hit high!" Ladybug said as Chat quickly turned around. He gained extra height on his jump as Ladybug boosted him up towards a high beam as his partner retreated to cover.

Chat Noir jumped from the beam towards Bubbler, keeping his attention as he threw a few punches and kicks his way, the villain evaded most of them, but all Chat Noir needed was a distraction. "Your form could use a little work! Is that all you got?!" He taunted.

Ladybug quickly began work, loosening a screw on a pipe that appeared to be ventilation. He removed the pipe and gained control of a powerful gust of air. He nodded and turned towards Chat Noir who found himself surrounded by bubbles and threatened by the Bubbler brandishing his wand.

"Chat Noir!"

"On it!" He called out. "Cataclysm!" AS he summoned his power, Ladybug blew away all the larger bubbles easily as Bubbler was distracted for a moment just as Chat Noir touched it. The item was destroyed and from it emerged the Akuma.

"No more mischief from you little Akuma. Time to purify!" He said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion.

Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. "Bye-bye, little butterfly."

"Miraculous Ladybug!" He then threw the wrench up in the sky, and the Miraculous cleansing light returned everything to normal. Bubbler fell on his knees, the black smoke that once possessed now removed and he turned back to his normal self.

"Dude, what?" Nino questioned before he saw, Ladybug and Cat Noir bump their fists.

"Pound it!"

Ladybugs earrings beep, he pasts Nino shoulder as he walks past, jumping off the tower towards the city below.

"So, you're a cat?" Nino asked as he and Chat watched Ladybug leave.

Chat turned towards him with an amused expression, " That's what I'm told."

* * *

Adrien sat alone once more at the dinner table. He wished at least there was a birthday pie or something, maybe Marin's chouquettes? He craved for something sweet. But knew that if he told his father or Natalie about it again they'd refer him to his nutrition chart.

"A birthday present, from your father." He was surprised as Natalie laid an interesting looking box at his side on the table.

"For me?" He questioned at first,

"Thank you. I mean, please say thank you to my father for me." Nathalie simply nodded as Adrien quickly opened the gift his father gave, excited that he wasn't just given another small black box with a violet ribbon on it.

* * *

At school, Marin sat next to Nino who was blowing bubbles. The boy was lain back lazily. 

"Some party yesterday, huh?" He remarked as Nino squinted his eyes.

"Yeah, probably. Wish I could at least remember what I did yesterday…"

"You know, it was pretty alright until you tried to shoot me into space," Marin remarked to which Nino immediately turned his head in shock.

"I DID WHAT?!"

"Hey, guys!" Adrien called out as he stepped out of the a car, wearing a scarf.

Marin's eyes softened for a moment, then he turned away as Nino stood up, confused for a moment.

"Yo, nice scarf, Adrien. Very...stylish." Nino said lamely as Adrien shone with happiness, not noticing his friend's confusion.

"Yeah, can you believe my dad got this for me? He's so awesome after he's been giving me the same lame pen for three years in a row."

"Wow, I guess anyone can change." Nino faltered for a moment as he could see his friend's happiness radiating off of him. "Adults can be cool when you least expect it.

Adrien's mood dropped all of a sudden, "Speaking of adults, I know my father said you were a bad influence, but-"

Nino quickly placed his hand on Adrien's shoulder, flashing him a reassuring smile. "We're good, Adrien, don't sweat it. We're buds. Always and forever."

Adrien smiled as he pulled Nino in for a hug. Then noticing Marin sitting nearby, "Good Morning Marin." He said, a little hesitant.

"Here." Marin said handing over a white bag with his family's bakery logo on it. Adrien opened it and his eyes couldn't help but light up. "For me?"

"Yeah, Happy Birthday," Marin said even though it was belated. Adrien nodded his head gratefully as he walked inside first, leaving Nino and Marin to watch.

"Aren't you gotta tell him you were the one who knitted the scarf?" Nino asked as Marin turned towards him. "You can't tell me you're not the one who made it. You made me a really similar one last year."

Marin simply shrugged his shoulder. "Sometimes a gift is better coming from someone else. Besides, I don't want to spoil it for him we both know how his dad is."

Nino's eyes widen slightly as he pulled Marin in for a half hug, his face ran red as he hugged the taller boy. "Aw dude, you're too nice for your own good." He said still grabbing onto Marin's shoulder.

"Not really."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Marin is just trying his best.


	4. Cloudy with a Chance of Stormy Weather

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marin takes care of Manon, and has the change to take a photo with Adrien just as storm clouds form.

The TV played through the room as Marin tried to find the small child he was supposed to be taking care of.   
“We started off with 5000 contestants. But with the help of our audience at home, we whittled our talent down to just these two amazing young ladies! So, let's welcome our fantastic finalists! To my right, Aurore Beauréal, and to my left, Mireille Caquet! Who will be the lucky winner? Vote now! Text 1 for Aurore and 2 for Mireille. And remember, standard text messaging rates apply.”

“Come on, Manon, no running in the house!” He called as the small child took the pink sunhat from his room. 

“ I wanna be a fashion designer too!!” Manon said happily as she jumped on the sofa. 

“Manon, please, it's not finished! You're gonna ruin it!” Marin practically begged but the child didn’t listen as she threw the hat across the room. 

Luckily, he caught is, looking it over to make sure that the stitching didn’t come undone.   
“I'm gonna vote for Mireille, she's the best!” He immediately turned to see Manon trying to mess with his phone, but pouting as his phone didn’t work still broken from the first day. 

“Yoink!” He grabbed his phone from her, as she looked up at him in annoyance. 

“Hey!” Manon grumbled, instead grabbing the TV remote so she could watch the voting take place as Marin sat down at the kitchen table, resting his head for a moment. 

“Ughhh... Why did I agree to do this again?” He grumbled, as then Marin’s eyes were drawn towards his Kwami in the cookie jar. A wave of worry rushing over him as he gestured for her to stay out of sight. Though, he wondered if he should limit her cookie intake. 

“I can do this. It’s just one afternoon of babysitting, it’s not like it’s some Akuma attack.” He muttered to himself, then almost fell off his chair as the doorbell rang. Quickly he turned towards Manon who was glued towards the TV before Marin opened the living room door and down the stairs to reveal his best friend standing before him with excited eyes. 

“Alya-” 

“I got a huge scoop for you!” Alya said, her excitement spilling over into her words. “Guess who's in the park doing photoshoot?” 

Marin thought for a moment in thought; a photoshoot in the park, Alya excited, she was trying to drag him along. 

A smile curled at his lips, “Ladybug?” 

Alya groaned in exasperation, “ I WISH. But no cutie, it’s your favorite person?” she prompted. 

“You’re already here.” 

“Boi!”

Marin giggled as Alya wrapped her arm around his shoulder, pulling him down to her size. “It’s Adrien!” 

Marin’s heart raced at the mere thought of their classmate, “Now? Adrien is in the park right now?”

Alya nodded, “As we speak! Come on. We're gonna stroll over there real cool and then you ask him out.” 

“A-Ask him out?” If it was possible, Marin’s face ran red even more so, reaching his ears. His mind racing. 

Then? I'll invite him out for a fruit smoothie at the end of the photoshoot! Then, we'll get married! Live happily ever after in a beautiful house and have two kids? No, three. And a dog! Maybe a cat? A hamster! I love hamsters! All three are so adorable.  
Wait, no STOP. This is not possible!! 

“Let's just start with happen to be passing by and see if we can get to that smoothie,” Alya said. 

He blushed for a moment then sighing, “That’s so cool, you’re going to take pictures for me right? Well, after asking first.” 

Alya flashed him a confused look, “What are you talking about, we’re going, right now.” 

“Now?!” 

“YES. Do you have something better to do?!” Alya demanded to know as Marin glanced away. 

“Marin!” 

They both turned to see Manon standing on the stairs holding a ladybug doll that Marin had sewn together earlier that day. 

“Who’s this mini cutie?” Alya questioned taking interest in the small child, poking her cheeks playfully. 

“This is Manon, one of my mom's friends' daughters. I'm watching her all afternoon.” Marin said as he noticed Marin wanted him to pick her up. 

Alya smiled at her best friend knowingly, “Let me guess. Another "you couldn't say no" favor?”

“No, I just couldn't... say... no…” Marin smiled sheepishly. 

“ Look, no problem! I'll look after your little cutie for you, cutie.” She said booping his nose playfully. 

“Thanks, but I'm responsible for her... Besides, I couldn't do that to you. She's... “ Marin placed the small child down as she immediately ran into the bakery. “an absolute angel.” He said sarcastically, as a crash was heard. Marin suddenly panicked as he ran into the bakery. He and 

Alya saw Marin’s father now covered with flour as Manon laughed in amusement. 

“Sorry Papa! I’m taking Manon out right now!” He said, grabbing the child quickly. 

But Tom simply shrugged his shoulders, “Okay but take some snacks.” He said handing over a bad of day-old madeleines that was sitting nearby. Placed to the side as Marin usually asked for cookies to give to Tikki. 

He then turned back to Alya who held Manon in her arms with a knowing smile, “ Don’t worry about this one Marin, I have to babysit my sisters all the time. which makes me an expert in dealing with “angels”.”

“Who are you, anyway?” Manon questioned curiously. 

“I'm a mythical unicorn from the world of Reespa, disguised as a totally fabulous human girl! I grant magical wishes, but only to little monkeys who behave!”

Manon laughed happily, “No, you're not! ...Are you?” 

“Hmmm, who knows.” Alya teased. “Okay, let's all go to the park!” She said as Manon cheered. 

“Wait just one second! I have to grab something.” Marin said, quickly running up the stairs.   
He popped his head into the kitchen, lowering his voice, “Tikki! Where are you?” He opened the cookie jar, seeing that the fresh batch of 2 dozen chocolate chip was already gone. 

“Tikki!” Marin called out a little louder, eyeing his messenger bag on the sofa. He opened, sighing as he saw his Kwami curled up in his spare fabrics, eyes opened up wide as she glanced up at her partner. “You’re lucky you’re so cute sugarcube.” He said shouldering his bag over his head so it rested soundly as he ran down the stairs. 

* * *

  
“Bravo! That's it! Give me the smile when your mom brings in spaghetti! Okay! And now, Oh no! Mama dropped the spaghetti! And now, you have to eat the spaghetti off the floor! Oh yes, you're angry! Show me angry, yes, yes, yes!”   
Adrien simply posed naturally as his photographer ranted on. He always tried to follow what Vincent said, but mostly he just smiled and did what came naturally. 

“MARIN I WANT A BALLOON!!” His attention was diverted as spotted a few of his classmates also in the park. Marin alongside Alya and a small child, probably his younger sibling by the way she pulled his arm. 

“Aye!” Adrien snapped back to attention as Vincent called to him. His photographer then had a pensive expression as he tried to frame another shot. Circling around a few times, but still didn’t have a content look on his face. 

“Is there something wrong?” Adrien asked. 

“Hmmmmm, the shot isn’t right, something off. Take a break.” He said, and Adrien sighed as a smile overtook him, wanting to spend some time people other than instructors or people hired by his father. 

“Come on, monkey, I'll get you that balloon!” Alya said trying to prompt the kid away from her friend. 

The small child then grabbed onto Marin’s leg, throwing a tantrum. “No! I wanna go with Marin!”

Marin simply gave Alya a reassuring smile, “It’s alright, I’ll take her.” 

“And then we’ll go on the merry go round right?!” Manon asked expectantly, 

“Yes yes, we can do that too.” Marin reassured, taking her hand “Let’s go.” 

“But-” 

“Hey Alya.” Adrien greeted as Alya turned towards him with a panicked expression. 

“Adrien!” She looked for Marin but he was already buying the balloon, then sighed as Manon dragged him towards the merry go round. 

* * *

  
“Marin, I want a balloon with Mireille on it! Can I? Can I?” Manon asked, giving Marin adorable puppy dog eyes. 

“Don’t you like Aurore?” Marin asked, but almost immediately Manon shook her head. 

“No way, Mireille is nicer!” 

Marin hummed for a moment as he took the balloon from the vendor, paying him the money just before he handed it to Manon. She laughed happily, running around him once before then grabbing his hand. 

“Now the Merry Go round Marin!” 

She dragged him along as he glanced back at Alya, seeing his best friend sitting next to Alya on a bench under a shady tree. He couldn’t help but feel envious at his friend, how lucky was she? 

“Marin!” Manon prodded again. 

But he was lucky too, in a sense. 

“Alright alright I’m coming!” 

* * *

“Marin looks like he’s having fun, is that his sister?” Adrien asked, but Alya shook her head. 

“Nah, that’s just a girl he’s babysitting. He’s still adjusting to childcare, I guess.” Alya said with some uncertainty. 

“Doesn’t seem like that to me,” Adrien said as he observed the little girl smiling happily as she received attention from her babysitter. 

“So how’s your modeling going? Your photographer seems interesting.” Alya said as she noticed the man still walking around the park. 

“It’s going alright, Vincent’s just trying to get some inspiration, but honestly I’m kinda worn out.” 

“Magnifico! Super! Come on now, I want to see hunger in your eyes! The boy has eaten too much spaghetti! Ugh, we need more energy! More romance!”   
Both teens’s attention was grabbed as the photographer suddenly popped up before them, filled with excitement. 

“Romance?” Alya questioned. 

“Sì! To pose with Mr. Adrien!” He said expressly. 

“Hah! You don't want me, I... uhh...I don’t photograph well!!” Alya suddenly said, “But I know who does, I’ll be right back!!” 

Alya intentionally crashed into Marin, holding his arm just as he placed Manon on the unicorn on the merry go round, holding the ballon so Manon could hold the horse. “Marin, they need an extra to pose with Adrien, and you’re lined up!” 

“What? How did that happen?” He questioned, but Alya brushed him off. 

“Details. All you need to do is walk over there and smile, cutie!” She insisted. 

“Is that boy your boyfriend?” Manon questioned as the two teens glanced towards her. 

Marin immediately denied it, “What? No, I mean..yeah, no.” 

Alya then pushed him off the merry go round, “Times wasting, what are you waiting for?”

Marin gave her an uncertain expression, “But, what about Manon?”

“You just take care of our Charmer, Prince. I'll take care of Miss Unicorn here.” Alya said climbing onto the unicorn. Unfortunately, Manon didn’t appreciate her babysitter no longer spending time with her, throwing a tantrum almost immediately. 

“No way, Marin's my babysitter!

“Trust me. Unicorns unite! Let's go to Rispa and find us some sad little village kids and grant those wishes! Yee-haw!” 

“Yee-haw!” Manon shouted happily as Alya gave Marin a thumbs up. 

Marin smiled, then walking over to Adrien with a red face. He was certain that Adrien would be disappointed but Adrien smiled at him. Just as he was about to say something, the photographer stared closely at his face. 

“Have you done modeling before?” He asked suddenly. 

“Uh, no?” Marin said, taking a step back, placing his hands up defensively. But the next thing he knew, in his hands, was a business card. 

“If you ever decide you need a set of photos or want to model call me. It’s on the house for Mr.Adrien’s friends.” The photographer marketed, “Now sit sit sit!!” He beckoned as he sat Marin right next to Adrien. “Agreste, please set up up the shot while I adjust the lighting.” He asked as he turned towards Adrien’s bodyguard. 

“The shot?” Marin questioned as Adrien turned towards him. 

“He’s just asking you to relax, essentially.” Adrien explained. “These shots are just stock photos, so just smile.” 

“Ah...smile?” Marin questioned, fiddling with his bangs, grasping his pants nervously. He swore he could hear thunder, but there was no thunder storm in this morning's weather report...but all outside thoughts quickly faded as Adrien placed his hand over his. 

He smiled happily, effectively turning Marin’s brain to mush. Reflexively he tried to cover his reddened face, but that only endered Adrien to smile reassuringly. 

All of a sudden, there were shrill screams and a sudden gust of wind. Reflexively, Marin pushed Adrien out of the way as he was slammed against the gate. 

“ Ow…” 

He lifted his head to see someone hovering over him, an evil looking girl holding an umbrella. She looked furious, immediately destroying the balloon. 

“Hey!”

“Maybe you should get blown away just like the rest!” She threatened, “How dare you vote for that poser!!” 

Marin looked confused for a moment, “You mean Mireille?” 

“Of course! Who else would I be talking about?!” 

“How about you talk about me?” 

Both turned to see Chat Noir sitting atop the gate with a sly grin. “What's with all the terrorizing? Why don't you pick on someone your own temperature ice queen." 

“My name is not Ice Queen! It's Stormy Weather!” Stormy Weather yelled out. 

“Listen. I'm feline more generous than usual today. So cool down and we'll call it quits, 'kay?” Chat Noir recommended, but Stormy Weather glanced at him for a moment before using her umbrella to send him flying. 

Enough time for Marin to sneak away and transform behind a pillar. 

* * *

  
“Waaaaaahhh!” Chat Noir was sent flying across town, but was saved from hitting the concrete as he felt himself getting wrapped up in a wire using a nearby lamp post as leverage to send him flying in the opposite direction. This time into his partner’s arms as Chat Noir was able to catch his breath, relieved at the sight of his comrade. 

“Why thanks, my Ladybug, but I had it covered.” He said offhandedly as Ladybug placed him back on his feet, then almost immediately scanning the stormy skies for their enemy. 

“Already down to business I see, Bugaboo.” Chat Noir said, trying out a new pet name. But Ladybug didn’t respond at all, causing Chat Noir’s ears to droop slightly. But immediately drew his guard as Stormy Weather appeared before them. 

“We should be expecting lightning storms like right NOW!” The villainess held her parasol up as lighting struck down from the sky. Ladybug acted quickly, saving his partner once more, the momentum then sending the two tumbling down the street. 

Cat Noir lands on top of Ladybug, gasping for a moment as his face reddened, not used to being so close to his partner’s face. It was nice, being at the same level as him, able to properly admire the blueness of his always serious eye just before Ladybug pushed him off. Quickly grabbing his hand so the two could properly battle. 

“Ohhh what’s the matter? Not feeling any sparks?” Stormy Weather mocked 

Cat Noir cracked his neck from all the sudden movement. “You just won yourself a cat fight!” Running towards their enemy without any regard towards Ladybug. 

“Chat Noir wait!” 

Stormy Weather casted another spell “Black ice!” Using her parasol to coat the street with ice followed up by another wind blast. Both Chat Noir and Ladybug were knocked back through the air, along with several vehicles. 

Midair, Ladybug used his yo-yo to grab Chat Noir, pulling him close as they tumbled backward together. On flat ground, he swung his yo-yo quickly seeing a bus about to fall on them, as he still held Chat Noir. His yo-yo a circular hole on the side of the bus, successfully saving them. 

But accidentally hit Chat Noirs head as he slowed down his speed. Ladybug bowed his head apologetically as Chat Noir rubbed the bruise. 

* * *

As Chat Noir helped him out of the bus, they both saw Stormy Weather on one of the big screen tv’s behind a glass window. 

“Hello, viewers! Here's the latest forecast for the first day of summer. Looks like Mother Nature had a change of plans. Summer vacation is officially over!” 

“Already? But I was really looking forward to seeing you in a swimsuit.” He tried teasing, glancing at Ladybug with a smile, wiggling his eyebrows. But was once again deterred by LAdybug’s laser focus as he was scanning the tv. He nodded once, swinging his yo-yo once more and heading to the rooftops. 

“Hey! Wait for me!” Chat Noir called out as he quickly followed him, using his bo staff to help elevate him. 

* * *

  
Ladybug and Cat Noir entered the TV studio together, weapons in hand. Ladybug took note of the cardboard standee of Aurore his eyes widening at what was in her hand when the lights suddenly went off. 

Ladybug was blind, his hands were out in front of him as he tried to find any light source, but was useless. 

“Hey!” Chat Noir on the underhand, was undeterred by the lack of light, growing defensive as he saw Stormy Weather try and sneak up on his Ladybug from behind, using the cover of darkness. “Hands off my Bug!” 

Stormy Weather merely laughed as she flew out of the room. 

“Frosty the Snowgirl's getting away!”Cat Noir informed following her but turned back as he heard Ladybug had tripped over some fallen lights. 

“Oh, do I hear a damsel in distress?” He asked playfully as he helped up his partner, helping to guide him through the darkness, hands clasped together. 

Ladybug trusted Chat Noir to guide them both through the building, even evading various debris through at them. When they finally reached the top of the building, Stormy Weather was there waiting for them. 

“You airheads! You fell right into my trap!” She mocked, as a whirlwind appeared at the end of her parasol, threatening to suck them up. 

Ladybug narrowed his eyes, letting go of Chat Noir’s hand, to throw up his yo-yo. “Lucky Charm!!”   
“A bath towel? Great. So, we're about to be obliterated, but... At least we'll be dry.” He observed, taking out his baton as Ladybug looked around. 

Ladybug nodded as he came up with a plan. 

“Hail!” 

Just as he was about to react, Cat Noir pulled him back and began spinning his staff to protect them from the hail. 

“So what's the plan for getting the Akuma back? My arm's starting to get a cramp!” 

Ladybug responded almost immediately, “See that sign over there? Take it out!”

  
Cat Noir smoked in amusement, “No problem. All right. Cataclysm! (to Stormy Weather) Hey, Coldilocks! Is that all you got?

Together they used their surroundings against Stormy Weather, and Ladybug broke the parasol in his hands. 

“No more mischief from you little Akuma. Time to purify!" He said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion. 

Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. “Bye-bye, little butterfly. Miraculous Ladybug!” He threw the towel in the air, fixing everything that Stormy Weather had destroyed after getting Akumatized. The skies cleared and Aurore turned back to normal, 

“Uh, what am I doing up here?” She questioned as Chat Noir and Ladybug pounded fists. 

“Pound it!” 

* * *

  
Back at the park Marin sneezed from the previous cold weather, now worried that he could catch a cold. 

“Hey, there's the photographer and Adrien waiting for you!” Tikki said, already having finished off the cookies, again.   
But Marin shook his head, “It’s probably too late, he looks exhausted.”   
“So do you!” Tikki pointed out. 

“Come on, Marin. You saved Manon, Alya, and the whole world for that matter. Have some fun!” 

While walking into the park he didn’t know he’d walked into a hug from Manon as she was freed from her previous ice prison. 

“Marin you’re okay!” Manon said happily, as Alya stood next to her. “Where were you?” 

He knelt down in front of the small child, smiling at her adorableness. “I was blown away by the wind all the way to China.” He exaggerated as his best friend rolled her eyes in amusement. 

But Manon stared at him in amazement, “Really really?!”

“I hope not.” Adrien suddenly said walking up towards them with a smile, “Would hate to never see you again after you saved me back there.” he said winking playfully. “Vin is still set up if you wanna take those photos with me.” He asked. 

Which effectively caused Marin to shut down, simply standing there with a red face. “Uh, I-” 

“Marin, can I have a lollipop? Can I? Can I? Can I?” She asked, as he simply sighed. 

“Sorry Adrien, I-” Marin began, but immediately he was cut off as Vincent spotted little Manon.

“Perfecto! She’s perfect for the set!” Vincent said excitedly, to which Manon as well grew enthusiastic. “Will you please model with Mr.Adrien little dear?” He asked kindly to which she nodded rapidly. 

Adrien smiled at her, shaking her small hand professionally as she ran ahead with Alya. Marin sighed, happy that Manon was having fun, but was taken off guard as Arien approached him. 

“I hope we can take a raincheck on those photos, Marin.” He asked, to which Marin nodded once, wondering how anyone else could stand Adrien’s pure radiance. The two walking together towards their friends. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Poor Marin he was so close. 
> 
> \- If some episodes seem like filler, I try to add some content in for future episodes. 
> 
> \- Chat is very much on the line of, trying to get senpai to notice him, while on the brink of fully fledged love 
> 
> \- pet names are very much a staple of my writing 
> 
> \- Chat noir doin' a protecc, but he also atacc 
> 
> -Marin's phone will be broken for a while, for future reasons. 
> 
> \- Do not worry, Marin will get those photos. :3
> 
> \- Also Ladybug will most mostly mute for a while, for character reasons


	5. Pharaoh'y over 5000

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marin drops his textbook, and Alya is almost sacrificed to a god.
> 
> I apologize for my pun game.

“Hang on, 'cause we're going for a ride. Freak out! What you got here is no ordinary book, it's a tenth-grade history book. And I should know, 'cause I've got this very same book. Could our very own Ladybug be a high school student, in real life?!” Alya exclaimed in excitement 

Adrien stared at the post in amazement, turning towards his Kwami sitting on the bed.”That's crazy! What are the odds that we have the same textbook? Maybe we even go to the same school!”

“Why bother yourself with possibilities when you could be enjoying this? Reality.” Plagg remarked tossing a piece of cheese in his mouth. 

Adrien chuckled, “For one, Ladybug probably smells about a thousand times better than that cheese. And for sure he’s much better-looking.

Plagg glared at him for a moment, “You smell like Camembert and I’m not one to complain.” He said gorging himself on an entire wheel as Adrien simply sighed as his Kwami’s antics. 

“ My only loss is my appetite,” Adrien commented looking back at the video, wondering if Ladybug saw these vlogs as well. 

* * *

  
Marin had his head in his hands as Tikki replayed his best friend’s latest blog post. Not even lifting his head as Tikki tried to console her partner by offering him a brownie. 

“This is fine.”

* * *

  
“ Can you believe it? All I gotta do is find to do who this history book belongs to and BAM, I   
figure out Ladybug's true identity! I'm so on this one!” Alya exclaimed as they walked through the Louvre. 

Marin glanced at her friend warily. “You really think you could figure out who Ladybug is from a textbook that every high school student owns?”

Alya nodded, “Yep. 'Cause our school is the only school that uses that book! HA! So, all I gotta do is find out which dude in tenth grade lost his history book last week. There are fifty-five guys, not counting you-” 

“You’re really counting me with everyone else?” Marin questioned, hesitantly. “You really think I could be Ladybug?” He half-joked, while the other half was screaming internally. 

Alya giggled as she elbowed Marin in the side, “ You know I can’t be biased with a friend. After all there was a certain someone who didn't have their textbook in class yesterday.”

Marin blushed in embarrassment, “You know how scatterbrained I can get.” 

Alya eyed him suspiciously for a moment, as Marin stopped walking. “What is it? Is there something in hair again?!” He asked then messed up his hair even further, reminding her of how a hamster groomed itself. 

But his friend only smiled, “Only reminding myself how cute you are.” She said trying to fix his hair. “Of course I'll only drop you from my investigation when you bring your history book back to class.”

“Excuse me!” Someone called from behind them as they suddenly crashed together. Papers were sent flying as well as a medallion that Marin eyed. Quickly, the man zeroed in on the jewelry “It's not broken!” He exclaimed in relief. 

“Uh, we’re okay too, thanks for asking,” Alya remarked in annoyance as Marin helped her up, then handing over the loose papers he had gathered. 

“I'm sorry. Hey, you're in the same grade as Alix, right? I'm her older brother, Jalil Kubdel. So you're into Tutankhamun too?” His attention was then stolen by someone else approaching, as he walked towards Alix’s, his father. “Dad!”  
Alya shook her head, “And you think you’re the scatterbrained one.” She remarked as Marin glanced away sheepishly, “Weird. So again, why are we here? All I see are dead people and old relics.” 

“Well, uh…” Marin gently tapped his bag, “An acquaintance of mine told me about this, but uh, we have to find it on our own to confirm it!” He blurted out suddenly as Alya sighed. 

“So you’re telling me, we have to look for something, and I can’t know what it is we’re looking for?” She questioned. 

“You’ll know it when you see it!” He quickly said walking over to some old stone tablets as Alya took out her phone, looking bored. “Tikki, help me!” He harshly whispered as his Kwami popped out with crumbs on her face. 

Alya only sighed again as Marin scanned the papyrus. 

“Hm?” Her attention was grabbed by someone else approaching, a large person with the face of a hawk. Resembling one of the stone carvings in the exhibit. Immediately, Alya lifted her phone towards this person who reached for the staff of Tut behind the glass. 

“Hey, you! No touching the exhibits!!” A security guard yelled walking towards the golden being. 

“Thoth, give me time!” The person said as their face warped into a jackal, trapping almost every civilian in golden bubbled that made them slow down. “Get out of here, faster!” The person said in a booming voice as the only civilians left were Marin and Alya. 

“OMG. Coming to you live, Ladyblog viewers, I'm at the scene even before Ladybug or Cat Noir with my best friend! This is insane!” Alya harshly whispered as Marin simply stared at her in disbelief. Just before they noticed the golden being standing over them with a staff in his hand. 

* * *

  
Adrien watched in shock as Alya caught Marin getting grabbed by the Pharaoh and getting tossed in a sarcophagus. While he turned his attention towards the recorder.  
“No time to waste. Plagg, claws out!!” 

* * *

  
“You know that's considered stealing,” Alya called out as Pharaoh stood before her. Though she was worried about her friend, knowing all too well about Marin’s claustrophobia. 

“ Your face. Fate has placed you on my path. Come with me!” He quickly grabbed her, easily slings her over his shoulder like a sack and then walking towards the locked gate where someone was already waiting. 

“Hey! Hands off the threads. I can walk myself!” She yelled, struggling against her captor. \

“Sekhmet, give me your strength! (His face changes once more, this time into a cat as used his strength to bend the bars, 

“Sorry, but this town isn’t big enough for two kitties,” Chat Noir remarked cooly just as he tried to attack the Pharaoh, but instead he was caught, being held like a kitten just before he was tossed into the coffin. 

Just before that happened, Marin successfully opened the lid, breathing some fresh air before he saw a cat being tossed at him. 

“WAHHH-” 

“OW!!” Marin yelped out as the hero slammed again him, trapping them both in the coffin together this time. 

“Uh, good evening?” Chat Noir greeted in complete blackness as Marin groaned in displeasure, now re stuck in the stone sarcophagus. 

* * *

  
The Pharaoh threw Alya to the ground just outside the Louvre. 

“Hey!” She complained but was ignored. 

“ Anubis, bring me, mummies!” His face morphed into that of a jackal as beams of light shoot from his eyes, transforming civilians into mummies. “Soon, we'll be together again, my Nefertiti! My long-lost love!”

“ This is gonna be one major scoop! “ Alya remarked, tapping the Pharaoh’s shoulder,” Uh, excuse me, Pharaoh, but, uh, what exactly is going on?”

“I'm going to carry out the secret spell, to bring Nefertiti back!”

“Ahh, hmmm. Gotcha! Lost loves and all that, very romantic.” 

“Indeed,” The Pharaoh rumbled as the mummies began to approach,” The one hundred mummies and the offering!”

“Offering?” Alya questioned, “What offering?”

“An offering to persuade the sun god Ra to give me my sweet princess, I must give him something in return. A pure soul!”

“ Dude, that's hard to come by.

“But I've already found her! You look so much like her!”

Alya was stunned as the Pharaoh gestured towards the papyrus and an image of someone that did resemble her right down to her beauty mark. “This is heckin crazy!” She said as a wave of excitement washed over her, “And I have a front-row seat!!” 

* * *

  
Marin sighed, as he could feel Chat Noir trying to turn over so they were both on their sides, faced towards each other, but along the way, was scratched again by his claws. “Seriously?!” 

“Cut me a break here!” He complained, “You’re the one who said I shouldn’t use my Cataclysm! Don’t you want to save your girlfriend?!”

“Why waste it? If I could get out of here by myself, we can do it easily together. Besides, Alya can take care of herself. Also, she is not my girlfriend.” 

“If you say so, she seems like a brave gal.” Chat noir remarked as they both pushed against the lid. 

“If by brave, you mean bossy, feisty, and stubborn as all heck? Yup, that's her!” Marin heaving the last of his strength only to get blinded by the ceiling, as he gasped for breath. 

Cat Noir jumped out first, helping out his classmate as Marin fell to his knees. 

“If I know her, then Alya's got a live stream on her blog.” 

“Of course!” Chat Noir remarked, “You got a phone?” But Marin shook his head. 

“Mine broke a while ago.” That comment made Chat Noir flatten his ears, remembering that he had a hand in that whole ordeal. 

“Well, you’d better hide, as soon as Ladybug comes, we’ll save everyone for sure.” He said, then noticed the unintentional scratches he left on Marin’s clothes. “Sorry about that by the way.” 

“Don’t worry about it.” Marin said standing up. 

Chat Noir only nodded as he ran through the hole left by Pharaoh as soon as he was out of sight Tikki flew up. 

“Well, that was too close for comfort.” She remarked and Marin simply nodded. 

“It’s gonna take both of us to take this guy out. But first-” He said eyeing Alya’s backpack. 

* * *

Chat Noir reached the front as he fell into a trap, easily caught by the mummies and brought to the Pharaoh. 

“Hey! This is animal abuse!” He retorted as the Pharaoh lifted his head up, he radiated anger at the sight of the hero. 

“Chat Noir, if you’re here…” He turned towards his horde of mummies, “ Bring forth the offering!!” 

“Hey hey now, let’s not get ahead of ourselves!” Chat Noir said, almost 

“Whoa, back up! Who's that goddess chick with the black spots! There, on your papyrus!” She called out as Pharaoh grew angry.

“My sworn enemy! My nemesis may have kept me from carrying out my ritual 5000 years ago, but she will not stop Nefertiti from coming back to me this time!” 

“Did you say... Ladybug 5000 years ago?! And Goddess?” She glanced at him in confusion. 

  
“Oh, sacred Ra, God of the sun, I Pharaoh, offer to thee a pure soul! The sacrifice for the return of Nefertiti!” The Louvre pyramid light up, and as the Pharaoh spoke, a beam into the sky that started spreading darkness all over Paris.”I bow to you, and present this gift with my mummies! In company, we pray to you the safe return of princess Nefertiti! Awaken, Nefertiti! Awaken! Awaken, Nefertiti! Awaken!” The mummies chanted alongside 

“Chat Noir, you may have opposed me thousands of years ago. But now you’ll serve to be Ladybug’s undoing. Where the pet runs, the master will follow.” Pharaoh remarked smugly as Chat Noir stared at him. 

“Listen bud, you’ve been out of the loop so let me explain. I am not a pet, and Ladybug and I are a team.” He explained but was irked as Pharaoh turned his back towards him. Clearly unimpressed at the hero that was captured. 

* * *

  
On the roof nearby Ladybug looked over the situation; Alya about to be sacrificed to the sun, Chat Noir captured but still able to fight, an of mummies, and an all-powerful God with a pantheon at his disposal. Using his yo-yo he was able to zoom in towards Pharaoh, eyeing a familiar pendant around that was hanging around his neck. 

“Lucky Charm!” Ladybug said. And from it dropped a box. One holding a Ladybug costume, complete with earings and yo-yo. He suddenly got an idea. 

* * *

  
Chat Noir used his claws to cut through the bandages, just about to set himself free when he heard Alya call out. 

“Ladybug!” 

Seeing Ladybug save Alya from the light, and sliding down towards the entrance of the Louvre. He dropped the girl to her feet, as she ran behind a few trash cans, still recording for her blog.

“What are you doing? Get out of here!” Chat Noir called out.   
  
“Not until Ladybug destroys the pendant containing the Akuma, and turns everything back to normal!” Alya argued back as Chat Noir sighed in exasperation. 

  
“Ladybug! I’ve waited over 5000 years to exact my revenge.” 

But Ladybug narrowed his eyes, seemingly taking off his earrings in response. 

“What are you doing?!” Chat Noir called in a panic, but his unease was replaced with confusion as Ladybug smirked, throwing up the miraculous. Pharaoh immediately reacted, both of them sprinting towards the magic items, but Ladybug was much more agile. He jumped on Pharaoh’s shoulders, flipping off and using the momentum to throw something towards Chat Noir’s way. 

“A toy?!” Pharaoh observed as he looked more closely at what he believed were the miraculous. 

Chat Noir broke free activating his power just before catching the pendant. With the Akuma flying around the Pharaoh reverted back to his normal form. 

“What happened?” Jalil questioned as everyone else turned back into normal people, looking confused as he had a pair of earrings in his hand. 

“May I?” Ladybug asked, kneeling down for a moment, "Maybe try not to incite powerful magic spells next time." He recommended as Jalil nodded in embarrassment, handing them over quickly. 

“No more mischief from you little Akuma. Time to purify!" Ladybug said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion. 

Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. “Bye-bye, little butterfly. Miraculous Ladybug!” 

Ladybug sighed, placing his hand on his racing heart, glad for a moment of quiet- 

“Thank you for saving us Ladybug! But, uh, I still gotta ask: how old are you, really? Why did you have a tenth-grade textbook? Are you actually a goddess because, no offense because you look like a dude, but then again your name is Ladybug so-” 

“Miss, he’s already gone.” Chat Noir informed as Alya looked around. 

“Dang It!” She crossed her arms in annoyance then sighed in exasperation. 

  
“Yup, I know the feeling. Love watchin’ him work but hate to see him leave.” Chat Noir commented, resting his head on his baton. 

Alya grinned at the mischievously, holding up her phone.”In a sec, it looks like you’ll be in the opposite situation if you stick around.” as she said that Chat Noir’s ring beeped, notifying him that he was about to transform back soon. 

Cat Noir immediately ran in the other direction, using his baton to lift him on the rooftops out of sight as Alya laughed. 

* * *

“What happened to you?” Alya questioned as Marin handed back her bag. 

“Well, after I got out of the coffin, I hid.” Marin said bluntly as Alya giggled. 

“That’s my boy.” Ayla said guiding him out of the exhibit, but she stopped for a moment, checking her bag. “Hey, the book!” 

“What’s wrong?” Marin asked. 

“The history book, it was in my bag. Now it’s gone…” She pulled out a post-it note with a ladybug drawn on, as well as a note that read. [Thanks for finding this for me] 

Immediately Marin covered his ears as Alya squealed. “I got Ladybug’s autograph!” She jumped up and down a few times before wrapping her arms around Marins’ neck, hugging him tightly. “If it hadn't been for you I'd never have gotten this, found out that Ladybug is at least 5000 years old, on top of being saved-” 

“Wait, hold on a second,” Marin backtracked for a moment, still in mid hug. “5000 years old?” 

“Yeah, can you believe it? Apparently that Pharaoh dude knew their past lives or something, he even has an illustration in the exhibit. I’m totally coming back tomorrow to blog about this, and then” Alys gripped her fist in determination. “I’ll get the ultimate scoop, a live interview!”

Marin could only smile at his friend’s determination, though internally he was cringing at anyone paying that much attention to him. Even if she was his best friend. 

“I still don't get it though, what was he doing with that tenth-grade history textbook?” She asked pulling away with a questioning look. 

“ Uh, he... probably had to find out what's been going on for the past 50 centuries, or something…” 

“That can’t be it, when Hawkmoth popped up, they did too. Oh,” Her eyes lit up, “He’s probably been hanging around for centuries, taking on different identities.” 

* * *

  
Marin was dressed in his pajamas, a simple black tank top with pink spotted white pants with a book in his hand that showed the papyrus from the exhibit. Tikki sat on his shoulder munching on the last brownie. 

“I don't get it. I know I'm not 5000 years old, so... who exactly was that Ladybug in the papyrus?” 

Tikki smiled in melancholy.”She was the ladybug of that age, one of the great Ladybug’s that I served. Kwamis like me and superheroes like you have always existed!” 

“So...that was you in the papyrus?” Marin asked turning towards his Kwami.

“What do you think?” 

Marin narrowed his eyes “You don't look 5000 years old, you’re a little too cute for that.” 

Tikki giggled, “Well, I'm not! I'm older than that! I'm the kwami who's watched over every single Ladybug since the very beginning!” 

“You must have known much less klutzy Ladybugs than me, right?” Marin asked, stretching out on his bed as Tikki hovered over him. 

“Every Ladybug is different, Marin.” 

Marin’s eyes grew lidded, “That's what I thought.” He said as he recognized the tone. The - different meaning worse- tone. 

But Tikki saw the expression on his face, “Marin, you are different. But different as in surprising, unpredictable and endearing. You’re a fast learner, you’re efficient in purifying Akuma’s. But more importantly,” Tikki hovered closer to his face, “ No Ladybug before has made me treats that taste this good.” She said happily, finishing off her brownie. 

Marin chuckled, “Really?

Tikki nodded, “Of course.” Resting on Marin’s hand as he kissed her a goodnight kiss on her forehead. Then the small Kwami laid down on his chest, as her partner pulled up the blanket. 

“Good night sugarcube.” 

“Good night Marin. Also, you’re the only male Ladybug I’ve been partnered with.” 

“Wait- what?!” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- It may grow more apparent, but I am a fan of the Marichat. 
> 
> \- Marin is usually dragged along with Alya but ultimately, would throw down for his best friend. 
> 
> \- If Chat Noir's getting dunked on alot in these a first few chapters, it will be quelled, eventually. This is a slow burn story.
> 
> \- Adrien just wants to be friends with Ladybug real bad, but his partner is too good at his job.


	6. What's the Lady Wifi Password?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alya is akumatized just after getting suspended, due to Chloe being Ladybug? Adrien begins questioning a lot of things, and things take an icy turn for Ladybug. 
> 
> (I don't have a more clever pun for this, I'm sorry)
> 
> (Please comment if you like this writing)

Ladybug landed nearby his home, transforming back to Marin on an empty street. Tikki sat on the inside of his collar, looking up at her partner. "Good work today." She complimented noticing Marin's lidded eyes.

"Ugh, don't remind me. I can't believe I missed so much school. Ugh, I didn't realize how demanding this job would be." He remarked rubbing his sore muscles as he walked into the family. Luckily the shop was empty, save his mom as Tikki moved to hide in his jacket pocket.

"Welcome home," his mother called as he walked over to her seeing that her eyes lit up when he walked in.

Marin grumbled a hello as she kissed his cheek, gently touching the bags under his eyes. "You're so tired these days, are you feeling alright?" Her happiness turned into concern as she pressed her forehead against his instinctively, lifting herself on her toes.

" I'm alright, just sleepy mama."

"Alya dropped off your bag today, you're lucky to have such a nice friend." His mom said handing him his messenger bag, she sighed with a thoughtful smile on her face, "You seem so forgetful these days. Maybe you just need some fresh air and extra exercise for that growing brain of yours!"

Marin laughed dryly as before he kissed his mother on her cheek "Good idea, ma. I'll start tomorrow."

Back into his room all he wanted to do was crash and sleep for 1000 years, but sadly, there was homework to get through. Taking out his tablet he noticed a note stuck to it, recognizing Alya's handwriting.

"Hm?" He cocked his head curiously for a moment, taking off the note. "What's this? "Call me. I know who the real Ladybug is"?!" His eyes widened slightly as Tikki flew around, panicked.

"No way! You think she knows?!" His Kwami asked, but then calmed down as she could see that Marin wasn't as frazzled as she was, landing on the palm of his hand.

"Calm down," Marin tried to reassure, "You know Alya as well as I do. If she knew, we wouldn't even be having this conversation."

Tikki shuddered at the thought, "You can never reveal your secret identity to anyone."

Marin chucked at his Kwami, cuddling her close. "I know sugar cube." He then placed her on his shoulder. He glanced towards his broken phone sitting on his desk and simply send Alya an email saying that he'd meet in class tomorrow. Then began his homework.

* * *

"It's not cool to look in other people's lockers Nino. Even if it is Chloé." Adrien commented as Nino slumped down, clearly feeling guilty about Alya. Nino only flashed him a glance as then Marin rushed into the room heavily breathing and looking frazzled as always.

"Marin, if you're going to come late, would you please do it discreetly?" Miss Bustier requested looking over her shoulder.

"Sorry. Ma'am." Marin apologized taking a seat behind Nino today as he leaned down towards him, whispering, "What happened to Alya?"

"She's been suspended…" Nino explained, turning his head towards him.

"What?" Marin harshly whispered, looking for an explanation.

"The short story? Accused of breaking into Chloé's locker. She said something about Ladybug being a Goddess and seeing Ladydbug's yo-yo in her locker. And you know how she gets with these kinda things..."

Marin's eyes widened as he planted his head on his desk, knowing exactly what Nino was talking about. Marin grimaced to himself, Chloé being mistaken for him? Maybe Alya wasn't Ladybug's biggest fan after all.

"Last I saw she ran away before her parents had a chance to come by. I only got off because Chloé made a big deal about her taking a picture of her locker."

"But that's not fair, she doesn't deserve to be suspended over that." Marin retorted.

"I know, it's way uncool," Nino remarked as then Adrien turned towards him.

Adrien then turned towards Nino, whispering "What are you talking about?"

"Exactly what I said, bro. Alya says Chloé is Ladybug, but if you ask me, she's just getting desperate trying to find a lead on Ladybug's identity."

"But Ladybug's a dude?" Adrien remarked as if he were stating the obvious.

"That what I told her, but again, she was saying stuff about Ladybug being a Goddess and how she can't leave any stone unturned, and how maybe Ladybug is also a shapeshifter- The point is. She's suspended, and there's no way Chloé is Ladybug.

Adrien turned his head towards his childhood friend as she winks at him flirtatiously. He cringed at the thought of his partner being a, quite frankly, mean-spirited person. After all, he saw Ladybug save Chloé their second day as heroes, he couldn't have been two places at the same time if Stoneheart had her in his clutches while Ladybug was saving him. Unless...

Adrien glanced down at his ring, wondering for a moment.

There was a Miraculous of creation and destruction, and Ladybug had the one of creation. Was it possible to use his to create duplicates? It wasn't as though he knew the power extent of Ladybug's Miraculous, they barely even talked about it. So if there was a small sliver of evidence, Chloé seemingly having that yo-yo was definitely too strange to overlook. After all, he'd known her since they were kids, and Chloé was not the type to keep toys lying around school.

Suddenly, the computer screen lights up, revealing a new villainess before the whole class before their eyes on anything with a screen. Right next to her was their principal looking scared as his captor spoke with a happy tone in her voice.

"I'm Lady Wifi, revealer of the truth! For our first exposé, your principal would like to share a little tidbit with you. So, Mr. Damocles, is it true you wrongly suspended a student named Alya today?"

Mr. Damocles avoided looking directly into the camera, looking ashamed. "Uh... yes, it is."

"So, you were biased? Unfair? Totally unjust?!"Lady Wifi badgered as the principals' guard grew lower, allowing his more inner thoughts to take center stage. 

"Yes, I was."

For a moment, Adrien saw Marin creep out of the room, but his attention turned back towards what seemed to be a live steam.

"For my next scoop, I'll be taking you to meet the girl who's been hiding behind the Ladybug mask!" Lady Wifi said as she swiped something off of her phone, placing a pink stop icon on Mr. Damocles, freezing him in place. "Stay connected!" She finished as the screen cut to black.

"Everyone, for your own safety, go directly home right now!" Miss Bustier called out as the students began to pack up. "And don't forget to read chapters four and five!" Adrien ran past Nino as turned into the principal's office where Marin was standing. Mr. Damocles was frozen just like in the video.

"Did you get curious?" He asked as Marin flinched, quickly turning around.

"Adrien! W-what are you doing here?"

"Miss Bustier cut class early, did you see Lady Wifi?" He asked looking at the Principal.

But Marin shook his head, "There was a delay, he was already like this when I came by. The recording was on every screen with a signal."

"A signal?" Adrien questioned as his stomach dropped, seeing that Marin was taking out his still broken phone.

"Yup, mine's broken. It doesn't get a signal anymore so it can't even connect to the wifi."

Adrien looked at the reminder of their first meeting, just as he was about to say something Marin spoke first. "You should probably go, won't your dad's secretary be worried?"

"Huh? Uh, yeah. Thanks for reminding me..." Adrien said lamely as he noticed Marin walking behind the Principals' desk messing around with something. "What are you doing?"

From behind Marin spoke up, "Messing around with something, don't worry about me. I'll be fine."

Adrien didn't really believe him, he was majorly curious about what his classmate was doing, but a text from Natalie drew him away. He had to act quickly if Chat Noir was going to help stop Lady Wifi. "Alright, be careful!"

Leaving the principal's office he quickly turned into the bathroom, checking to see if anyone else was in there before he called on Plagg.

"If Alya thinks Chloé is Ladybug like, then Lady Wifi's gonna head straight for her house!"

Plagg's narrowed his eyes, clearly amused with a teasing expression. "And it also means you must have a crush on Chloé!"

Adrien only shook his head, "I don't have a crush on Ladybug or Chloé, Plagg."

"Then why do you look for pictures of him on the Ladyblog?" The Kwami asked with a smug expression on his face, knowing almost all of Adrien's movements throughout the day. 

"...shut up." He only retorted as Plagg bellowed out in laughter. "Plagg, claws out!"

* * *

Atop the city. Cat Noir used his staff's zoom feature to zero in on Chloé's suite. Seeing her dressed up as Ladybug, even swinging around the yo-yo Nino mentioned earlier.

Cat Noir grimaced, What? This can't be! There's no way." He tried to convince himself. There was no way his partner was the same mean spirited girl who tormented his classmates and friends. Ladybug wasn't that kind of person, not to mention he was almost sure that ladybug was male. But then again, his partner's name was "Lady" bug.

His attention was caught as he saw Lady WiFi revealed herself, capturing Chloé easily with her phone apps, activation a recording icon.

"Oh no-" he mumbled as he leaped into action, using his baton to propel his leap into Chloé's room. "Hold on there Lady WiFi!" Chat called out, jumping into the room.

" Think fast kitty cat!" She called, capturing the hero with one of her pause icons on his arm, keeping him stationary as he struggled to escape.

" Just just in viewers, it appears that we've got ourselves a special guest. Stay tuned to for the defeat of Paris's most beloved heroes by your truly."

" Must be true about what they say, too much screen time really does rot your brain!"

" You won't be so snarky once your partner is exposed."

Chat could only watch fearfully as Lady WiFi walked to Chloé, repeating in his head; There's no way, There's no way-

Lady Wifi adjusted the camera icon just above Chloé's head. "Well, well... So my hunch was correctamundo. Everyone thinks the person beneath the Ladybug costume is a little angel. Think again, people! The real Ladybug is... Chloé Bourgeois, everyone!"

She smiled at her work, now turning her attention towards Chat Noir, " Now, let's see what kind of naughty secrets Chat Noir is keeping. She remarked, reaching for his mask. Suddenly Lady Wifi jumped back, narrowly avoiding a red-spotted yo-yo, glaring at her attacker in utter confusion, "Who are you?!"

Chat Noir looked between Chloé and the Ladybug standing right next to him, trying to scrape away any doubts he ever had.

"Ladybug!" He exclaimed in relief as he saw his partner walk in the same way he came in. Night settling through the city.

Lady Wifi glared at Chloé. "But I thought you were Ladybug!"

Cat Noir could help but flash a cheeky grin, "Sorry to bust your news story. Next time, double-check your facts." He teased while being all too relieved.

"You'll be sorry!" Lady Wifi yelled out, using her cellphone to summon a portal. Releasing Chloé who fell over and Chat Noir. "News flash! Ladybug, I'll be the one to find out who you really are!"

"So what's the plan?" Chat Noir asked as he saw Ladybug help Chloé to her feet, as the two stood next to each other he couldn't help but outline their differences. Ladybug was taller, had a more toned body, and had dark hair that always complimented his handsome face; despite always wearing the mask.

"Miss Bourgeois, does this hotel have free Wifi?" He asked as Chloé smiled flirtatiously, grasping Ladybug's arm and clearly invading his personal space.

"Of course it does, my Daddy has the best service in all of Paris. Free for everyone who enters and special code for VIP members like me-"

"Thank you. But how many routers are there?" Ladybug quickly said interrupting her.

"Just two, it's a big hotel you know," Chloé remarked with a prideful grin as though the building were one of her accomplishments. "One on the roof, one in the kitchen. You know, I'm your biggest fan, we should take a phot-"

"Thank you for your cooperation Miss Bourgeois." Ladybug said, gently pushing her off, much to her shock as he then signaled for Chat Noir to follow him. Both stood in the hall for a moment as Ladybug seemingly formulated a plan.

"What is it?" Ladybug asked as he noticed Chat Noir was staring at him.

"Nothing, just, I don't think you could pull off being a blonde." What was he saying, of course, his partner could. "So, what do you do when you're not Ladybug? Ya' know when you're not being Chloé?" He joked but wanted to take it back as Ladybug eyed him. His steely gaze made him feel on display, similar to how his father looked at him. He could almost hear scolding coming along.

"Do I really act like Miss Bourgeois that much?" He questioned rubbing the back of his neck, looking a little hurt, which shocked Chat Noir to his core. "That even you thought it was true?"

"What?! No, I mean- for a second. But, you're nothing like Chloé, you're amazing!" The words slipped out too fast, as a reflect Chat Noir immediately covered his mouth. But almost melted on the spot as he saw a smile break out on Ladybug's face, as he chuckled.

"Thanks, I guess." Ladybug said in appreciated as his demeanor turned more serious, "We need to draw Lady Wifi out if we destroy the one then she'll be cornered to one area.

"What about the basement?" Chat Noir questioned.

"She'd never go down there, she needs service to use her powers, so we'll have to limit her to one area."

"No service, no power. As expected of my Bugaboo." Chat Noir complimented.

Ladybug only nodded, "We should split up to save time. I'll let you destroy your router first, then come to where I am. No doubt that Lady Wifi will try to take my Miraculous first, so I'll be counting on you here. We'll use the dumbwaiter to travel and block any doors to try and trap Lady Wifi." He glanced around towards the dumbwaiter opening it as he turned back to his partner. "High or Low?"

* * *

Ladybug stepped carefully through the kitchen from the dumbwaiter, with his yo-yo in hand after Chat Noir went roof first as he had to lower himself down.

"Wait a sec, why is there a router in the kitchen?" He questioned for a moment, noticing a blinking light behind the ventilation. Just as he was about to walk towards it, he caught himself. Chat Noir needed time to take his out first, so Ladybug ran through scenarios in his head. He shouldn't cover the doors yet, not until Lady Wifi showed up. So instead he took out the vent cover first, standing in front of it. Lady Wifi wouldn't destroy it on her own, but there was a chance she could take it with her if it had a battery.

For a moment, he wished he could call Max as he heard a noise echo through the dumbwaiter, yelling out.

"Hold it right there Lady Wifi!" Followed up by "Ladybug!".

Ladybug wavered for a moment, Lady Wifi shouldn't have gone after Chat Noir first, he should've already have taken out the Wifi router by now. He didn't hesitate to abandon his post if his partner needed him but he had to act quickly. "Lucky Charm!" a box fell into his hand, he recognized a freezer dinner in his hand, suddenly, he was splashed with water and kicked in the side as his back hit something cold. Lifting his head he saw Lady Wifi smiling evilly as she didn't give him any time to try and escape, quickly pinning his arms above his head as he was on his knees using her pink icons. His yo-yo was across the room, but it was useless as he didn't have the capacity to even grab it or even stand up. Not to mention he always got a cold when he stood out in the rain for too long, getting splashed with water and then thrown in a sub-zero freezer? Not even his scarf would protect him from this kind of cold.

He grew worried as he saw a cloud of his breath before his eyes glancing up towards the recording icon. He had only a few minutes before he transformed back, his lucky charm was outside the room and he was completely defenseless.

All he could do was hope that Chat Noir wouldn't fall victim to Lady Wifi's tricks as well.

* * *

"Ha! Ha! You can't get me!" She taunted sticking her tongue out at him. She kept disappearing and reappearing on different sections on the roof using cell phones that Chat Noir was in the middle of destroying. The villainess had caught him off guard, standing between him and the wifi router. If Lady Wifi was here then Ladybug must have already destroyed his router.

"Wanna bet?!" He retorted.

Lady Wifi giggled in amusement as he kept missing her. "I could do this all day!"

From a projection in the sky, Lady Wifi spoke up, as she live-streamed the battle. "Who is Ladybug? Is he a superhero or a super-lameo? How can we trust the dude when we have no idea who he really is? We have the right to know! We won't have to wait long for the scoop of the century! Trust me, it'll be a scream." She said with a malicious grin as she threw more symbols towards Chat Noir.

"Hey! I thought you only wanted to get your hands on Ladybug!" Chat Noir remarked as he avoided Lady Wifi's attacks. But then, something flipped a switch in his head as he realized, Lady Wifi wasn't blocking the router. We won't have to wait long for the scoop of the century? His eyes widened in shock as a wave of realization washed over him.

THIS WAS A DISTRACTION.

He had to act quickly running over what he knew; Lady Wifi needed her scoop; She could teleport using phone calls but needed a signal; Ladybug would probably still be in the kitchen; if the plan stayed the same the router in the kitchen wouldn't be destroyed yet meaning there was a signal still down there; He had a way directly down into the kitchen; Above all, Lady Wifi couldn't find out Ladybug's true identity.

Chat Noir ran through a plan in his head.

Trap Lady Wifi in the Kitchen using Ladybug, take out the wifi up there so she has only one place to go, but she knows where he'd go. Find a way to distract her? No, all she wants is Ladybug's identity and their miraculous. Trap her so that she can't escape. How?

Then he recalled something earlier that day, remembering what Marin had said, about how his phone couldn't get a signal as his broke.

The phone was the source of her power.

Grab the phone so she couldn't attack, take out the Wifi so she'd have limited range, save Ladybug! Even if she could grab another phone, he'd have the way to turn her back to normal, just into he could get it to his partner.

He nodded as he stomped out the last burner.

"You're out of minutes, Lady Wifi!" He called out using his staff to help him jump to the router, but only narrowly avoided the Lady Wifi's attacks.

"Oh, how romantic. Tomcat's wants to save his little love bug."Lady Wifi said, never letting up the attacks on Cat Noir. But every time, he dodged her using his heightened abilities.

As she stood on the router, guarding her source of power he threw his staff towards her, "Nice idea, kitty cat, but I'm not gonna let you cut me off so easily!" She dodges turning towards the weapon flying back at her. The staff splits into two, but she easily destroyed them with a smile on her face, never realizing that Chat Noir had grabbed her from behind, she tried to teleport away, but instead grew furious as Chat Noir already grabbed her phone.

"Nooooo!" She yelled, but immediately Chat Noir headed for the door. There was no more time for banter as Ladybug was already on borrowed time. He jumped down the dumbwaiter instead of waiting for the lift. Using his claws to help slow him down as he jumped out in the kitchen.

"Ladybug?!" He called out, on the verge of panicking. He eyed the fridge, then the router. Without thinking he activated his power, "Cataclysm!" And destroyed the one in the kitchen.

Immediately he tried to open the door but saw that there was still a signal on it. Chat Noir gritted his teeth, as he recalled what Chloé said earlier about two routers. He probably just destroyed the VIP router, meaning the public one was still active. He looked around, seeing a familiar black-spotted item, and his stomach dropped.

Ladybug already activated his lucky charm.

He picked it up, seeing the microwave and the "do not microwave" on the box immediately putting two and two together. Putting the lucky charm inside the microwave and placing a cart in front of the door, replugging it. "Come onnnn, jam this signal, jam this signal..." he was relieved as the symbols faded, kicking open the door.

"Ladybug!" Chat Noir called out, his heart immediately sinking as he saw his partner was covered in hoarfrost, not even shivering at this point laying on the floor of the freezer. Chat Noir spotted that Ladybug was still breathing due to his visible breath. Quickly he grabbed a nearby table cloth trying to warm him up as Chat Noir carried him out of the freezer bridal style, noticing how light he actually was. In the better light he could see that Ladybug's skin started to turn even more pale than usual, and to make matters worse Ladybug's miraculous started to beep down to its last dot.

"Chat..."

"Don't worry about Lady Wifi, she won't be bothering us. I grabbed her phone."

"You're alright." Ladybug sighed, in relief, standing up even though he freezing still, noticing his long eyelashes fluttering, as he donned a serious look. "Break it."

Chat Noir nodded as he crushed the phone in his hand, watching the Akuma fly away as Ladybug caught it in his yo-yo and purified it. "Miraculous Ladybug!" He managed to rasped, throwing the frozen dinner in the air, as Chat Noir saw the microwave return to its proper placement. He was always amazed by his power of creation but couldn't admire the magic ladybugs as he had to catch his partner from falling over.

"You used your Lucky Charm...there's not much time left." Chat said placing his hand on Ladybug's waist and shoulder his arm over. Using himself as a crutch.

* * *

"Ladybug!" Marin's eyes fluttered open as he saw Tikki hovering before him, but it wasn't her voice that called him. He looked around, seeing that he was in a closet, in his normal form. He sneezed once as he could hear the same voice call out to him again. "Chat Noir?" He asked, walking up towards the door, placing his hand on it. He could hear his partner sigh in relief. There was a moment of silence between them as Marin recalled capturing an Akuma and returning everything back to normal. He guessed that he wasn't fixed due to this not being a result of Lady Wifi's power.

"I won't tell anyone who you are you know, Cat's honor." He heard Chat Noir say gently as his ring beeped. "I think we'd be good friends."

Marin grew conflicted for a moment, stepping back and turning his head away even though no one could see him. "Nobody can know who we really are. Not even us."

* * *

On the other side, Chat Noir's hand was on the door handle. For a moment he hesitated, he knew he wanted this, he wanted to know who this amazing person really was, so much so that it hurt. But he knew what was right, pulled him back as he immediately shut the door. Running out of the building just as he detransformed.

"That was the chance to find out who the love of your life really is! What were you thinking?"

Adrien rolled his eyes again, "That's the thing, Plagg. I wasn't thinking. I was following my heart. And Ladybug is not the love of my life."

"Keep telling yourself that Kid" Plagg muttered as to himself he rested atop Adrien's head, resting as his partner walked the two of them home together.

* * *

Marin sighed looking out at the city of Paris in the late evening covered in a blanket and sipping hot tea.

"We're you gonna tell him? Was that what your heart was saying?" Tikki asked as she recalled his hesitation.

But Marin shook his head, reaching out his hand. Allowing Tikki to rest on the palm of his hands. "Sometimes your heart tells you one thing, but you have to ignore it, for the good of everyone else. Could you imagine everyone finding out that I was Ladybug? Even Alya would probably be disappointed." He said.

"I don't think that's-"

"Got it!"

A voice suddenly called out as Tikki hit under Marin's blanket. "Waaahhh- Alya?!" Marin identified as his best friend popped out of his room and onto his deck.

"Wanna see my new smartphone? It puts my old phone to shame! Just look at these pics!" She asked, standing right next to him, flipping through some photos. "I guess it was a bless in disguise that I never found my old phone."

As soon as she said that Marin stiffened, internally beating himself up. So that's what he forgot.

"Hey check this out." She said placing her phone in front of him, there was a recent photo of Adrien with some black stuff scribbled on to make him look like a cat.

"What's with all these photos of Adrien?" Marin asked.

"Well... with a mask and a costume, don't you think he looks a little bit like Cat Noir?" She asked and almost immediately Marin went into denial mode.

"Are you out of your mind? Adrien as Chat Noir would be a nightmare." He said, thinking back to all the times that he was with Chat Noir. He already considered his partner a good friend, but to think that he had that close bond with Adrien? Someone who could outshine him in every possible way? There was no way.

"Still mad about the phone thing huh? You know if you just gave him a chance you two could be good friends." Alya remarked as she flipped through more photos.

Marin chuckled after he harshly coughed. "Why would I need more friends when I have the most perfect one?"

Alya smiled brightly, gently punching his shoulder. "Because even a prince charming such as yourself needs some guy friends to pal around with. What're you gonna do while I'm suspended?"

"It's weird, sent my mom an email saying that this suspension wouldn't go on my record, but I can't think why he'd do something like that?"

"Maybe, people are more just that they appear to be, he was in a bad situation after all." Marin offered as Alya pulled him into a half hug.

"Yeah, but one thing's for certain." She remarked. "No wonder you were more absent lately, you were coming down with a cold." They then both laughed together as Marin sneezed again.

* * *

Earlier Yesterday:

"You should probably go, won't your dad's secretary be worried?" Marin asked as Adrien averted his gaze. 

"Huh? Uh, yeah. Thanks for reminding me..." Adrien said lamely as Marin walked behind the Principals' desk kneeling down towards the router and an electrical outlet on the floor power it. "What are you doing?" He heard Adrien ask. 

From behind the desk Marin spoke up, "Messing around with something, don't worry about me. I'll be fine." He said reassuringly just before he heard Adrien's footsteps walkout. As soon as that happened, Marin pulled out the router's power and Mr.Damoles was unfrozen. 

"Waah!! What happened, where am-" He then noticed Marin standing before him, putting two and two together. He cleared his throat, "Young man, thank you for helping me, I truly appr-"

" Mr. Damocles please reconsider Alya suspension!" Marin pleaded suddenly, blowing his head to the principal humbly.

"Wha-" 

"Please, sir!" The student begged. 

But the principal only sighed, "You know I can't go back on my word."

" But it's so unfair and you know it, sir. A two-week suspension is way too harsh. Alya hasn't even been in trouble before today. And you only did it because Chloépushed for it.

The principal looked conflicted." I can't just return Alya to class, Miss Bougeuasis's father does have a say in how this school is handled. If he found out that I went behind his back to favor others I could lose my job."

"But that's not fair to anyone, even you sir." Marin retorted, lifting his head. "There has to be a way around this."

Mr. Damocles then sighed, "What you said is right, Alya is a good student, and true this isn't fair to her..." he pondered for a moment. "I'll tell you what. I won't place this on Alya's permanent record. Her suspension won't affect her in any negative way so long as you bring her assignments and never let Miss Bourgeois or her father find out. Alright?"

Marin nodded, it wasn't the best solution, but it was probably the best he could get under the circumstances, thank you, sir!" He bowed his head again as he closed the door behind him, sighing in relief. Tikki popped out of his pocket not that the entire school was empty. 

"What now?" She asked. "Are you going to fight your friend?" 

But Marin shook his head, "No, I'm going to save my friend. Tikki, spots on!" 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- I really liked writing this chapter for both Chat Noir and Ladybug. 
> 
> -Yay, phone continuity. ( I wonder when he's gonna get that thing fixed to. Marin's just been sending people emails, and people don't really check their emails) He carried it that day because he was going to ask Max to fix it, but that didn't happen.
> 
> \- Lady Wifi exploited Ladybug's weakness for Chat Noir by recording his earlier words and playing them so that Ladybug would get off guard. And then the unintentionally used Marin's weakness to basically make him immobile. (If Chat Noir wasn't there, it could've taken a turn for the worst) 
> 
> -Ladybug does take stuff personally, especially when it comes to what Chat Noir thinks. (Because he thinks highly of his kitty)
> 
> -Chat Noir is a disaster bi. The slow is starting to burn faster. 
> 
> -Marin is a good friend, but he did forget to return the phone that's now sitting somewhere in the hotel.
> 
> \- (Oh man, if Chat Noir gets more aggressive when Ladybug is in danger, I wonder what the flip side would be? :) )


	7. Chronogirl? More like, Irresponsi-gal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marin stays in the shop as Alix's watch breaks. Triggering a series of events that sends Ladybug into the hands of an unfamiliar face, who claims that she's on his side.  
On one hand, he wouldn't trust anyone who he hasn't seen in action, on the other; he'd do anything to save his partner.

"Marinnnn!" Tikki complained as Marin turned his head towards his Kwami laying down on his desk. "Aren't they ready yet?" Her partner couldn't help but giggle at his Kwami's insistence, scrolling thought his Instagram feed.

"I'll go check on them." He remarked. Marin walked downstairs as he saw his mother standing in front of the mirror adjusting her favorite hair accessory.

"Well?"

"Huh?" Marin tilted his head in confusion with one hand on the door, stopping just as he heard her voice.

"My hairpin," His mother clarified, "Should I wear it to the restaurant or not?

Marin shrugged his shoulders, "Either way, you'll look perfect, Mom."

Sabine smiled, kissing her son's cheek, "Just like your father." She remarked as Marin shrugged off the compliment heading immediately downstairs.

"Marin! Could you come here please?" He heard his father call to him as he walked into the bakery. His father turned towards him with a worried expression, "Well?"

Marin cocked his head, feeling a hint of Deja vu. "Well, what?"

"My mustache, I groomed it myself for the first time. Is it too short? Should I shave the whole thing off? Maybe it's a little crooked on one–"

Marin shook his head, already putting on his oven mitts to check on the pastries. "You look fine Dad. Uh, except for one thing."

"What?" His father inquired, then noticing as his son glancing towards his waist. Seeing that he was still wearing a baking apron. "Oh!" Immediately he removed it, placing it back on the hook.

"Perfect," Marin remarked as he took out the chocolate croissants, just as his mother came downstairs.

His father smiled at the compliment, planting a kiss on his son's cheek as he still held the tray. "Just like your mother."

"Darling, we're going to be late." He heard his mother say as she led his father towards the front door.

"Of course, of course." He said rapidly, glancing back at Marin who was leaning over the counter, having already set aside the tray and his mitts. "Now don't forget Mrs. Chamack will be coming by to pick up the Eiffel Tower cake in 30 minutes. I'm depending on you, and, if you leave, don't forget to lock the shop. Also, all the emergency numbers are on the fridge, remember not to talk to strangers, and-"

"No problem papa, I won't leave the shop," Marin promised, as his mother had to drag his dad away from the shop, sighing just as the door was closed.

"Wow, married twenty years. Time flies when you're having fun." Tikki remarked as she hovered near the cake, almost devouring it with her eyes.

"And stands still when you're doing homework." He remarked a textbook on the counter. It was just him in the shop until the Najia came by, then he was free." What do you think Tikki, snacks and math?"

But before she could answer, the door opened again.

"Heyo!" Alya called walking into the shop as Tikki hid behind the counter. "Got the banner?"

"Yup." Marin said, "It's just upstairs."

"Classy." Alya remarked, "It sucks you can't get to the race though. We were all going to ice cream afterward. Loser buys."

Marin simply shrugged it off, "I can't leave the shop, my parents are counting on me. But I could stop by if the customer who ordered this cake comes by earlier than expected."

"That's the price of responsibility I guess, at least you get to eat whatever isn't bought."

Marin chuckled, "I'm not that much of a glutton. But you can send recommend everyone come over later and buy, what will be, freshly made chocolate croissants."

"You know me so well." Alya swooned at the mere thought of the light and buttery pastry, as they both giggled at her silliness.

"I'll go grab the banner," Marin said as he could feel Tikki fly into his pocket. "You can help yourself to these, but be careful because they're still hot." He gestured towards the pastries cooling down.

"Thanks, cutie!" Alya called out as Marin ran upstairs to his room. He scanned the room for where he put the banner, searching through his things as he heard a notification from his desktop. "Hm?" For a moment he looked at his feed, seeing that Alix posted a new update. It was her on the way to the race holding a pocket watch in her hand with a broad smile on her face. "Hey Tikki, check this out."

He just had located the banner as Tikki glanced at the photo of Marin's school friend. She widened her eyes as she saw what was in the child's hand. "Marin!" She called out as her friend walked back over, now holding the banner.

"What's up?" He asked as his Kwami pointed to Alix's new watch.

"I have to see that!" She insisted much to his confusion.

"Why?"

"It's important! Can you please go to the race?" She requested, widening her giant blue eyes pleadingly.

"I'll try to go later if the delivery gets picked up, promise. What's this about?"

Tikki looked back at the image, uncertain for a moment, "A Kwami's intuition."

Marin hummed for a moment, before walking back downstairs to his best friend in the middle of eating with a jubilant look on her face.

"These are amazing, you sure you're not some kinda magician? A prince of baking maybe?" She asked as Marin handed over the banner.

"Nah, just the son of the best bakers in Paris." He said as he saw her out of the shop, the two of them standing at the entrance for a moment.

"Lemme know if you end up coming over." She said.

"I will." He said, waving goodbye as Alya ran to catch the bus, shoving the rest of her pastry into her mouth.

* * *

Adrien watched as his bodyguard parked nearby, then ran towards where the race was being held in The Trocadéro. He waved to Nino, standing right next to him as everyone else chatted amongst themselves. Finally, Alya arrived, out of breath, holding up the banner for the race with a smile. Everyone complimented it as Alya handed it over to him and Nino to hold up, as she was recording the entire race. "This looks really good." He said.

"Thanks, courtesy of Marin." She remarked then taking out her phone.

"Where is he?" Nino asked.

"Had to watch his parents shop today. But maybe he'll swing by later on."

"Isn't his phone still broken, how's he gonna find out where we are?" Adrien asked curiously. 

"His family's bakery has a landline, I can just call that," Alya said as the Max walked out to start the race, announcing the stakes. Kim wouldn't be able to make any more bets, or Alix had to give up her skates. Only Max was really on Kim's side, but even he wanted his friend to stop with the bets.

"On your marks, get set..."

"Hold up!" Alix called out as Kim fell forward much to everyone's amusement.

"Forfeiting already?" Kim mocked, but Alix ignored him, handing over something to Alya.

"Hold on to this for me, will you, Alya? I don't wanna drop it during the race."

Alya took a double-take between the watch and her friend. "Wait, hold on, I can't! I gotta..."

"Guard it with your life. It's a family heirloom!" Alix called out as she got back into position for the race to begin.

Alya then passed it off to him, "Adrien could you take this? I gotta record the race for my blog."

"Sure?" Adrien reluctantly agreed just as the race started.

"On your marks, get set... GO!" Max called out and Alix and Kim start racing while everyone cheered on. They watched in awe as the two fastest kids practically flew past them on the first lap.

"Adrikins, whatcha got there? Some super old case or something?" Chloé questioned as she closed in far too close for comfort as he was holding up the sign. She took it from his hand, observing it more closely.

"Careful, it's Alix's!" He warned but his childhood friend ignored him.

Chloé smirked at him, "If it's Alix's, it's probably worthless."

"Last lap!" Max called out as the cheering became louder.

Adrien couldn't help but frown, "That's not very nice Chloé, that watch is really important to her." He said but could see that Chloé ignored him. He watched as she pressed down on it, gasping as it suddenly started to glow. He gasped as Chloé tossed the watch, watching as it fell on the track. Time seemed to slow down as Alix ran it over, cheering as she won the race. It crushed him to see her expression as her eyes fell on the broken watch.

"I call a rematch! That false start back there threw me off! Uh..." Kim demanded but trailed away as Alix fell to her knees, picking up what remained of her watch.

Alix didn't lift her head as she asked with an accusing tone "How did this happen?"

Alya exchanged a glance with Nino as she spoke up, "Uh, well I had to videotape the race so I gave it to Adrien but then, then Chloé snatched it from him and dropped it and, uh, then you skated over it...sorry."

Alix's eyes welled with tears as she snapped at her friends. "My old man gave me this for my birthday! This watch is totally a family heirloom!"

"Chillout roller girl, it's just a watch," Chloé remarked, more worried about the state of her nails than the person crying before her.

Alix glared at Chloé as she skated away angrily.

"Alix, wait!" Adrien called out, running after her. "Maybe we could fix it?" He offered.

"Like how, huh? Go back in time and change the future? This watch was One of a kind! It can't be fixed!" Alix skated away faster so he couldn't catch up. He was the last one who held the watch, so he felt bad. Not noticing the Akuma that flew by until it was too late, his eyes widened as his friend turned around, a new enemy.

"Alix?" Adrien questioned, taking a step back.

"The name's Chronogirl now. And I'm gonna go back in time and save my watch, using all you punks to do it!"

"Run!" Adrien called out to his friend as he narrowly evaded this new villainess's touch. Escaping from view as he could hear his friends screams. Plagg flew out of his shirt, hovering before him.

"So, is the race over?"

"Save the small talk, we have to save my friends. Plagg, claw out!"

* * *

"Have a nice day Ms. Chamack!" Marin remarked closing the door behind her as she smiled in satisfaction. "I think I can catch the end of the race if I go now." He said as Tikki flew out.

"How? It's almost halfway across the city."

"I think I have an idea, Marin remarked placing a few cookies inside of his messenger bag,"Tikki, Spots on!"

Crossing the city was easy. Watching as a new villain took out his friends? Hard on the eyes. He walked towards Kim who was transparent, seeing his other classmates looking terrified as all of them were fading.

"Don't let her touch you!" Chat Noir yelled out as Ladybug swiftly avoided the new villain. But soon realized that he wasn't the target. Hearing Alya scream from behind. As soon as Chronogirl touched her, Alya was frozen in place, staring to fade away just like their other classmates. The new villain cackled as their roller skates

"Well, she wastes no time, does she?" Ladybug kept his eyes trained on the villainess as Chat Noir walked up next to him. "Alix Kubdel's watch broke so she's stealing the life energy of everyone she touches to try and get it back." He explained.

"We need to stop her, fast." Ladybug informed as he took out his yo-yo.

"Just what I was thinking." Chat noir remarked as he ran ahead. Trying to hit her with his staff, but she easily jumped over it.

Ladybug spotted her next target, Ivan, using his yo-yo to try and stop it, wrapping it around her waist. What he didn't expect was for Chronogirl to have enhanced strength. She grabbed the wire, pulling Ladybug towards her as he tripped due to the force. Time seemed to slow down as Chronogirl was already reaching down towards him.

But what came next shook him to his core.

Just as Chronogirl was about to steal his energy, Cat Noir quickly embraced him, effectively sacrificing himself so that he wouldn't get caught. Ladybug was stunned as he saw his friend was already fading away, unable to speak.

Chronogirl stared at her watch in amazement, "Oh, wow, six minutes in one go! Must have been those nine lives. Gotta go! The past is waiting."

Ladybug snapped back to his thoughts but was too late as Chronogirl disappeared before his very eyes into a place he couldn't reach. 

* * *

Adrien watched as his bodyguard parked nearby, then ran towards where the race was being held in The Trocadéro. He waved to Nino, standing right next to him as everyone else chatted amongst themselves. Finally, Alya arrived, out of breath, holding up the banner for the race with a smile. Everyone complimented it as Alya handed it over to him and Nino to hold up, as she was recording the entire race. "This looks really good." He said.

"Thanks, courtesy of Marin." She remarked then taking out her phone.

"Where is he?" Nino asked.

"Had to watch his parents shop today. But maybe he'll swing by later on."

"Isn't his phone still broken, how's he gonna find out where we are?"

"His family's bakery has a landline, I can just call that," Alya said as the Max walked out to start the race, announcing the stakes. Kim wouldn't be able to make any more bets, or Alix had to give up her skates. Only Max was really on Kim's side, but even he wanted his friend to stop with the bets.

"On your marks, get set..."

"Hold up!" Alix called out as Kim fell forward much to everyone's amusement.

"Forfeiting already?" Kim mocked, but Alix ignored him, handing over something to Alya.

"Hold on to this for me, will you, Alya? I don't wanna drop it during the race."

Alya took a double-take between the watch and her friend. "Wait, hold on, I can't! I gotta..."

"Guard it with your life. It's a family heirloom!" Alix called out as she got back into position for the race to begin.

Alya then passed it off to him, "Adrien could you take this? I gotta record the race for my blog."

"Sure?" Adrien reluctantly agreed just as the race started.

"On your marks, get set... GO!" MAx called out and Alix and Kim start racing while everyone cheered on. They watched in awe as the two fastest kids practically flew past them on the first lap.

"Adrikins, whatcha got there? Some super old case or something?" Chloé questioned as she closed in far too close for comfort as he was holding up the sign. She took it from his hand, observing it more closely.

"Careful, it's Alix's!" He warned but his childhood friend ignored him.

Chloé smirked at him, "If it's Alix's, it's probably worthless."

"Last lap!" Max called out as the cheering became louder.

Adrien couldn't help but frown, "That's not very nice Chloé , that watch is really important to her." He said but could see that Chloé ignored him.

"My watch!" A voice from behind called out. Everyone turned to see a new villain, jumping towards them, enraged. Reflexively, Adrien stepped in front of Chloé who dropped the watch, shattering it as everyone scattered.

* * *

Ladybug, fell to his knees for a moment, resting his head on his partner's fading figure. He had no plan, no idea what to do. He couldn't even use his lucky charm as he hadn't activated it yet. With his only ally taken out, the enemy time traveling there was nothing else he felt he could do.

He felt utterly worthless.

But he suddenly slapped his face. No longer feeling sorry, now replacing all his negativity with determination. He was Ladybug, Paris's superhero alongside Chat Noir. There had to be a solution, there was always a solution. He wasn't alone after all, even if Chat Noir was...

He quickly shook away the darker thoughts, it didn't matter, he still had Tikki.

"Tikki, Spots o-"

Suddenly, he heard something from behind, turning to see a white glowing portal. It wasn't the method that Chronogirl used to travel, so this had to be something else. Standing before his fading partner, Ladybug narrowed his eyes, uncertain at what would appear next.

He certainly did not expect a woman to step out, clearly who was chosen by the miraculous. Her hair was a bright red, and she donned a white and blue themed outfit complete with rabbit ears and a fluffy tail. It shocked him to see another user, and an adult no less.

"'Sup, mini-bug."

Mini-bug?

Ladybug began swinging his yo-yo, distrustful of the person before him.

"Calm down, I'm not here to fight, all I want to do is help you out." She said with a reassuring smile on her face. "I'm Bunnyx, a hero from the future." She introduced but her smile soon faded as she could see that she wasn't swaying the young hero's defensive view. She thought for a moment as though she were remembering something and spoke up again. "Don't you want to save your partner?"

Ladybug wavered, glancing back to the spot where his partner once stood. Dropping his guard and glancing towards the person before him, vulnerable, but willing to listen. She walked forward, placing her hand on his shoulder. "I'm going to help you out, but you'll need to trust me mini-bug."

He took a deep breath before nodding, it wasn't as though he had other options. Allowing Bunnyx to wrap his scarf over his eyes so he couldn't see anything. The only thing he felt was her hand taking his hand, guiding him through what he assumed as her portal.

Bunnyx drew her hand away, placing them on his shoulders as she spoke behind him. "All you have to do is run forward and save your friends."

"Why are you doing this?"

"Because that's what future you asked me to do, plus, I kinda owe you big time." She said simply, whispering something in his ear that made him turn his head towards her in surprise. But she already began pushing him forward gently so he'd know where to run, but he stopped for a moment. Ladybug hesitated, wanting to ask her more things, but ultimately did as he was told, sprinting forward blindly until the wind hit his face.

* * *

Adrien watched at the Villain was about to make contact with him, but at the last second, she was pulled back. Thrown to the side as Ladybug landed before him atop the staircase, standing tall with an unnatural dark expression in his eyes.

"Everyone, get out of here! Don't let her touch you!" He yelled out as Adrien was too late to stop Alix from getting possessed by the Akuma. Chloé had already run away, so he did the same. Standing behind a tree as Plagg flew out.

"Look like trouble, can't we go home and have some cheese?" He asked but was met with Adrien's amused expression.

"And miss all the fun? Plagg, claws out!" He transformed, jumping onto the battlefield with a smile as he stood next to Ladybug who had successfully evaded both Chronogirls, using their speed against them while evading their touch, though, he looked more aggressive than usual. 

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but it looked like you go off on the wrong side of the bed, bugaboo."

"Don't let her touch you." Ladybug remarked.

"Agreed, that right is only reserved for you."

"Chat Noir, I've taken you out once before, I'll do it again!" The older Chronogirl remarked as she stood next to her younger counterpart.

"Huh?" Chat Noir questioned, but was distracted by Ladybug grabbing his waist, pulling them both to the higher ground atop the stairs so they could buy some time. 

"Lucky charm!" Ladybug threw up his yo-yo, and from the charm fell a bicycle lock. Immediately he looked around, noticing that both Chronogirls were gathering energy, gaining speed, and saw where they were headed.

"Chat Noir, can you take out that pillar?" He asked while his partner nodded with a smirk heading towards the target. "Cataclysm!" He took out the historical landmark, preventing the Chronogirls from passing. They turned around, smirking deviously as they saw Ladybug standing before them with his eyes closed, holding his charm.

"If we take out Ladybug, then we'll have enough energy to save out watch!" One of the Chronogirls said as they raced towards him with their arms reaching outward. At the last moment, Ladybug flipped backward, locking the two Chronogirls together, and removing their skates, but after he grabbed the hand of the younger one. Using her power to take out her elder counterpart. He broke the skates, watching as two Akuma's fluttered away from them.

"No more mischief from you little Akumas. Time to purify!" Ladybug said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion. Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma's fly away. "Bye-bye, little butterflies."

The younger Alex returned to normal as her elder, evil counterpart still stood, faded. "Huh?

"I think this is yours?" Ladybug asked as he handed back Alix's watch, still broken.

Her eyes welled up with tears as she held it close to her heart. "My old man's gonna be so disappointed in me. He just gave this to me today and I broke it just like that."

Ladybug placed his hand on her shoulder, his gaze softening. "Responsibility isn't something to be taken lightly." He remarked, handing the broken watch back to Alix. "But you don't always have to bear it alone." He leaned forward, lowering his tone as he informed her of the same thing Bunnyx told him. Alix pulled back in surprise, nodding in confusion as Ladybug unlocked her.

He sighed heavily as Chat Noir walked up to him with a smile, holding up his fist, expecting his partner to return the gesture. But instead what received was a Ladybug wrapping his arms around his torso resting his head on his shoulder.

Chat Noir couldn't even enjoy the embrace as he was far too confused. "Uh, my Lady? I was kinda joking about what I said earlier but-"

"I'm sorry."

Chat Noir's eyes widened as Ladybug stepped back, dawning an incredibly sad look on his face. He gripped his Lucky charm for a moment, taking one last look at his partner, alive and well as he then threw it into the air.

"Miraculous Ladybug!"

"Ahh- hold on a second!" Chat Noir remarked, arm stretched outward, hoping for an explanation but was only further confused by his partner disappearing before his eyes due to the effects of his power. Essentially leaving him alone with the happy faces of everyone who returned, and no longer having to deal with two Alix's.

* * *

"Here you go Alix." Marin said as he handed back his friend's watch in front of his family's shop just as the sun was setting. A few hours had passed since she stopped by, asking if he knew anyone to help fix her watch. Her face lit up as she opened it, revealing a hologram of a woman.

"Sweet! How did you fix it?" She asked holding the watch tightly.

Marin immediately grew nervous, rubbing the back of his neck, "Passed it off to my friend, she's good with stuff like this." He hoped she wouldn't question him further on how the watch was fixed. "Yeah, how did it break in the first place?"

"I wasn't taking my responsibility seriously enough. Never should have given it to someone else to look after. It was totally my bad." Alix said pocketing the item. "Anyways, thanks again so much, you and Ladybug pretty much saved my life! I'd be dead if he didn't recommend I bring it to you." She gave him a quick hug, one that he returned as she left the shop with a huge smile on her face. Just as she left his parents walked in, also smiling brightly.

"Huh? Hey! So, did you have a nice anniversary? Marin asked as his parents walked through the door with happy smiles, holding hands.

"We sure did. Although it was a close call, we almost missed our reservation." His father chuckled as his mother walked towards him.

"Everything went smoothly right?" His mother asked as his father quickly checked on him. Making sure he wasn't injured or had a fever or anything else that would diminish his health. 

To which Marin nodded, used to his father's actions. "Yup, just a normal afternoon." 

His mother smiled turning back towards his father with a knowing look, "See, you were worried over nothing."

His father chuckled, "I always want to make sure my boy is alright." as he passed by, he ruffled Marin's hair. Both of his parents went upstairs, probably to take a nap as they always did after large meals. As soon as they were gone, Marin groaned heavily as Tikki flew out with a worried expression.

He glanced towards his Kwami with a worried look, "You remembered everything too, right?" He asked, recalled how he and Tikki were swarmed with magic Ladybugs with a whole new set of memories about a day they apparently had. One containing a possible new ally and a massive failure on his part.

Tikki nodded, "You can't fix your problems with Time travel, most of the time it'll just make things worse."

Marin thought for a moment, resting his head on the counter, eyes lidded as his heart hurt as he replayed the day's events through his head. "Maybe, but not this time..." Only diverting his attention as Tikki hovered before him. 

"Can I have a chocolate croissant now?" She asked. 

Marin chuckled, affectionately petting her cheek as he grabbed a fresh one for her. "Hey, how did you fix that watch so fast anyway? Earlier you took an interest in it as well." He pointed out, placing the pastry on the counter so she could eat. 

Tikki froze for a moment just as she was about to bite into the pastry. "I...though it looked familiar. But it just looked to be a very similar replica." 

Marin hummed for a moment, "I wonder why would you take interest in a pocket watch though?" 

The Kwami nervously giggled to herself just before taking a large bite of the savory pastry. "Let's say, only time will tell." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- more story changes, yay or nay? 
> 
> -I changed it from Timebreaker to Chronogirl, because french, and also because I kept getting it confused with Timetagger. 
> 
> -In my story, Akumatized villains all have enhanced strength on top of their possessed abilities. 
> 
> \- Originally, I was going to place Fu instead of Bunnyx to help Ladybug time travel, but that got too complicated. Maybe I'll try to squeeze him into an earlier chapter, but we'll have to wait and see. 
> 
> -Adrien/Chat Noir had a lower part this episode, but he got a hug, so, maybe that balances it out? (idk, ya'll're gettin' more of him next episode)
> 
> \- If it wasn't clear Bunnyx told Ladybug to tell Alix to see Marin if she wanted to get her watch fixed. (Something that she remembers being told from her childhood) 
> 
> -This version of Bunnyx takes place before she goes on the mission with Timetagger as well as before Chat Blanc.
> 
> \- Ladybug's memories overlapped with Marin's, so the latter remembers exactly what happened to the other ladybug.


	8. The Miraculous Mr.Pigeon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pigeons are swarming Paris. 
> 
> Which is normal. 
> 
> But what isn't normal is the pigeon man trying to take over the city. So now Paris is overrun, Chat Noir gets, this chapter is kinda short, and the hat competition is in a few hours!!

Nino placed his hands on Adrien’s shoulders, prompting his friend with a smile on his face. “Now's your chance dude, Marin’s always sketching in his notebook. Go and ask if you can look at his designs. 

“ Why?” 

“ He’s a designer, you’re a model.” Nino gestured towards his friend who smiled at his best friend's antics. “not to mention the son of the raddest designer in Paris?”

Adrien laughed at his friend’s joke. “ I guess you could say us being friends was, tailor-made?” 

Nino just stared at his friend for a few moments as Adrien laughed at his own joke. His smile undeterred at his friends’ reaction “You suck that was funny.”

“I know, now go!” Nino said pushing Adrien towards where Marin was sitting, watching from behind the stairs in excitement as his two buddies were going to be friends all because of him. 

“ What are you smiling about?” He turned to see Alya standing nearby. 

“ Well, if you have to know. I found common ground for Adrien and Marin to bond over, design.” 

Alya nodded, “ So what’s he doing now!” 

“ Oh, I recommended that Adrien ask to look at Marin’s designs for the upcoming contest.” He said proudly as Alya slammed her hand on her forehead. “What?” Nino asked. 

Alya glared at him for a moment before pressing her palms together, glaring at him in annoyance. “ Nino, you’ve known Marin longer than I have, has he ever shown his designs to anyone?” 

“Well, no… but there’s a first time for everything.” 

“ Let me rephrase this, would you ask Nathaniel to look through his sketchbook?” 

Nino laughed at the mere thought, “Ha, no way. Nath is so insecure about his drawings. If anyone asked him about them then he’d get really defensive and run away- ohhhhh.” 

Alya nodded, “ yeah.” 

Nino grasped his hat in a panic the two watched the scene unfold as Marin almost immediately grew flustered, Adrien trying to backtrack something he said, and Marin running into a wall as he immediately tried to run away.  Adrien turned back to Nino with a defeated expression but his friend retained an aura of positivity. He flashed his friend a large toothy grin giving him two thumbs up as Alya rolled her eyes in exasperation slapping her forehead. 

* * *

Marin sighed heavily as he sat on top of a staircase. 

“Of course the contest asks for the one hat that is the most difficult to design for…” Marin muttered sitting in at Trocadéro with his sketchbook and Tikki in his bag eating oatmeal cookies happily. 

“What’s so hard about designing a hat?” Tikki questioned. 

“ A bowler hat should be elegant and stylish. It should help frame the wearer but not attract too much attention that it diverts attention from the outfit. While at the same time, not be so outlandish that all the focus is on it. It should be…simple, but eye-catching.” 

He ripped out another page where he envisioned the Eiffel Tower on it. “Too obvious.” 

Marin sighed heavily as he scribbled out his most recent drawing, slamming his head into his book. “it’s hard to be creative under pressure.”

“Marin, you save the world under pressure, just take a break!” Tikki recommended as Marin sighed once more. 

“You’re right, maybe I’ll find inspiration somewhere else.” Looking up they saw a man walking like a bird sits down on a bench ahead. He took out a brown paper bag, and a bird call, blowing on it. A flock of pigeons landed before the man, one landing near Marin who looked up at him. He recognized the small bird as it had flown by his house more than once, Marin smiled as it then flew on his wrist, on top of the ladybug pattern tie that he always kept tied on. 

“Well, happy day, happy day! Splendid is the afternoon day!” As the man spotted Marin walking towards him his eyes lit up. The pigeon on Marin’s wrist flew towards the man, performing a few tricks for what seemed to be a corn kennel. “ Ah, Edgar, you fancy one. Fantastic, dazzling performance.” 

“Good evening Professor Ramier.” He greeted walking around the pigeons eating.”

“Marin, good to see you! Have you come to visit my friends as well?” He asked with a smile on his face. 

“Not today, I’m trying to find some inspiration.” 

“ Look no further than my little friends! Pigeons have a foundation of important history.” 

“Oh yeah?” 

“Of course they do. They can be trained to relay messages long distances. little Edgar here is descended from the birds that were honored for their service in The Great War.” He fed the small bird a piece of corn as Marin giggled at the eagerness of the small bird.” As a few birds flew away, a few of the feathers caught his attention. He walked over to a few of the fallen, a few birds jumping away as he picked up the feathers. 

Marin glanced at them for a few moments before his eyes widened, “I’ve got it!” He suddenly yelled, a few birds scattering as the rest turned towards him curiously. His face suddenly ran red in embarrassment. “Sorry, sorry birdies.” He apologized but Xavier brushed him off. 

“Don’t worry about them,” Xavier reassured as Marin rubbed the back of his head. “They’ll always go where there’s food.” He said opening a bag of popcorn and feeding his birds. 

Marin placed the feathers in his bag taking a few more. “I have to do more sketching, have a nice rest of the day Professor, thanks for the idea!” He said leaving the area around the corner. 

“What a unique character! He was like, a human bird. All he needed was a feather jacket to complete the look.” Tikki commented, poking her head out from under the feathers. 

Marin laughed just before he ran into a police officer, who looked down at him. “Uh, sorry mister officer, sir!” He quickly apologized as he ran towards the bus stop. Not seeing the police officer narrowing his eyes at Mr. Raimer angrily. 

* * *

Adrien turned on the tv as Plagg flew out from his bag making a break for his cheese, indulging himself happily. Just as he was about to start his homework a breaking new alert caught his attention. 

“Pigeons have taken over Paris! This is just one of the many alarming situations giving authorities cause for major concern-” The reporter, Najia looked as though she was receiving more news as Adrien walked towards the tv in concern. “ Yes, I’ve just been told that someone named "Mr. Pigeon" is making an announcement.”

On the screen appeared a man who was clearly Akumatized, that or he was just dressed like a giant pigeon. “ Oh, dreary day, poor Parisians. Sorry to ruffle your feathers, but Paris now belongs to the pigeons! Flap flap!” He laughed like a maniac, ordering his pigeons to swarm people.

Adrien recognized the area the cameraman shot from, seeing that it was near his house as a policeman was kidnapped from a crowd of people running for their lives

“Plagg!” Adrien turned towards his Kwami eating his cheese happily. He turned towards his partner when called on, the panic settling in his eye as he saw that familiar determined smile on his face. 

“Wait a sec- don’t you wanna wait for Ladybug?! He’s the plan guy, and you’re allergic to feathers, and please let me finish my cheeseeee!!!” Plagg begged, but Adrien shook his head. 

“I can take on a few birds,” Adrien remarked as Plagg glanced at him in disbelief. 

“Yeah, but Ladybug thinks things through,” Plagg muttered dryly as Adrien growl in annoyance. "Without him, you're pretty much just the damsel waiting to be saved."  


"That's a little rude Plagg." Adrien remarked, even though there was a hint of truth to what his Kwami was saying. 

"So is cutting into my cheese time!! What else do I have to lose?!

“Plagg! Claws out!” He said as Plagg tried to finish off his snack, but to no avail, as Adrien transformed. 

Chat Noir jumped out of his home to Place des Vosges, looking around for a moment he spotted a blue hat fallen on the ground. He picked it up as a mischievous smile came over him.

… 

…..

Cat Noir stood at the park, impersonating a park ranger by simply wearing the hat, waiting for the pigeons to take him to their leader. Yet almost immediately his mind began to wander beginning to whistle "La Marseillaise" wondering if he should try to attract more attention somehow…

* * *

Ladybug ran through the rooftops, already transformed as the pigeons had swarmed across the city, 3 guesses who was Akumatized this week. He evaded the swarms of pigeons towards their targets, trying to find their leader when he spotted a familiar face dancing in the park. For a moment he stared at confusion at his partner wearing a police hat dancing in the park as pigeon swarm descended. From the rooftops, he remained covered so is bright uniform couldn’t be picked up on. Watching as a large group of pigeons started to fly overhead. The falling feathers appeared to make Chat Noir sneeze as they descended upon him, not giving him enough time to react. 

“Uh oh.” Ladybug followed as they carried his partner away, being wary of his surroundings. 

… 

He was guided towards the roof of the Grand Paris hotel, watching as the swarm dropped Cat Noir unable to react in time as a cage was dropped on him. 

Through his sneezing he yelled out, “Where's that bird-brain Mr. Pigeon?!”

Ladybug narrowed his eyes, holding onto his yo-yo as he watched Mr. Pigeon being lifted by a swarm of pigeons before Chat Noir. 

Instinctively, he threw up his yo-yo “Lucky Charm!” and from it fell a coin purse with ladybug print; Opening it, he found a few dollar coins. Looking around, he found what he was looking for. 

* * *

Mr. Pigeon smiled victoriously as the sneezing trapped cat. “Your Miraculous, give them to me or face the wrath of my feathered friends.” He blew his whistle again, and the pigeons atop the cage began banging on the top of the cage, while others turn around and point their behinds. 

“Dada-dee!" Mr.Pigeon cooed, "On the count of three, my beloved pigeons will commence fire. You can still save your sorry skins by handing me your Miraculous. One, two…huh?” He noticed the birds diverting their attention elsewhere, no longer responsive towards his bird calls. As a few left, it triggered a domino effect of more birds leaving only one who was sitting atop the cage. 

“My little friends-” Mr.Pigeon called out, so distracted that he never saw Ladybug quickly capturing him, tying him up with his yo-yo handing on the roof. He struggled but was unable to prevent Ladybug from breaking his birdcall under his foot, the Akuma flying away. 

“No more mischief for you, little Akuma.Time to purify!" He said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion.  Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. “Bye-bye, little butterfly.”

“Miraculous Ladybug!” 

* * *

Chat Noir, through his tears and runny nose, was distracted for a few moments as suddenly all the pigeons dispersed and Mr.Pigeon was reverted back to a normal person. He saw Ladybug hand back the man back his birdcall who graciously thanked the Hero through the cage, shaking his hand as he quickly left. 

Ladybug glanced at him, immediately making himself feel insecure as he averted his gaze. It wasn’t uncommon for Ladybug to call him out on his reckless nature. Fully prepared for what came next he stood up straight, as though he was resigned to his fate as his partner approached. 

“So, looks like you didn’t need my help today.” He said dryly, feeling a little guilty. But was surprised as Ladybug held out his fist through the bars, waiting. A smile broke out on Chat Noir’s face through his guilt as he couldn’t help himself. 

“Pound it.” 

Chat Noir glanced at the hand that had touched Ladybug’s keeping his head down before Ladybug spoke up again. 

“Nice plan.” He complimented, grabbing Chat Noir’s attention immediately as he glanced at his partner in disbelief. “But you shouldn’t underestimate the enemy.” He critiqued, as a pigeon landed on his shoulder nuzzling him his cheek cutely. “Right Edgar?” 

Sure, just be adorable right in front of him, not like he had a complex about this the entire day. Wait, Ladybug wasn’t adorable, he was strong and brave and stern, and handso- 

Immediately Chat Noir snapped himself out of his thoughts, his face reddening as he saw Ladybug take out his yo-yo.

“Couldn’t do it without you, partner.” Ladybug remarked sincerely, as “Edgar”, flew off, turning his back towards him. 

“Hey wait! What about me?!” 

“There are some things only you can do Chat!” Ladybug reminded as he jumped off the roof, using the momentum to swing across the city. 

Chat Noir processed what he said for a moment then realized. “Oh, right.”  He destroyed the cage using his power then quickly, realized he had to be back at the school in an hour. 

* * *

Nathalie held out her hand in greeting. “Hello, Mr. Damocles, I am Mr. Agreste's executive assistant Nathalie.”

Mr. Damocles shook her hand. “Hello, miss. Pardon me, but where is Mr. Agreste?” He asked looking around as Natalie held up a tablet. On it was his father from his office. 

“I'm here.” He remarked. 

Mr. Damocles looked a little put off by his father not being there in person. “Ah, uh, hello Mr. Agreste. Welcome to our school.” 

“Adrien, take Nathalie around.” His father ordered as he simply compiled taking notice of Alya looking worried as she didn’t have a hat at her stand. One by one they went through the entries, all were well made until they finally stopped at Chloé who looked excited. 

“Hello, Mr. Agreste. I'm Chloé Bourgeois. You know my father, André Bourgeois, the mayor?” She introduced but was ignored as his father scanned her work. 

“Interesting technique used Ms.Bourgeois.” He commented, as soon as he passed Chloé practically exploded with happiness, receiving praise from a top designer. 

Adrien couldn’t help but grow curious, he’d never know Chloé to be interesting in the production aspect of fashion, perhaps she had taken a recent interest as of late. 

”As you'll see, Mr. Agreste, our students have poured their hearts and souls into their projects.” His principal remarked ready to finish the contest, but as he spoke someone ran past them. As Alya sighed in relief before harshly whispered something. Adrien looked past the principal to see Marin apologizing, rubbing the back of his neck. He placed something on the stand. 

“I suppose if there are no other entries, then the winner is-“ 

“Uh, father.” Adrien spoke up as all eyes were on him, “There’s one more person.” He gestures toward Marin who had his sleeves rolled down, now wearing his ladybug print tie. His hair was pushed pack as he looked far more presentable than he usually did. Marin looked unnaturally calm as Adrien's father scanned the hat. 

“Hm, turn the tablet back to Ms. Bourgeois' hat.” Gabriel requested as Natalie then turned the table back to Chloé 's hat. Both were completely identical. “Is this a joke?” 

“No fair! Marin copied my design! How could you?!” She immediately began to cry as Sabrina glared at Marin. 

At first, Adrien was worried for his classmate, knowing how he usually acted around Chloé , but surprised as Marin retained his composure. He cleared his throat, drawing all eyes on him. 

“I apologize for the situation Mr. Agreste, but I can assure you, this hat is my original design.” 

Gabriel narrowed his eyes. “ Go ahead.”

Marin picked up his hat, Adrien noticed that his hands were covered in bandaids. “Everything on my derby hat is hand-crafted even down to the smallest thread- from the embroidery to the weaving of the band, to the stitching of the brim. While I won't bore you with the more finer aspects. There's a special design element that only the true designer knows about: the signature.”

A crash from behind caused them all to turn around as Chloé knocked over her hat stand, seeing the same signature etched in her hat. Chloé runs out crying. 

“Very exquisite creation. You definitely have the laboring hands of a hat maker, mister...

Adrien stood next to his classmate, “Dupain-Cheung.” 

“Congratulations on your demonstration, Mister Dupain-Cheung. You're the winner. Adrien will wear your derby on our next advertising campaign.” 

Marin bowed his head respectfully, “Thank you, sir.” Keeping it lowered until the camera turned off and Natalie walked away. 

“Adrien, I will be waiting in the car. Please be brief.” She remarked, knowing that he’d want to say goodbye to his classmates. He nodded, turning towards Marin and Alya, seeing her hug her best friend tightly. 

“I knew you could do it!” 

“Congratulations Marin. Your hat was amazingly designed.” He complimented, seeing Marin turned his head in embarrassment, his face reddened. “Could I try it on?” He asked. 

Marin nodded, handing him the hat, their hands touched for a moment. 

“A-achoo!” Adrien suddenly sneezing, recoiling in embarrassment as he realized he had sneezed on his classmate and his hat. “Uh-- sorry, I'm allergic to feathers.” He sneezed again as Marin quickly put the hat back in the box. Taking out something from his back pocket. 

“Ah, Bless you,” Marin said as he quickly handed over a white handkerchief. "This is my fault, I put authentic pigeon feathers on the hat!"

Adrien nodded his thanks, accepting his classmate’s handkerchief as he sneezed a few more times walking away as to not spread any more germs. "Don't worry about it," He sneezed again. "I'll have to try it later then." 

Marin's heart couldn't help but soften as he heard those words. He only nodded as Adrien walked away quickly. "Later then." He whispered under his breath, holding his hat close to his heart. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- Feels like a shorter chapter 
> 
> \- Nino's doing his best.


	9. Evillustrations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Nathaniel's birthday and he just wants two things, to spend some alone time with Marin, and to make Chloé pay for being a jerk. 
> 
> Meanwhile, Chat takes on a solo mission without his Bugaboo...which have some consequences.

"The next particle physics presentation group is Nino, Adrien and Alya!" Ms. Mendeleiev announced as Nino and Adrien shared a high fice while Alya was trying to keep Marin awake in class.

"Lucky," Marin muttered as Alya gently jabbed his side teasingly.

"And then, Sabrina, Chloé and Marin ."

The teacher finished as the teasing stopped. The project placement rested in Marin's mind as Alya gave him a worried glance. "This seems about right."

"Sorry, bud. How unlucky can you get?" Alya asked Chloé spoke up.

"Uh, Miss, can't you add him to another group? Sabrina and I work much better on our own."

Ms. Mendeleiev narrowed her eyes in displeasure, "This is a group presentation, not pairs! Deal with it."

Chloé grumbled under her breath as Marin rested his head on his desk. "You wouldn't be willing to trade groups, would ya?" He hollowly asked, already knowing the answer. "And deal with that twosome terror? Sorry, cutie." Alya apologized, petting her friend's head. "But I promise to make it up to you when those two drain your life force."

"Thank you, Alya." Marin appreciated but jolted to attention as the teacher slammed her hand on the desk behind them.

"Nathaniel! What are you drawing?" Ms. Mendeleiev suddenly shouted causing everyone to stare. Marin turned to see Nathaniel looking embarrassed, averting his gaze as the teacher snapped at him. He was probably doodling in class again, which wasn't a rare occurrence, but it happened enough that the teacher always singled Nathanial out on it.

"These artistic endeavors are clearly why you are failing science. I don't want to keep repeating myself."

Nathaniel lowered his head, "I'm sorry…"

"You, go march yourself down to the principal's office and show him that checked scratch! Then you'll be really sorry!"

Nathaniel tripped over Marin's bag, dropping his sketchbook. Chloé grabbed one of the fallen illustrations that fell near her feet. "Ooh! Look, Sabrina! It's him as a superhero!" Chloé said loudly, wanting to attract attention as Nathaniel grew angry.

"Gimme that!" He demanded, trying to get his drawing back, but then the teacher snapped at him once more.

" Enough! Nathaniel, go!" The teacher ordered as his drawings were all scattered on the floor.

"And look who he's saving! It's-" Chloé was about to say, but Marin snatched the drawing from her hand cleaning up all the fallen drawings. Marin acted quickly, gathering all the papers and placing them back in Nathaniel's book, ducking out a few minutes before class ended.

In the hall, Nathaniel scrabbled to shove all his papers in his bag but dropped his pen. Falling to his knees as it broke on the ground. "Oh no…" He didn't even see the Akuma flying towards him.

"Hey." He suddenly turned up his head to see Marin standing over him, he offered him a hand. Nathaniel felt his face reddened as he took his classmate's hand. "You alright?" The taller boy asked in concern neither of them noticing the Akuma flying away, fluttering nearby. "Fine…" Nathaniel mumbled, noticing as Marin reached into his messenger bag, "You forgot your sketchbook, I think I grabbed all of your illustrations. Don't worry, I didn't look at any of them." He said reassuringly.

"Uh, I'd be okay if you looked through it," Nathaniel said as his face grew redder. "I think you'd be the only one who'd actually appreciate it. 

But Marin shook his head, "It wouldn't be fair if I couldn't return the favor. My sketchbook is just filled with silly doodles and clothes. As he handed back his book, Nathaniel noticed Marin had handed him a small white box wrapped in an orange ribbon.

"What's this?" He asked curiously.

"It's your birthday isn't it?"

Nathaniel opened the box and couldn't help but be amazed at what was in the box, a good quality calligraphy pen. It was just what he needed for his new illustrations! He sighed, feeling a warm happiness in his chest.

"Try not to let Chloé get to you, so long as you call her out then chances are she'll back down...probably." Marin shrugged, rubbing the back of his head as he was only half certain about what he was saying.

"Easy for you to say…" Nathaniel began to say, then he remembered who he was talking to. "Sorry. She's just a terrible person, the absolute worst." "I doubt that anyone's gonna disagree with you." Marin shrugged. "But telling her that to her face is just going to make her temperament worse." Marin sighed. "Good thing you have some friends to look out for you." He remarked, not realizing that Nathaniel's face was getting redder with every passing moment.

"I'll see ya later then." Marin said as the bell rang, "Happy Birthday." About to turn and leave when Nathaniel suddenly spoke up again.

"Uh, Marin!" He called out, as the other boy turned back towards him. His heart suddenly raced, "W-would you like to-" But was pushed out of the way as Chloé walked past. Standing in front of Marin with a displeased expression. "

We're going to talk." She suddenly demanded, grabbing Marin's arm as Sabrina simply followed even though it was clear that their classmate was not on board with this pseudo kidnapping. Nathaniel looked disheartened as students started to crowd around him.

"Something wrong?" Alix asked walking up to him as her class was right next to his. "Just Chloé again," Nathaniel said as he gripping his new pen as the Akuma located its original target.

* * *

Chloé trapped him against a bookshelf in the library with Sabrina by her side. "Here's how it's going to go, I'll present, and you two do all the research."

"Excuse me?" Marin questioned, very uncomfortable with Chloé invading his personal space. How the heck could Adrien stand this almost every day? He stepped aside from her, placing his bag on the table next to Sabrina.

"It's okay, Marin. You and I will do all the research, and the writing for our project, and then, Chloé can present it! That way it's equal."

Marin stared at her, trying to process what she said. Is this how Alya felt whenever he said something stupid? "That's not equal at all, is that how you two work?!"

Sabrina nodded with a smile on her face, "Yeah! We've been doing this ever since grade school when I started doing Chloé's homework! And we've been BFF's ever since!"

"You got a problem with that?" Chloé demanded. "Sabrina, Chloé's taking complete advantage of you, you don't have to do what she says," Marin said as Chloé placed herself between him and Sabrina, once again, invading his space. "Ugh, not only am I Sabrina's best friend, I'm her only friend, so she better do what I say, 'cause without me, she has nothing."

Marin glared at her for a moment, then back at Sabrina. "And you think that she is your best friend?"

Chloé laughed dryly, " It's cute you think that this friendship is one-sided." She remarked taking a hat out of her purse. "After all, I didn't buy just super cute beret just for me after all."

Marin stared at her in disbelief. "Excuse me, but are you trying to bribe her into doing your work? With a hat-"

"Uhhh... really, really adorable hat! That would look fantastic on me!" Sabrina's expression lit up with excitement, like a puppy expecting a treat.

Marin slammed his hand onto his face, "This is fine." he remarked, now getting a better idea of why these two were friends.

Chloé smirked smugly, "Whatever. I've got more important things to worry about. My hair is a hot mess and Jean Claude promised to work his magic. Later!"

Marin glared at her walking away as Sabrina already opened a textbook. He was stuck in between a rock and a hard place. But all that was thrown out the window when a giant hairdryer appeared in the middle of the library.

"Chloé, watch out!" Marin called out as the machine blew hot air in her direction, as he stepped towards her direction to try and help he was hit by a wall, trapping himself and Sabrina. "What is this?" He questioned, touching the glass as Sabrina cowered nearby. Something caught his attention, someone who was clearly Akumatized standing on the second floor of the library, scribbling something on a tablet with a sinister smile on his face.

Marin couldn't transform like this, but luckily, it appeared he had found himself a way out of the situation. Noticing that they weren't trapped in a box, as it had fallen onto a fallen book, leaving the entire thing slightly crooked.

"Sabrina, push this side with me," Marin ordered as he began trying to move the heavy glass. Sabrina copied him, as they successfully escaped. Instead of shattering, the box instead disappeared into blue lines. Just in time to see Chat Noir jump into the Library of their school, spying the giant hairdryer and hearing Chloé's screams. "Chat Noir will handle this, we need to get out of here." Marin said as Sabrina nodded, sprinting out of the Library. Marin almost followed but turned back, seeing that Chat Noir was trying to take out the hairdryer, possibly not

He took out his staff just about to attack the thing when Marin called out towards him.

"Chat Noir! You need to take out the source!" He called out, pointing towards the villain who recoiled in anger. He furiously began drawing something as the room erupted in smoke. The villain disappeared, and Chat Noir looked around, confused as Marin slipped out of the library.

"Are you going to leave Chat noir alone with Chloé?" Tikki asked flying out.

Marin glanced back at the Library, highly conflicted, for a moment he peaked back into the room, now seeing that Chloé was yelling at his partner as she was trying to fix her hair.

"Are you alr-" He tried asking but she snapped back.

"OF COURSE I'M NOT! Do you see my hair now?! IT's going to take forever to fix, not to mention my clothes are all wrinkled. He stepped back as Chat Noir walked forward.

Marin slowly closed the door, not wanting to get in between the two. "He'll be fine."

* * *

Cat Noir crossed his arms as he stood in Chloé's room listening to her complain. "Chloé this, Evillstrator, seems to be targeting you, any idea why?"

"Of course not, everyone adores me," Chloé remarked, taking out her phone, then scrunched up her face in annoyance having to look at him. "Where's Ladybug? I'm sure he'll be able to do a much better job of protecting me than his sidekick."

"Sidekick?" Chat Noir questioned.

"Isn't that what you are?" She questioned.

Chat Noir sighed, not wanting to throw his longtime friend off the roof. "Are you sure you didn't make anyone mad recently?"

Chloé thought for a moment, "Hmmm, well there is that Chinese boy in my class, he seemed pretty upset about something."

"Chinese boy?" Chat Noir repeated, thinking that she must be referring to Marin. Unless she was talking about Kim, in which case that would trigger a number of problems, as Kim was Vietnamese. He really hoped that Chloé knew the difference.

"He seemed angry about something but honestly when he talks I just try to ignore him."

"Oh?" Chat inquired. Nino did mention that Marin drew a lot and Chloé was his main tormentor for years. Maybe he'd finally had it, and it was enough anger for Hawkmoth to monopolize.

"Thank you Chloé, it appears I must be going now." He remarked.

"Hey! You're not going to just leave me alone, are you?! Someone came after me once, it's clear that they're going to do it again!" Chloé demanded, ringing his bell, to which he took high offense.

"I thought you didn't want the protection of a sidekick." He mocked, using what she said earlier.

But Chloé flashed him a smug grin, "If the villain is actually Marin, then you'll be more than enough for him to handle." She remarked, sitting back down on her sofa as Chat groaned in annoyance.

* * *

" How you do chapters 1 to 3 and I do the rest of the chapters and assemble the presentation?" Marin asked as he and Sabrina stood inside the bakery kitchen. He had already taken off his blazer and put on his white apron with pink trim. It was his shift and he was already taking out the cookies. Sabrina stood behind the counter as she watched in amazement.

" Sure, but, could I help with assembling the presentation as well? I think I may know how the teacher prefers it so we can get high marks." She asked as Marin began piping out the icing.

"That's fine with me." Marin said, smiling as he quickly finished his work. "How about we work on our parts over the weekend and meet up on Sunday to make the finishing touches." He asked handing her a cookie to try.

Sabrina nodded popping it into her mouth as she collected her things, "That sounds great. Maybe Chloé will like it so much that she'll let me borrow her beret!"

All of a sudden, Marin's mood dropped as he forced the words through his teeth. "Yeah, maybe."

Sabrina squealed in joy as Marin walked her to the door. "ThankyouThankyouThankyou sooo much!" She simply remarked running down the street to start the project. He sighed, closing the door, and walked back up the stairs to the bakery. All of a sudden he noticed that that the windows were covered, walking to the front door he saw that it was locked. Something that made him uneasy. The bakery was closed for the rest of the day, and his parents were going to be out all night. What could-

"Hello, Marin." He flinched as he heard a voice from behind. Scaring him half to death as there stood a familiar face.

Marin " It's you! From the library!" He observed. "What are you doing here?" He asked, realizing that his back was against the door and the only means of escape was through the villain standing in his way.

Evillustrator looked away shyly, "I just wanted to see you."

Marin was stunned for a moment, "Okay... To attack me like you did Chloé?" He questioned with suspicion. But was surprised as the villain quickly shook his head.

"N-no way, you're kind and sweet and pretty... you're perfect and I could never hurt you!" He said, but his earnestness turned into disgust. "Chloé is cruel and selfish, she got what was coming to her." He said, but changed his tone as he could see Marin's shocked expression.

"So, I just came by to ask you, it, uh, well, it's my birthday today, and, uh, would you wanna come to my party?"

"Your...birthday?" Marin questioned, recalling that he had a whole project to work on.

The villain nodded, "Oh please, it'll just be you and me. I remember how much you like the starry night. There's a place I know that's perfect for stargazing." Quickly, he drew on his tablet. Materializing a card that he presented to him on one knee.

Marin's heart sunk as he realized who was in front of him, the name spelled out before he could hold himself back. "Nathaniel?"

But his friend recoiled at the name, "No, I'm Evillustrator now, far stronger than I was before. I can now get justice for everyone that's ever been harassed by Chloé and her minion, especially you." His voice softened again at the end of his words.

Marin couldn't help but sigh, "Nath, I'll go stargazing with you, on one condition." He said folding his hands.

"Anything for you, Marin."

"You can't hurt Chloé anymore, even if she's the worst. I don't like it when people hurt others, no matter the reason." Marin asked sincerely.

Evillustrator looked conflicted for a moment but nodded, "For you and only you. Meet you on the left bank, next to Notre-Dame, at sunset." He asked, erasing a way up towards the sky and drawing a jetpack on himself, flying away. Not even undoing what he originally did to his parents bakery.

"Oh man..."

"What are you thinking, Marin?" Tikki asked sitting on his shoulder.

"My parents are going to kill me after they see this," Marin remarked sincerely but then flinched as he heard footsteps. "Tikki!" he harshly whispered, walking towards the front door and was surprised at who he saw.

"I thought I was going to have to save you from that guy for a moment there. I haven't even introduced myself. I'm Cat Noir." The hero said as he leaned on the door frame.

"W-What happened to my door?" Marin asked, his stomach sinking as he saw the entire thing was gone. "Ohhh, now my parents are really gonna kill me." He placed his hands on his face and walked back into the kitchen, needing to sit down for a little while. He groaned as Chat Noir followed him with his hands behind his back.

"Since you were so floored with my original introduction, it seems like I'll have to repeat myself." The hero said again. "I'm Chat Noir, the hero." He clarified.

"Have we met before?" Marin asked, which stunned Chat Noir in place. But Marin couldn't keep up the facade as he giggled. "Sorry, I couldn't help it. Of course, I know who you are. You're kinda a big deal."

Chat Noir laughed off his insecurities, clearing his throat. "I overheard what Evillstrater said, the whole thing?"

"What? How?"

"To be honest." Chat said sheepishly. "I kinda thought you were the villain, all I had to go on was someone who was good at drawing and who hated Chloé. But now I see that it's just someone else who hates Chloé and is good at drawing. So now, we have the upper hand."

Marin didn't want to press his reasoning, it wasn't as though he needed a fully detailed report. "Huh?" Marin tilted his head in confusion.

"Well, that birthday boy date of yours is bad news, him being a villain and all. So I'm thinking, I can grab his possessed item it's a done deal. But I am going to need a little help. Care to assist a superhero?" He asked, walking towards the table.

Marin noticed Chat eyeing the macaroons on the table. "What about Ladybug? Aren't you a duo?"

Cat Noir flinched slightly. "Chances are he'll pop up to finish the Villain off so...I guess you get to be my Ladybug tonight." He teased, popping a cookie into his mouth.

Marin processed what his partner said, "Me and Cat Noir? Fighting crime together? That sounds like a terrible idea." he remarked. "You do realize I'm basically a beacon for bad luck right?"

Cat Noir simply shrugged it off, "Just get that drawing pencil away from it, and I'll take care of the rest. Don't worry, you'll be safe with me tonight, Macaroon." He winked playfully as Marin giggled.

* * *

"Okay, I will, I will!"

Marin overheard as he saw Evillstrator grasping his hand they stood before Notre Dame. If had any thoughts about backing out they were now void as Evillustrator soon noticed him and drew a large smile on his face. "Marin! You're actually here." He said happily guiding his friend towards a bench. as he sat down, Evillustrator drew more items on the boat. Painting a pleasant evening with soft lighting that wouldn't hinder their view of the stars.

"Wow, it's so beautiful," Marin said, as the sky tonight had a full moon.

Evillustrator seemingly blushed at the comment, "You like it? Well hold on, 'cause I'm just getting started." Just as he was about to draw again, the clouds covered the moonlight, darkening the night even more so.

"Ugh, Come on, you've gotta be kidding!

Marin flinched back slightly at his tone.

Evillustrator recoiled at Marin's expression, "Uhh, sorry. I didn't mean to startle you. It's just... I can't draw properly in the dark." He explained as he finished what he was drawing. A miniature moon shining above the boat. "Voila!"Then jumping down to sit next to Marin, who out of the corner of his eye noticed a familiar face leaping across the rooftops, observing from a distance.

As the night continued on Marin couldn't help but close his eyes for a moment, listening to the river's currents as his friend played music, but he suddenly opened then once more as he heard a sound from behind him. Knowing exactly what it was he turned to Evillustrator. "You're such a talented person, I just don't understand why you wanna use your power to hurt people."

Evillustrator shook his head, "Not all people. Just Chloé. And I'm never doing that again. After all, you were true to your promise, so I'll be true to mine."

"I...actually draw a little too, I'm not as good as you are, of course."

Evillustrator turned towards him, smiling brightly. "I know, you're an incredibly talented person yourself. It's easy to see why everyone likes you."

Marin couldn't help but chuckle that that, "You're good at flattering others." He said, partially in disbelief as it couldn't be true. He was the clumsiest person, always late, not to mention extremely bad at socializing. "Would it be alright if I tried drawing you something special for your birthday?

"That would be amazing," Evillustrator remarked, about to hand over his pen when something caught his attention out of the corner of his eye. "Marin, give me my pencil back. I need to draw something, now!"

But Marin grabbed the pen from him, "Sorry, but the Akuma is messing with your head!" He remarked as Chat Noir jumped from his hiding spot, trapping Evillustrator using his staff as the villain grew more enraged.

"So, you're working with him? I'm so stupid... I actually thought you liked me! But you're really just like Chloé. Teasing me, mocking me, leading me on!"

The words hurt, he didn't like doing this, hurting his friend. But in the long run it was the right choice. "This isn't you, Hawkmoth is manipulating you."

"Like you?!" He snapped.

But Marin shook his head, "Nathaniel is the one who's my friend, not Evillustrator!" Just as he was about to break the pen Evillustrator kicked Cat Noir's staff making it hit Marin so he was knocked over. Immediately Chat Noir dove for the pen, to pick it up but froze in place as he saw that Evillustraor had grabbed Marin in a chokehold, unable to escape due to the Akumatized victim's enhanced strength.

Chat Noir glared at the villain who had a triumphant smile on his face standing at the edge of the boat.

"Return my pen or else."

Chat took a double-take between the pen, the villain, and his classmate. Heck, did Marin know how to swim? Because if he didn't then capture this guy would be a lot harder. He wasn't even sure if Ladybug was even around, it wasn't like he could text the guy or something. But ultimately, he couldn't risk two of his classmates falling into a river because he was too prideful.

"You want it? Come and get it!" Chat remarked throwing it into the sky.

Evillustrator immediately dove for it as Chat sprinted towards his classmate, luckily grabbing his hand and pulling him close just before he hit the water. "You alright?" He asked as Marin coughed, trying to catch his breath. But he couldn't be relieved as Evillustrator dropped a box on them, then erased a hole in the boat.

"And I'm taking back my promise! Chloé's gonna get a little lesson she'll never forget!" He remarked, then drawing a jetpack on himself, escaping easily.

"We've been penned in! Literally!" Chat said punching the glass. "Really could use you right now partner!" Chat called out but to no avail. They could just wait for the boat to sink so they could use the river to escape, it would be the hard way but it would definitely be a solution. "I don't suppose you can swim?" Chat Noir asked turning back to Marin.

"I'd drown faster than you would." He remarked as Chat Noir tried to get that terrible image out of his head. But broke out of them as Marin took his pole, placing it on the ground.

"Cat Noir, if you extend your baton we can use it to escape," Marin said as he pointed to the ceiling of the box.

Cat Noir nodded, "Great thinking!" Following orders as Marin wrapped his arms around his neck. The staff fell over near a bridge and Chat Noir carefully set down his classmate safely. "See, I told you I would keep you safe." He remarked as he screamed on the inside at how easily he could've lost his classmate."Anyway, gotta go. A superhero's work is never done. Damsels in distress, ladies in waiting, pursued princes... I've got a lot more saving to do. I'll catch you later, Macaroon." He quickly said then using his baton to scale over the city line.

Marin sighed, rubbing the back of his neck as Tikki hovered nearby. "That was too close!" The Kwami stated. 

But he smiled at his Kwami, "Chat Noir's already done most of the heavy lifting, it seems like he'll need help saving Chloé. Tikki, Spots on!"

* * *

Chat Noir raced to the hotel where Chloé lived. Half thinking about how to defeat Evillustrator, half thinking about how he was going to save Chloé, half thinking about what Marin thought about Chat Noir, and half thinking about where the heck his partner was. He broke into his friend's room, looking at a giant heeled shoe. "You like to walk all over other people. But you don't like it when others trample on you! Do you, Chloé? Do you?!" Evillustrator taunted, smacking away a giant show, destroying it.

"From where I stand it looks like you're the one trying to walk all over someone." Chat Noir remarked as Chloé crawled away.

"In the comics, this is what's known as the final showdown. The thing is, if you knew her, you wouldn't be breaking a sweat to save her skin! She's the real baddie!" Evillustrator claimed, sketching something on his tablet.

Chat Noir held up his staff prepared for whatever Evillustrator threw at him. All of a sudden the lights shut off, the only luminous presence coming from the city lights in the distance.

"Hey!" Evillustrator called out as Chat Noir's night vision kicked in, seeing the villain taken down quickly using a plastic zip tie to bind Evillstrators hands together. He quickly fell to the ground as Ladybug picked up his pen.

"Some advice," Ladybug said as Chat Noir's face suddenly lit up with a smile at the presence of his partner. "Even if someone is terrible, you shouldn't have to go out of your way to harm anyone."

"Well, well, look what the cat dragged in." Chat Noir remarked resting his staff on his shoulders with a smug smile.

Ladybug broke the pen, "Yes, you did. I couldn't let you do all the work after all." he said as the two watched the Akuma fly against the night lights of Paris.

"No more mischief for you little butterfly. Time to purify!" He said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion. Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. "Bye-bye, little butterfly."

"Miraculous Ladybug!" Ladybug tossed his lucky charm into the air, returning everything back to normal, even turning the lights back on, as Chat took notice.

"Did you break the lights?" He asked as Ladybug shrugged his shoulders, holding out his fist. Chat noir smiled as he returned the gesture. 

"Pound it!"

"Where am I?" Nathaniel questioned as he looked around in confusion just as Ladybug's earrings started to beep. Before he left, Ladybug handed back his pen with a smile on his face.

"If Chloé gets under your skin again, I'm sure your friend Alix would gladly handle her for you." He remarked as Nathaniel looked on in confusion. 

* * *

"What happened when Ladybug and Cat Noir arrived on the scene?" Alya asked interviewing Chloé for her blog at school the next day. 

"Well, to be perfectly honest, Chat Noir was no help. He didn't even have to do anything, Ladybug is the real hero here." Chloé remarked as Marin rolled his eyes as his classmate. Sabrina spotted him, stepping away from Chloé with a smile on her face and a new beret. 

"Thanks listening to me, it means a lot that you cooperated with me for the project."

"Don't mention it," Marin remarked. "Seriously." He then said in a more serious tone. 

"You got it. I know Chloé can be demanding, but she's my friend, and I like feeling needed." She said with a smile on her face, turning back to Chloé, seeing that the interview was done. Marin sighed, Sabrina was always alright, but he couldn't stand being around her and Chloé at the same time. He saw Alix walking up to Chloé with anger in her eyes, yelling something as Nathaniel caught Marin's eye. The taller boy waved to him as Nathaniel waved back with a red face. 

Taking out his sketchbook he closed his locker, then suddenly flinched back as Adrien was standing, leaning up against a locker looking up at the taller boy. 

"Hey!

Marin stared at him for a moment, before freezing in place. 

"I heard about your adventures with Cat Noir yesterday. So, what do you think about Cat Noir? Was he awesome?"

Marin glanced at him for a moment, wondering who Adrien heard it from. But then assumed that he probably heard it through some kind of grapevines. After all, the heroes of Paris were never a stale talking point. But remembering that night he reflexively rubbed his neck. 

"Were you scared? I hear Evillustrator was pretty frightening." 

Marin averted his gaze, but couldn't help but shake his head. "I wasn't worried, he gave me his word that he'd watch out for me, after all." He said simply a smile drew on Adrien's face. 

"Cool." Adrien only said as he walked past, looking extremely happy. 

"Hm, maybe he's a fan of Chat Noir." Marin thought out loud as everyone went on their way to class. 

"Maybe he's a fan of you." Tikki offered, popping out of his messenger bag. But Marin brushed aside his Kwami's remark, for a moment he opened his sketchbook. Pressing his hands against his shoddy sketches of Adrien. But immediately he snapped himself out of lingering thoughts, instead choosing to catch up to Alya to their next class. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- Sabrina is retconned into being more vain, she's just fine. 
> 
> \- A more Marichat centered episode, did it work out?
> 
> \- Marin cannot swim, not only will he get sick if he hits the water. His body cannot float as he has a runner's body type. 
> 
> -Chat's nickname for Marin is Macaroon, because he smells like and bakes the best Macaroons. 
> 
> -Marin is almost ashamed of how bad he draws people, but it's also a blessing because Alya thinks he just draws bananas (because he sits behind Adrien in class).


	10. Rogercops and Robbers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's career day at school and Marin's father is a speaker, but he also has to defend his son as Chloe throws a tantrum that Akumatizes Sabrina's father into someone that Ladybug can't handle on his own. 
> 
> Also, Plagg steals and Adrien has to take on the consequences of his Kwami's actions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edit: made a change to Marin’s weight because i wasn’t taking his height into account. The boy eats I promise 😬

"You've reached the voicemail of Gabriel Agreste's office. Please leave a message."

"Hi father, it's me. It's Parent's Career Day at school, remember? I was hoping that you were gonna show up. Call me back." Adrien sighed, leaning against the wall outside of his classroom,

Plagg popped out of Adrien's bag, looking concerned for his friend, "You okay?" He asked.

Adrien shrugged it off, petting his Kwami's head, "Yeah, whatever. Nothing new." When he walked back in he saw Marin taking out croissants from delivery boxes, placing them all on a tray as his father spoke to the class. Marin looked at him for a moment, two making eye contact for a moment before Adrien looked away sadly.

" My day begins at 4 a.m. every morning because the bakery opens at 7. You think that the life of a baker is pretty routine, making the same pastries, rolls, cakes... but actually, it's different every day. One day someone might order a cake in the shape of the Eiffel Tower, and another day you might be catering for a rock star's alligator." Tom joked as a few giggles erupted from the class. He then placed a hand on Marin's shoulder who walked around the room passing out the pastries starting off with Sabrina. "Marin will come around and pass out some croissants baked fresh this morning."

"Thank you, Mr. Dupain. Now, let's meet Alya's mom, who is head chef at the Grand Paris hotel, owned by our mayor, Mr. Bourgeois." The teacher said as Alya's mother walked towards the front of the class.

Marin saw Chloé opening a small round box, revealing a golden bracelet.

Sabrina's eyes lit up. "It's beautiful!" she remarked about to pick it up, but Chloé slapped her friend's hand away.

"Look, don't touch!"

"Sorry!" Sabrina looked downtrodden for a moment until Marin placed a croissant and a napkin before her. "Thank you."

Chloé smiled smugly, noticing Marin standing next to her. "I wonder how many croissants your dad would have to sell to buy you one of these? What am I saying? He'd have to sell the whole store!" she cackled as Marin placed a croissant and a napkin before her.

Marin rolled his eyes. "If I had the money to buy that I'd go with a silver, then it wouldn't clash with your outfit."

Chloé grumbled under his breath. "Ugh, jealous." Before putting away her jewelry into her purse.

As Marin passed out the delicious smelling criossants most eyes were on him, not on the small black Kwami popping out of Adrien's bag.

Plagg's eyes lit up as he saw the round box that Chloé placed into his bag. "Is that Camembert?" He asked, flying under the floor into her bag. He quickly opened it, but was disappointed, seeing that it wasn't his favorite treat. "Huh? Oh, that's not Camembert... But it is very shiny. I like shiny!" He overhead applause as he took the bracelet out of the box. He played around with it for a little while, trying to balance it on his head, but a problem arose as the bracelet got stuck on his head. Trying to escape, he accidentally knocked over the bag, causing Marin to trip over a fallen box and have the now empty tray hit his face.

Marin winced in pain as Chloé laughed, "Geez, is there a day when you're not tripping over something?" earning a glare from half the class as Alya helped her friend up.

Miss Bustier announced the next guest. "Next on the list is Sabrina's father, a policeman. Officer Roger!"

Sabrina stood next to her father as he looked proud to talk about his career. "I've been a police officer for 15 years, and I firmly believe that every citizen is innocent until proven guilty."

Suddenly, his speech was interrupted by a shrill scream as Chloé had an empty box in her hand. "My bracelet! It's gone! I had it a second ago!" She then glared at Marin who was near the front placing the tray away into a box. "You! You stole it!"

Marin turned towards her in confusion. "What?"

"You purposedly tripped on my bag so you could steal my bracelet! You're a policeman! Arrest her!" Chloé demanded as Sabrina's father looked started by the sudden demands.

Tom immediately stood in front of his son. "My son is not a thief!"

Chloé looked hurt, glancing at her father, "You're calling me a liar?! Daddy!"

"Roger, I demand you to search that boy!" The Mayor demanded as Chloé smiled victoriously.

Miss Bustier tried to quell the situation, "Please, everybody, let's all just calm down-"

A sharp whistle drew everyone's attention as Roger blew his whistle. "Hold on a minute, Miss Bourgeois, we don't accuse without proof! Now, everyone, calm down, please. Maybe you simply misplaced your bracelet.

Mr. Bourgeois glared at him as Chloé hugged her father, looking distressed but probably was just a facade to garner some sympathy. "Need I remind you that as mayor of this city, I am your superior!"

Roger tried to reason with his boss, "But sir, it's against the law to search anyone without probable cause! I can't just go-"

"All right. Then you're no longer a police officer!" Mr. Bourgeois suddenly said as Roger was stunned.

"Mister Mayor, you can't be serious! Over a missing bracelet?"

But Mr. Bourgeois only doubled down, "This is my daughter's bracelet we're talking about! You've refused to obey direct orders from a superior thusly, you're fired! Get out!"

Roger looked downtrodden as Sabrina tried to follow him out, only stopping as she heard her best friend speak up once more.

"Good! Let's call Ladybug! I'm sure he'll actually do something!"Chloé cackled.

Then all the attention was on Marin who could feel all the tension on his shoulders.

"Now I demand to turn over your bag to be searched!" The mayor demanded, but Marin's father once more stood in between his son and the person threatening him.

"Don't even think about getting near my son or his bag!"

Mr. Bourgeois glared at the baker, "Do you know who I am?"

The two had a standoff as Miss Bustier pushed herself between them, "Please, gentlemen! This is a school here! Think of the children! Surely the bracelet is around here someplace."

"It probably just rolled out of her bag or something," Marin said as Alya stood beside him.

"If I were her bracelet, I'd try and get as far away as possible from that crazy brat too." Causing Marin to chuckle, but his laughter faded as he saw Sabrin standing next to the door looking sad. He walked over to her as the class started talking.

"Nino's been filming everything this whole time! We can see what really happened!" Alya recommended as now all attention was on Nino, who looked around nervously.

"You alright?" Marin asked as he stood next to Sabrina, who looked like she was on the verge of tears. She looked conflicted between what to do as Chloé was her best friend, but she loved her father dearly.

"Well, there you have it! Sabrina was holding Chloé's bracelet!" Someone called out and now everyone looked at Sabrina.

"I...I didn't-" She started to say but Marin placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Sabrina didn't take the bracelet, why would she? Chloé's her best friend after all." He pointed out. "There's no way she'd do anything to harm her friend. Also, Chloé put it directly back into her bag after showing it to her, so there's no way she'd have been able to take it." He pointed out as Sabrina looked up at him gratefully, a little tension off of her shoulders.

Chloé glared at him, "If you're so quick to defend her why don't we take a look in your bag?!" She demanded, unintentionally hitting Nathaniel's sketchbook, where a few pages slipped out. One revealing a drawing of the bracelet, causing Chloé to gasp as her animosity now had a new target. "You?!"

Nathaniel looked up fearfully as Chloé bared her fangs. "I just sketched the bracelet from your Instagram feed!" he insisted. While across the room Mr. Bourgeois stood before Nino. "Give me the tape! I'll have it analyzed by professionals!"

Nino shielded his device away. "No way dude, that's my phone!"

" Who do you think you're dealing with? I am the mayor of this city! Where's the school principal? I want to see the principal!" He ranted pushed Sabrina and Marin out of the way to lodge a complaint.

Meanwhile, Adrien felt something at his feet, he was shocked as he saw Plagg rolling around with Chloé's bracelet stuck on his head. Acting quickly, he grabbed his Kwami and passed by Marin who noticed him leaving with something in his hands.

* * *

"I won't bother you with the story. It's a long, boring-" Plagg tried to brush off the severity of the problem but he couldn't escape Adrien's anger as they stood in the locker room.

"Oh yes, you will explain it, and fast! You realize we have a big problem, don't you?!"

"If by big you are referring to my rock-hard abs? Well, thanks for noticing!" Plagg remarked, touching his soft stomach with his little Kwami hands.

Adrien heard some loud footsteps, he peaked towards the main hall where he saw a giant blue robot talking to Mylene's father who was sweeping. They talked for a moment, seemingly trying to remove the robot from the campus. But was shot and was now running laps with a red and blue light on his hands. "Now we have a bigger problem! Plagg, cla-"

"No can do!" Plagg immediately interrupted.

Adrien looked at him in confusion. "What do you mean I can't transform?!"

" If you transform, the bracelet will get absorbed with me and damage your powers!"

Adrien glanced at his partner, then groaned in frustration. "Ahhhh...I wonder if Ladybug has problems like this with his Kwami."

"I thought it was a Camembert box! Anyone can make a mistake!" Plagg reasoned, but Adrien quickly retorted his claim.

"You're always thinking with your stomach!"

* * *

Back in class, Chloé was only growing angrier, " As far as I'm concerned all of your are suspects!"

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean? I didn't swipe the bracelet!" Nathaniel retorted.

Marin sighed, as Chloé spoke on. "Someone in this room definitely took it, if you have nothing to hide then empty out your bags!" She demanded to hold out her hand, to which Nathaniel recoiled from, taking a step back. Marin felt sympathy for his classmate, knowing that Nathaniel kept a ton of loose paper drawing in his bag. If Chloé had her way, all of them would be revealed to the class.

"Hey, no one's searching his bag, unless you want a piece of me!" Alix suddenly said as she stood between Nathaniel and Chloé, who now glared at the smaller girl furiously.

"Fine." Marin suddenly said, "If you'll stop this witch hunt, I'll empty out my bag." He said as Chloé sneered at him victoriously. But then it was Nathaniel's turned to glance at Marin in worry, as he knew his taller friend was in the same boat. As Marin too had a bag of loose sketches that weren't properly kept away and would be completely exposed if shown.

But then, Tom placed his hand on Marin's shoulder just as his son held his bag. "Marin, let the adults handle this."

"But Papa, she's calling everyone a thief."

"Yes, but you shouldn't have to give up your privacy just because someone is being unreasonable."

"What about Adrien? His desk is right next to Chloé's." Max pointed out.

"Then we haven't seen him since!" Kim brought up as Marin suddenly became nervous for his absent classmate. He did see Adrien duck out of the class with all the commotion holding something in his hands, not to mention he looked sad earlier. What if he felt guilty because he was about to something bad towards his childhood friend?

But Marin spoked up again, "It can't be Adrien, he's one of Chloé's friends as well, he has no motive to steal."

"Yeah!" Nino chimed in, defending his best friend as then everyone started talking over each other.

Wait a second, motive...

Marin thought to himself. What if stealing it wasn't the motive. What if someone took the bracelet to hide it from Chloé? But that didn't make any sense. Why would someone want to hide the bracelet from Chloé? Unless there was something he didn't see in the video. Adrien was a kind person, but was he the kind of person to hide something from a friend to protect their feelings? But what could have happened to the bracelet when it had fallen to make Adrien take it? Maybe a jewel falling out?

But then everyone stopped talking as the door was ripped from its hinges, and a giant blue robot with a person inside stepped out.

"Where is the mayor?"He demanded in a robotic tone.

"Dad?!" Sabrina called out, her face ridden with worry.

Marin just stared at the thing as he felt something in his gut that told him to get out of the room.

"Hello, may I help you?" The teacher asked as Marin sprinted out and towards the principal's office. Tikki floated beside him as he ran.

"That was a whole mess." She commented as Marin agreed.

"Yup, maybe it didn't help that Adrien ducked out right in the middle of all that." He commented as then he hid behind a pillar. "First things first. Tikki, Spots on!" He transformed quickly and ran into the principal's office.

"Mr. Principal, I demand that you find who stole my daughter's bracelet ASAP! Or your job is on the line, sir-" Ladybug overheard as he stepped in. The mayor and principal glanced at him in shock.

"Mister mayor you're in danger-" Ladybug quickly said as he stepped forward.

"Just a moment Ladybug." Mr. Bourgeois interrupted as he turned back towards the principal. "I'm warning you! If you don't find my daughter's bracelet by this evening, I'll cut off all your city funds for the school. Understood?"

Ladybug slammed his hand on his forehead, he then grabbed the mayor's arm having to drag him out as he was still complaining, just as the robot entered the room.

"Didn't anyone teach you to knock before entering?" Mr. Bourgeois asked angrily, swatting away Ladybug's grip on him.

"Justice doesn't need an invitation. Mayor, you're under arrest for abuse of power but order of Rogercop." The villain said pointed his lasers towards the mayor.

Mr. Bourgeois gasped as Ladybug acted quickly, using his yo-yo to wrap his arms and direct the lasers elsewhere. Giving the mayor and principal a chance to escape as Rogercop's attention was now on the superhero.

"Ladybug. Paris has a new righter of wrong. Your services are no longer required." Rogercop stated, trying to shoot him, but Ladybug avoided his lasers by jumping over him, using his yo-yo to try and lock his arms above his head. But to no avail, as this giant robot man probably weighed over a ton and Ladybug clocked in at around 100 pounds. He grabbed his yo-yo back and tried to put some distance between him and the villain. He only narrowly avoided the lasers as Chloé then walked up to him, undeterred by the situation at hand.

"Mr. Rogercop, I need your help." She clearly stated as Rogercop walked to the first floor, seeing that the Mayor was escaping. "Hey! Come back!"

Ladybug spotted him trying to pursue his target. He removed his scarf, wrapping it around his wrist with a plan in mind. Then lept off the second floor, trying to land on his shoulder. But was foiled as Rogercop quickly turned around, grabbing him by his waist with one hand.

"You are disturbing justice, Ladybug, You are going to pay for this." He said as he tightened his grip, essentially almost crushing him if Rogercop didn't hear another voice.

"Dad!" He turned to see Sabrina standing nearby with a pleading expression. This seeming to trigger something in Rogercop as he loosened his grip, allowing Ladybug to breathe some.

Rogercop then snapped back to focus as he glared at Ladybug. "Justice must prevail in the streets of Paris!" He remarked, throwing him with great force.

* * *

Back in the locker room. Adrien slapped his forehead as he realized a more simple solution to his conundrum. He took off his ring, making Plagg disappear for a moment as the ring dropped to the ground. Just as he was about to put it back on, something slammed into the locker, denting them as the person fell to the ground. Adrien turned in shock to see Ladybug attempting to stand but was clearly in pain as he held his side.

"Hey- are you okay?!" Adrien immediately asked as he helped the superhero to his feet. Ladybug let out a slow breath, gritting his teeth as he bit down on his hand.

"Fine." He said, resting his back against the lockers for a moment. His eyes widened at Adrien for a moment as he saw what was in his hands. "Chloé's looking for that you know." He remarked as Adrien's face ran red with embarrassment.

"I know... I just-" He tried to think of an excuse but Ladybug shook his head, still using the locker as a crutch as he held his side.

"It's fine. You don't have to explain anything, but you should probably give it back soon." He remarked as he took another deep breath.

"I'll make sure it gets back," Adrien promised, "Do you need any help?"

Ladybug let out a chuckle, "Can't put civilians in the way of danger, but if you see Chat Noir, let him know this new Villain has a solid grip." He advised, walking out of the locker room.

Adrien watched for a moment as Ladybug broke out in a run, but wasn't as fast as he normally was. He immediately placed his ring back on, revealing Plagg before him who looked annoyed.

"That wasn't very nice!" The Kwami remarked.

"Sorry Plagg, but we have a partner to help out. Plagg, claws out!"

* * *

Chloé stood before Rogercop as he was trying to blast Ladybug now shielding himself with his yo-yo, but stopped for a moment as he recoiled in pain. "Mr. Rogercop! I've got a serious problem! Worse than a bad hair day!"

Rogercop stopped shooting as Chat Noir jumped down shielding his friend with his staff, turning towards the small girl. "Come with me and we'll talk about it."

Chloé nodded eagerly. "Okay!"

"Chloé, no!" Cat Noir called out as he helped Ladybug to his feet. Immedietly, Ladybug threw his yo-yo onto it as it got caught on the spoiler both of them able to jump on just as it became airborne. Ladybug quickly tied his scarf around it so both could have a better grip, just in time as the car started to spin. When it stopped, they both attempted to stand on top, but a sharp right turn almost sent Chat Noir to his demise if it weren't for Ladybug saving him with his yo-yo. As he was pulling his partner to safety he heard a door opening up, overhearing.

"I just know that Chinese boy is the one who stole my bracelet. He shoulder be arrested! Hello? Are you listening to me?"

Just as Chat Noir was safely on the car they stood before Rogercop pointing his lasers at them.

"Did I ever thank you for the lift?" Chat Noir asked as both of them split up to attack. But neither of their attacks did much damage as the man was an absolute tank. Unmoving even as he signaled the car to perform barrel rolls. The two heroes had to run against the spinning, unable to do much else as otherwise, they would fall.

"Where'd you get those shoes? I could use a pair like that!" Chat Noir asked as he noticed Rogercop was stuck in place. But suddenly he moved, slamming against Ladybug who was sent flying to the ground. He tried to throw his yo-yo towards Chat Noir to catch. But just as his partner was about to catch the device Rogercop grabbed him, now only able to watch as his partner was about to fall to his demise.

"NOOOO! Ladybug!" His entire body filled with adrenaline, every part of his body telling him to jump after him, but he couldn't as Rogercop had him trapped. He glared at Rogercop who tried to take off his ring. But Cat Noir skilly threw his baton to his feet and stuck it inside the exhaust pipe using his legs, triggering a small explosion that made Rogercop lose his grip on Cat Noir, who then fell towards the city, trying to catch his baton.

Mid-air he reached out, but suddenly closed his eyes as he wouldn't make it in time. All of a sudden he felt a collision next thing he knew he was in LAdybug's arms as they tumbled onto the road, bumping into a wall. Chat Noir quickly stood up as he saw Ladybug wince at the impact, probably still feeling his earlier wounds. "That guys should arrest himself for animal brutality." He remarked, using himself as a crutch for Ladybug, holding his arm over his shoulder as he held his partner's waist.

"There's only one place Rogercop would go." Ladybug said, breathing in and out slowly to try and work through the pain.

* * *

Mr. Bourgeois spoke across the emergency broadcast channel, with a somber expression, "Paris has a new superpower. His name is Rogercop. I hereby relinquish all authority to Rogercop. All citizens are ordered to answer to him."

He was then replaced by Rogercop who was staring at the screen. "Ladybug and Cat Noir are now outlaws. They must be hunted out and taken into custody immediately."

"So now, we're the nation's most-wanted felons?" Chat Noir remarked, laying Ladybug down with his back to one of the roofs overlooking city hall. Night was falling and the Hall was swarming with cops. "What do you think, should we take this to court?"

"Not while Rogercop's the Chief of Justice." Ladybug remarked holding his side.

Cat Noir sat next to him, sighing. "How many times have we saved Paris again? They all turned on us pretty easily."

Ladybug turned his head noticing Chat Noir's ears flatten slightly. "We're still saving Paris." He remarked holding his yo-yo, trying to stand on his own as his partner glanced at him in concern.

"Are you sure you're up for a trademark Ladybug plan?" He asked. "Rogercop isn't exactly in our weight class."

Ladybug nodded, "Which is why we're going to use that advantage against him." He remarked holding out his hand to help his partner up. "And relying on our bravest one to handle the reinforcements." He remarked with a sly smile, confusing his friend.

* * *

Cat Noir lept down to the middle of the police brigade which was under the overlook in Mayor's hall. Where Rogercop stood with his two hostages, out of the corner of his eye he saw Ladybug circling around back. He danced for a few moments, garnering attention.

"I don't think he believes I'm the braver one. What do you all think?" Chat Noir asked openly, but the only response he got was every officer trying to attack him.

Meanwhile, in the main hall, Ladybug snuck into the room, which luckily he could do better without his scarf lingering behind him. He peaked over a table, seeing that Rogercop was preoccupied with Chat Noir's distraction. Just as he was about to sneak up upon him again, he froze as he heard a voice.

"Go, Ladybug, go!"

Not even turning around towards Chloé, who had just given away his position and made his job at least ten times harder. He made a break for a nearby table, using it as cover as Rogercop began shooting at him. Almost immediately he threw up his yo-yo. "Lucky Charm!" and received a single oven mitt.

"Ladybug, it is time for justice to prevail," Rogercop remarked as he walked towards him, his footsteps banging on the ground. Ladybug looked around the room once more seeing a belt in the side closet and a yellow oven mitt on a snack tray nearby. Even if he was handicapped, he raced across the room gathering these items as Rogercop received interference from Chat Noir breaking through the window. His partner ducked for cover right behind the same table that Ladybug was sitting behind.

"What's that?" He questioned, looking at the items that Ladybug collected.

"Incomplete." Ladybug responded as the room didn't have the item he was looking for. "I need some kind of ring to brace the buckle against..."

Chat Noir reached for the bracelet that was attached to his belt. He was going to try and sneak this back into Chloé's purse, but this seemed a good a time as any. "Something like this?" He asked holding it up.

Ladybug's eyes widened for a moment, realizing that Adrien probably passed the bracelet along. "Perfect." He completed his contraption as both of them turned towards Rogercop standing before them.

"Ready when you are, my Lady." Chat Noir remarked as he saw his partner nod, then kept to the ground as he slid on the floor, "Cataclysm!" He yelled out, using his Cataclysm to destroy the floor beneath Rogercop, who easily fell through due to his weight. But not before shooting Cat Noir, attaching him to the ladder. His attention was so focused on him that he didn't notice Ladybug jump towards him, preventing him from shooting again, and then tightening the belt so his hands were bound. He struggled, but to no avail as Ladybug took his whistle, breaking it under his foot.

“No more mischief from you little Akuma. Time to purify!"He said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion. Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. "Bye-bye, little butterfly."

"Miraculous Ladybug!" Ladybug tossed his lucky charm into the air, returning everything back to normal. He no longer felt any pain within his torso, as Chat Noir walked up to him the two pounding their fists together.

They both recoiled as their miraculous's began to beep. "I'd stick around, but then you'd see me without my mask and... you wouldn't be able to resist me." Chat Noir remarked flirtatiously.

"I'll have to take your word for it." He remarked, picking up the bracelet that started this mess. "You go on ahead." He said as Chat Noir nodded, running out of the building. As Chloé and the Mayor were distracted Ladybug quickly placed the bracelet into Chloé's bag, handing it over to Roger who looked confused.

"I think you've underestimated Officer Roger, Mr. Mayor. You'd be wrong not to keep him on." He remarked, nodding towards Roger who seemed to get the message as Ladybug opened a window to escape.

* * *

The next day at school Adrien overheard a conversation between Marin and Sabrina. He asked her how her father was and she responded happily.

"It's Lieutenant Roger now." Mayor Bourgeois was so happy that Dad found Chloes bracelet that he gave him a promotion." She said.

"I'm glad for him, he definitely deserves it after all he had to go through," Marin remarked as he then said bye to Sabrina.

Adrien couldn't help but smile at the news but was surprised as he turned the corner and saw Marin standing there. Looking shy as always, in his hand he held a box with his family's logo on it. He placed it in Adrien's hands, surprising him a little as Marin wasn't usually this forward.

"What's this?" He asked curiously, the box smelled of something familiar, but more pleasant.

Marin rubbed the back of his neck nervously, "Well, remember when I asked for that camembert earlier? I wanted to actually try out a recipe and thought you might like it. Okay-bye." He quickly said almost running to class as he tried to get away from him, the bell then rang and everyone went to class.

Adrien eyed him in confusion for a moment as he opened the box. His eyes widened in amazement as he smelled freshly baked bread alongside his Kwami's favorite cheese. It was cut into a hedgehog roll, with various flavorful herbs and spices baked into it with a fondue Camembert baked inside the crevices.

But he had little time to admire it as he could feel Plagg's drool on his shoulder. "Ugh! Gross Plagg-" Adrien was about to complain but his Kwami just dove in, practically breathing the bread, rather than bothering to chew.

"Adrien!" Plagg moaned, in heaven as the Kwami was on the verge of tears. "Please become friends with Marin soon!" He demanded as he continued eating the bread, as Adrien chuckled at his gluttonous Kwami.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- Idk if ya'll care about Sabrina having better relationships outside of Chloe but here it is. She is on good terms with Marin. 
> 
> -With more chapters passing I hope to utilize more of the cast into the chapters. (Cannot wait for Kim and Max's :) ) 
> 
> \- I also made Chloe more possessive of her bracelet because Marinette accusing her friends didn't seem in character, replacing that with Marin who tries defending his friends more. 
> 
> -Utilized Rogercop's size more in combat as he's a tank, and should be seen as such. As a result, Ladybug, who has a lower defense, gets injured more easily. But has to push through because he has one job. 
> 
> -Slowly conveying Chat's feeling to more romantic, it's getting there, but will probably be cemented in the upcoming few chapters. (Am I doing okay on that part so far? I need to know.) 
> 
> -Also, continuity, yayyyy. Marin is more of a baker than his canon counterpart, and I'd really like to utilize that more in the story. (Also the bread he made at the end, is actually a thing)


	11. Copycat: The Deception of Feline Fine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marin's phone is still broken, and he has to attend a social event under the facade of his hero persona, at least he won't have to attend it alone. 
> 
> If Plagg didn't accidentally shut off Adrien's phone. :T 
> 
> (I deserve to burn for this title, I accept this fate.)
> 
> (Also there’s a link for fan art of how Marin is suppose to look https://the-angst-lord.tumblr.com/post/168805777131/matin-log)

Marin sat at his desk, sending a group email on his computer before joining Tikki on the balcony overlooking the park nearby. that was gathering people for the big event today. Marin sighed as Tikki eyed him curiously. 

"What's wrong?" 

"I don't know, doesn't that whole event seem kind of pointless?" Marin questioned resting his head on his hand, leaning over the railing. "Chat Noir and don't save the city for any kind of recognition. We do it to keep the people safe." 

"That's why you both deserve this ceremony. So you know how much the people appreciate the work you do!" Tikki remarked, "Not to mention Alya has been looking forward to this!" 

Marin sighed heavily, "At least I won't have to stand up there alone. Tikki, spots on!" 

At the Place des Vosges, just as the ceremony was about to begin Ladybug landed gracefully next to the mayor, as the crowd cheered for his arrival. He simply stood up straight, shaking the Mayor's hand as his gaze wandered. 

"Our guest of honor!" The mayor introduced to the now excited crowd. But Ladybug's attention drifted, " Is Chat Noir not here yet?" He questioned under his breath. 

The Mayor lowered his tone placing his hand on the mic. "No not yet, don't tell me that there's some kind of trouble he's caught up in?"

Ladybug couldn't answer for sure, "Would you mind buying some time Mister Mayor?" Between the two of them, Chat Noir was more open, the hero couldn't imagine his partner missing out on exposure. The mayor nodded, he turned back to the crowd beginning a speech devoted to Paris and the peace of mind that her superheroes spread. Ladybug texted him a few times, but no response. No breaking news reports. Perhaps there was something he was caught up in. After all, he was more than just Chat Noir, he was a completely other person when not in costume.

* * *

Just as Practice ended Adrien smiled all the way to his locker, opening it to see Plagg had eaten all the cheese. Seeing that his bag was now smeared with cheese, almost recoiling in disgust. "Plagg, you pig!" But the only response he received was his Kwami snoring inside an empty cheese box. 

He sighed, picking his phone"Hm?" He noticed his phone wasn't turning on as he tapped the screen. Then, his stomach sank as he realized that Plagg must hand turned it off by accident. Quickly turning it back on he realized that the ceremony had already started over twenty minutes ago. He had been looking forward to the ceremony all week, spending time with his partner outside of any Akuma attack. Maybe they would've actually gotten to know each other better...as partners, to ensure they could work together better. Nothing beyond that, after all, it wasn't like Ladybug thought of him beyond a partner. 

He sighed to himself. "Plagg, claws out!"

* * *

"It's only proper for Paris to pay homage to those to protect us from evil." Mayor Bourgeois remarked revealing the statue, "Ladybug and Cat Noir!"

They waited for as long as they could. But eventually, the ceremony had to go on, he was right there next to the mayor cutting the ceremonial ribbon. He spotted Alya in the crowd with a giant grin plastered on her face holding up her phone towards him. As the crowd dispersed with some prompting Ladybug sighed as he realized that Adrien's fencing practice was over by now, he wondered if he'd check his email by now. People still did that right?- 

" Excuse me?" He turned to see a man probably a few years older than himself holding a picture in his hand. " Mister Ladybug, wow you're even more amazing up close, You're my hugest fan- I mean! That is- fans you know- I, am" he stumbled over his words as he quickly took out a lollipop. "That is... to say..."

"You're the sculptor aren't you?" Ladybug asked before the man had a heart attack, recognizing him from his school's newsletter. He was an upperclassman who was already well accomplished for someone his age. "Theo, right?"

His face lit up, " Yes! I'm an admirer of yours. The way you charge into danger, saving people, always inspiring others to be kinder towards others." He rambled on folding his hands together.

"Thank you, I'm sure Chat Noir would appreciate your compliments as well." Ladybug remarked respectfully, then turned to the rooftops hoping that Chat would at least make a late appearance. " I know he would be impressed with your work as well."

"I saw that you were looking for him the entire time," Theo commented.

" I was, I just hope he isn't in any trouble." Ladybug admitted.

"He's a hero as well right? I'm sure he could handle any situation."

"Even heroes need help sometimes.." Ladybug remarked as he took out his yo-yo. 

Theo took a step forward, holding something in his hand. "Uh, Ladybug, would you mind-" But was cut off with Chat Noir landing nearby, barely able to speak as he tried to catch his breath. 

" Hey.... is it....over....al...ready?"

" Woah, you're Chat Noir." Theo said in amazement.

"Yeah yeah, so...I miss anything important?" Chat Noir quickly asked, looking up at the statue he jokingly remarked: "Well if that statue is any indication I probably didn't." But turned to see Ladybug already left as he turned his head. 

"What's wrong with the statue?" Theo asked, placing another lollipop in his mouth as he crossed his arms. 

"Nothing, nothing- you know, some of the proportions are off. Ladybug's actually taller than me. You know, simple mistakes, anyone could make 'em. Anyway, see ya!" Chat Noir called out as he used his baton to chase after his partner, not noticing that Theo had crunched down on his candy with an angry expression.

* * *

Ladybug stopped running as he heard his partner run after him, they stood atop a roof as Chat Noir put away his batton. "Hey, I'm sorry about missing the ceremony, something just came up." 

"It's fine." Ladybug remarked, turning his back but stopped once more as Chat Noir spoke up. 

"See, you say that, but it kind of seems like you're mad at me for being late." 

"I'm not." Ladybug simply said, internally screaming as he just wanted to go home, having already had his fill of public exposure for the day. Maybe a part of him was annoyed at Chat Noir for being late, but it wasn't worth arguing over. "You're probably overthinking this." He added. 

"Maybe, but if you're mad I'd want to know." 

Ladybug sighed, "I'm not mad. But you could've let me know, I'm not a fan of events like this. But we both have to make an effort to show the citizens of Paris that we appreciate their support."

"See?" Chat Noir gestured towards him. "I wouldn't have known that if I hadn't asked." 

"I'm just trying not to make this a bigger deal than you think it is." 

"What's that suppose to mean?" Chat Noir asked, feeling slightly insulted. 

"Seriously?" Ladybug turned towards him, crossing his arms. 

"Hey, it's not like I wanted to be late either. I just wanted to see you without an Akuma threatening civilian's safety. I mean, I don't even know anything about you, and we're probably going to be partners for a while. Shouldn't we take some time to get to know each other?" Chat Noir suggested as he could feel his face redden, but was shut down almost immediately. 

"Our job is to just protect civilians and eventually take out Hawkmoth. What more could we do outside of that mission?" 

"I don't know, maybe...become friends? I don't even know what you think of me." Chat Noir said as he noticed Ladybug turn his head away, for a moment he thought he saw Ladybug's face redden. But it must have been his imagination. 

"I'll see you later, Chat Noir." Ladybug only said as he escaped the situation by jumping off the building, using his yo-yo to swing across the city. Leaving his partner behind to sulk on his own. 

* * *

"Oh, Marin. You really need to get your priorities in order." Tikki remarked, sounding disappointing in him as he landed back in his bedroom, crashing his back on the bed. 

"I know," Marin remarked feeling somewhat guilty at what he said to Chat Noir. "Some days it feels impossible to balance being myself and Ladybug. But me and Chat being real friends?" Marin shook his head in disbelief. "Our lives are probably already hectic already...adding more to that could be dangerous." He sighed again as he jumped off his bed loft, sitting down at his computer to check his mail. There were already a few responses, but not the one that he truly wanted to see. It was still early, maybe Adrien would RSVP for the group movie later on. 

He needed a distraction. Marin turned on the tv for Tikki, then walked downstairs to see if there were any snacks for them to munch on. 

As her partner left, Tikki sat before the screen looking at breaking news. 

"There's been a spectacular theft at the Louvre. Amateur video showed without a shadow of a doubt that the thief is none other than the famous hero, Cat Noir." 

Tikki's eyes widened in shock as she saw a video of someone who appeared to be Chat Noir stealing the Mona Lisa in hand, looking into the camera saying, "This painting is the cat's meow." Before he ran away being chased by the security guards. 

"Marrrinnnn!!" Tikki called out, flying down to the living room. 

* * *

Chat Noir scaled the rooftops as he landed on the Louvre seeing a large group of police officers stationed around the building. "Not only is this guy impersonating me, but he clearly wants to drag my name through the mud." Chat Noir muttered to himself as he ran landed atop the Louvre. Everyone turned towards him holding batons in their hands and riot gear. "Whoa! Easy, you've got the wrong cat! That thief's an impostor. I'm the real Cat Noir!" 

Lieutenant Roger stepped forward glancing at the hero suspiciously as his officers began to stand down. 

"Let me check out where the robbery took place. I'm sure I can help you all track down the imposter." He pointed towards his ears, "Animal instincts n'all." 

The officer smiled leading Chat into the art gallery, " Of course. The police force thanks you for your cooperation." 

As he was guided towards the main hall, he noticed that the Mona Lisa was definitely missing. He took notice of something familiar, an already chewed candy stick sitting nearby. "Hm, not only does this guy has trash taste in puns, he actually litters." He then heard a beep and saw the cop locking him behind bars. 

"Hey! What's going on?!" He demanded, grabbing the bars. 

"Kitty's in the slammer. I repeat, kitty's in the slammer." The cop said into his walkie as he stood before the hero, now guarding him. 

"I demand a lawyer! I know my rights!" Chat Noir called out, huffing out in annoyance. But his ears twitched as he heard his baton ring. Walking out of the cop's hearing range he opened it to see Ladybug on the screen with a stoic expression. He really didn't want to talk to him right now, but ignoring the call would've definitely had consequences later on. 

"Chat Noir, what's going on?" He asked as Chat glanced towards the cop in the distance. 

"So, now you want to talk?" Chat Noir asked with some venom but immediately felt bad afterward. From the other side, he could see Ladybug standing before the Louvre in front of the police officers. 

"I'm not going to force you to do anything you don't want. I just wanted to let you know, I'm going to try and track down your imposter. Just stay there until I track him down, then follow the signal from my yo-yo." Chat Noir's eyes widened, as Ladybug spoke on. It was hard for him to believe someone would go this far for him. "If you break out now the police are only going to distrust you more. I'm asking you to trust me on this." He said simply. 

"Wait, Ladybug-" Chat called out, but the phone call dropped and he had to make a choice. Salvage his reputation, or go after his partner...

* * *

Ladybug had already reviewed the footage that Tikki showed him, seeing the candy that the false Chat Noir was eating. There was only one person he knew who could've had a grudge, much to his chagrin. Theo had a couple of gigs around the city, but his studio was the spot where he would most likely hide anything he stole. All this, just because Chat Noir insulted his art? Ladybug could understand where he was coming from, but this wasn't right. Especially since it was his friend's reputation on the line. 

He sent his location to Chat Noir's baton and then entered the building from the roof. 

The studio was normal, a few sculptures, a wall of reference photos of him and Chat Noir, some chains that were used to bind boxes, and other art supplies sitting nearby. Only now Chat Noir's face was scribbled out with black marker, so it was probably done by someone with a serious grudge. He then sensed something behind him, turning around he saw a box with a Chinese cat idol sitting atop. He took out his yo-yo just in case as he walked towards the box. He picked up the note, reading over it in confusion. 

"Cat's in the ba-" He immediately jumped back as the box was a trap, but fell into another one as he was wrapped in chains, his arms to his chest as yo-yo fell to the ground. 

"Hello, Ladybug." Ladybug narrowed his eyes in distrust as someone who looked like Chat Noir stood above him with a sneer on his face. 

"So you're the Copycat?" The hero asked as the villain picked up his yo-yo, playing with it for a moment as he looked back towards his hero with a smug expression. 

"Copycat? I'm better than the original." He claimed as he chained Ladybug to the ground. "Maybe even better than you if you were captured this easily." He mocked as Ladybug's expression didn't waver. Instead, the hero's eyes darted all across this imposter's body. An exact reflection of his partner, even down to the ring. Theo didn't have anything like that earlier. Where could the possessed item be? 

"Sit tight, My Lady," He mocked, opening up Ladybug's yo-yo, dialing the real Chat Noir. "I'm sure your Cat charming will find his way here soon enough." 

If one thing was for certain, it was that his Chat Noir's jokes were far better. 

* * *

Cat Noir waited. Partly because he trusted Ladybug, but also partly because he didn't want to feel his partner animosty. He already got that enough at home, why risk trying to force something that wasn't even there? 

He sat in the Louvre until his baton rang again, expecting to see his partner, but instead, he saw his own reflection, his imposter smiling smugly at him. 

"You know, I don't see why you care so much about a fool who so easily falls into my trap." The imposter with a smile as the signal then cut off. But it was enough to ignite a wave of anger in Chat Noir's stomach. No longer hesitating. 

"Cataclysm." He said, breaking through the bars of his prison and easily bypassing the cops. "Thanks for the warm hospitality, but I gotta split!" He pulling out his baton once more to scale the buildings. He followed the signal from Ladybug's yo-yo towards what looked to be a studio workshop, probably belonging to the sculptor. His ring was already beeping as jumped in from the roof. 

Facing his copy who stood behind his captured partner on his knees with a stoic expression as his copycat was smiling victoriously. Chat Noir took out his baton as the Copycat spoke up "As much as I would love to wipe the floor with you two, I would rather have your miraculous." 

Something about this situation gave him deja vu, but it was made worse as Copycat held his hand near Ladybug. "Cataclysm!" Both heroes were shocked as Copycat had every ability the original had. 

"Now," Copycat said holding his hand close to Ladybug's face. "I'm fine with Ladybug being destroyed by Chat Noir, are you?" He threatened as Chat Noir faltered. 

"Okay fine!" He yelled out putting away his baton and was about to take off the ring as immediately Ladybug swept Copycat's legs from under him. Using the temporary chaos to use Copycat's cataclysm to escape, then swiftly pinning Copycat's arm behind him. 

Chat Noir was stunned for a moment, then grew flabbergasted, "WERE YOU EVEN ACTUALLY CAPTURED?!" He had to ask. 

Ladybug shrugged his shoulders. "Had to buy some time so try and find the possessed-UGH." He simply said as he started to frisk the imposter but just as he was about to check the pockets Copycat hit Ladybug's face using the back of his head, then using a nearby paint can to blind the hero. 

"Hey!!" Chat Noir called out taking out his baton to attack Copycat, who in turn used his copied baton to deflect. The two got into about, trading blows as Ladybug used his scarf to wipe away the red paint. 

"Lucky Charm!" He yelled out, as he picked up his yo-yo, catching a spoon in his hand. He looked around, seeing what he needed to utilize the lucky charm. All he needed was to figure out who was real and who was fake. 

"Hey, Theo!" Ladybug called out as only one Chat Noir turned towards him. The hero then threw the red spray can towards his partner, who then sprayed Copycat in turn. Blinding him for a moment as Ladybug's makeshift fishing rod hooking onto Copycat's belt. As the villain was lifted above the ground Chat Noir quickly took out something from Copycat's pocket, ripping it and releasing the Akuma. 

“No more mischief from you little Akuma. Time to purify!" He said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion. Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. "Bye-bye, little butterfly."

"Miraculous Ladybug!" Ladybug tossed his lucky charm into the air, returning everything back to normal. Chat Noir quickly caught Theo as he fell, who then looked between the two of them in confusion. 

"Ladybug, Chat Noir?" He asked as Chat Noir placed him down. 

"Listen Theo, I'm sorry for insulting your art, that wasn't cool." Chat Noir apologized as Theo looked guilty as well. 

"It wasn't just you, I completely overreacted because this was my first huge gig...and you were right." He remarked noticing that Ladybug was indeed taller than Chat Noir. Suddenly, his eyes lit up, "Oh, Ladybug, would you mind if I could get your signature?" He asked hopefully, but was interrupted by Chat Noir's ring. The two heroes exchanged a glance of concern. 

"Uh oh." Chat Noir looked for a quick way out, eyeing the roof. 

"Sorry Theo, we'll have to take a rain-check on that," Ladybug remarked as Theo nodded in understanding. He then grabbed his partner, swiftly landing on the roof of the next building over both, he quickly shut his eyes as Chat Noir's ring beeped for the final time. 

* * *

Adrien's eyes were wide as his heart was racing, he ran out of time and here was Ladybug right before his eyes. He shushed Plagg as he looked around, looking for a ladder, but stopped as he heard Ladybug's voice. 

"Chat Noir." He said, even though they both knew he wasn't Chat Noir right now. He saw Ladybug looking conflicted, turning his head away for a moment as he remained on one knee, giving off an aura of vulnerability. "You're the only Chat Noir I ever want for a partner. I'm sorry if I can come off as cold sometimes, but you're someone extremely important to me. I don't ever want you to question that." 

Adrien swore his heart skipped a beat, but he couldn't find the words as Ladybug's earrings beeped. His partner kept his eyes closed as he stood up, turning his back to his partner so he could open his eyes and leave. But for a moment he couldn't feel his own legs, with his face entirely red, and his heart thumping loudly. Only partially snapping back to reality as Plagg hovered nearby. 

"See that," He said pointing to his partner's face, "you don't get that face from a "partner" or a "friend"." He said and then tried to search Adrien's pockets for cheese. As his friend fell to his knees, holding his heated face in his hands, realizing all too well that he already too far gone to ever turn back from this blazing warmth in his heart. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- Adiren's in love ya'll, and the next episode is Dark cupid. 
> 
> \- This Copycat is more petty, and just want to ruin Chat Noir's reputation. Even willing to destroy Ladybug to do so because he's really sensitive about his art. 
> 
> -Sorry this episode seemed kinda short. Marin still doesn't have his phone fixed so I had to scrap a lot of the original plot (he still would've gone to the park anyhow) 
> 
> \- If Chat Noir seemed a little rude to Theo, it was because he didn't realize who exactly he was. It was unintentional. 
> 
> -Ladybug/Marin has some experience in escape arts, and there is a reason for that. But that'll come in a future episode. 
> 
> -You could say, Chat wanted to, cross the wall between them but got a lot more than what he bargained for. As he was already in love but was in denial the entire time because he didn't know how Ladybug felt about him. Now he does, and he's helpless. 
> 
> \- ( If there some loose plot points that aren't touched upon within the same episode, it's because I'm a sucker for continuity)


	12. Dark Cupid? More like Darn Stupid-

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Valentines' day, and Adrien wants to confess how he really feels. But badly timed rose prevents that and makes him try to kill the love of his life. So that's fun. :D
> 
> Meanwhile, Marin just gets some fluff with his friends.

Marin sighed heavily, pressing his head onto the small heart-shaped box. "Please don't break." He asked some higher force in the universe. He was surprised for a moment as a small ladybug landed on his parcel. He smiled warmly as it then flew off towards the sky, just as he placed the box in the mailbox.

"What're you doing?" Tikki asked hovering nearby her friend.

"Just...sending some goodwill." Marin reasoned, his face slightly red as he opened his coat so Tikki could fly back into his inner pocket before walking to school.

* * *

"In most fairy tales, the prince breaks the spell by kissing the princess. Can anyone tell us why?" Miss Bustier asked holding up a novel.

"Because only love can conquer hate!" Rose called out with a bright-eyed look on her face.

"Correct, Rose." The teacher confirmed as Max then stood up, starting a classroom discussion as Adrien scribbled in his notebook. He knew what he felt, at least, he had a good idea of what it was. But whatever it was, it wasn't something that could be transferred to the common word so easily. Like his current vocabulary wasn't enough. He groaned in annoyance as the teacher then spoke up again.

"Adrien, I hope what you're writing has to do with my lesson." Miss Bustier said walking towards him. "Would you mind repeating what I just said?"

"That's why in most fairy tales, the prince breaks the spell by kissing the princess because only love conquers hate." Adrien repeated not looking up from his notes.

Miss Bustier nodded with a smile on her face. "Very good, Adrien! Now, everyone, don't forget to finish Sleeping Beauty by Charles Perrault tonight, and happy Valentine's day, students!"

Adrien looked over what he wrote, confirming that it wasn't at all what he wanted to convey and crumpled it up. He waited in the classroom for a moment, watching everyone in his class leave first. He closed his eyes for a moment, wondering what he should do when he sensed someone nearby.

"Hey, Adrien!"

He opened his eyes to Nino standing before him with Marin nearby holding a box with his family's brand.

"Oh, hey." Adrien looked between the two as Nino looked back at Marin. The two looked like they were having a silent conversation where Nino was prompting Marin to do something, and Marin looked reluctant. But the taller boy sighed, taking something out of the box.

"Would you like a candy apple?" He murmured, holding up a candy apple, as Nino slapped his forehead.

"Sure?" Adrien accepted the treat and was just about to take a bite when Nino spoke up.

"No-Dude!" He snapped at Marin before sighing, then turning towards Adrien. "Marin sent you an e-vite a few days ago for all of us to go to the movies next month for that premiere. Did you get it?"

"Huh?" Adrien's eyes widened as he quickly took out his phone. Scrolling through his email he didn't see anything, then checked his spam box. Seeing said email. "Sorry about that, I'll have to let you know?" Adrien offered as Nino and Marin exchanged a glance.

"No problem," Marin said, nodding his head before he left, with Nino trailing behind.

"See you later bro!"

Adrien smiled for a moment before it soon faded, looking back down at his half-written poem. "Ugh, this is pointless." He remarked picking up his bag and tossing the paper in the trash. Where he was then jumped by Chloé and Sabrina who was holding a poster in her hand.

"Hi Adrien, sign here please." Chloé requested handing him the pen.

Adrien sighed, already tired of this conversation, "Oh, come on, you know I hate signing autographs at school, Chloé."

Chloé shook her head, "Oh, that's not what this is. This is a petition against cruelty to hamsters. Have you seen some of the ugly sweaters they are forced to wear? It's appalling."

Adrien stared at his childhood friend, he had a feeling that she was lying. But then again, he really liked hamsters, so...

He begrudgingly signed the poster much to Chloés glee. As he walked away from the two girls, he took a bite of the candy apple, tasting a cinnamon sweet tangy flavor that spread over his tongue. Licking his lips he took another bite, even though it tasted great, he wished it wasn't so sticky.

* * *

"You gotta stand up for yourself more dude!" Nino remarked as he walked with Marin towards the from of the school with his arm around his friend's shoulder. Marin responded in a series of vocal pitches as he shrugged his shoulders. Then he offered Nino a candy heart as then they spotted Alya waiting.

"Sorry Nino, but Cutie and me have a date." She joked as she grasped Marin's arm. "It's fine to be jealous."

Nino rolled his eyes in amusement, "Hey- no fair. What if I wanted Marin to take me on a date?"

"You'll have to wait until next year I guess," Alya remarked as all three laughed, then the two friends left Nino with a candy heart, walking away from the school.

"So, where am I taking you on our, "date"?" Marin asked, playing along.

Alya thought for a moment, "You should treat me to one of your bakery's famous Valentine day cakes. Or we could try to find Andre..." but her words trailed off as she spotted Kim and Max. Marin felt his stomach sink as he saw Alya's eyes lit up mischievously.

"Alya, please don't-" He started but was dragged along as she ran towards the two friends.

"Meta-who?" Kim asked in confusion, tilting his head as he held a heart-shaped box in his hand.

Alya looked into the box with a smile on her face, "Ooh! Sparkly! Is that for me?" She teased as Kim quickly took a step back.

"Negative Alya. The recipient of this gem has already been determined, it's-" Max started to say but immediately Kim silenced him by placing his hand on his best friend's mouth.

"Shh! Keep it on the down-low!" He insisted as Alya smiled in excitement, much to his and Marin's chagrin.

"What a scoop! Kim's got a major crush!" She then took out her phone to record. "Who's the lucky lady?"

"Alya!" Marin scolded as she stuck her tongue out playfully, putting away her phone. "It's a gorgeous pin, Kim. I'm sure whoever you give it to will be touched by the gesture." He said supportively.

Kim smiled sheepishly, "Technically, she's still gotta accept it." But then a panic erupted over his face. "What if she says "no"!?"

"She won't Kim, no way!" Alya insisted, "Don't hold back, Kim. Go for it, no regrets!"

"Her route is highlighted here in yellow, yours in red. If you run at ten miles per hour you're going to gain a four and a half minute advance on her. Halt and wait here facing northwest - the third most romantic spot in Paris. Now, go go go!" Max ordered as Kim then ran off at full speed.

"Thanks, you guys!" Kim called out as he sprinted, the rest of them waving as Marin turned towards Max.

"So, who's the brooch for?" Marin asked.

"Chloé."

There was an awkward pause as both Alya and Marin stared at their friend.

"...Chloé Bourgeois?" Alya confirmed.

"That is correct." Max simply responded.

"Max, do you not see a problem here," Marin asked genuinely as Max glanced at him in confusion.

"I don't see what the problem is." Max said as his two friends sighed.

"Chloé Bourgeois. The girl who tormented us, her classmates since grade school?" Marin said.

"Who goes out of her way to make other people cry just for her own sadistic pleasure?" Alya pointed out.

"Who always hangs around Adrien because being near him makes her more popular by association? Marin added.

"Who blackmails Sabrina into being her slave by bribing her with the promise of borrowing her expensive clothes?" Alya emphasized.

Max simply started at them.

"MAX. DO YOU NOT SEE THE PROBLEM OF SENDING KIM TO CONFESS HIS FEELINGS TO CHLOE?!" Alya tried to explain, shaking him, but Max only narrowed his eyes at her, trying to process what she was trying to say.

Marin then sighed, this was taking too long. "Max," He said more calmly, "Chloé is the kind of girl who is going to stomp on his heart while laughing." getting straight to the point while the new information cleared the confusion.

"Oh."

* * *

Adrien bit down on his pen, resting his head on his desk as Plagg dug into another camembert bread roll that he specially ordered from Marin the other day. A special present for Plagg at his request. The Kwami couldn't complain now as much as Adrien had been writing love poems in his notebook for days now. The days leading up to Valentine's day had been worse than usual.

"He's got two eyes, two arms, and two legs, what's there to be attracted to? You don't even know who he really is!" Plagg reasoned as Adrien sighed, lifting his head.

"You don't know anything about love..."

"Oh sure I do, I love Cheddar, I love Swiss and I love Camembert." Plagg said as he took another bite of his bread, purring happily, "I especially love this bread!"

Adrien swung his chair, walking towards the window, resting his head and arm against the window, looking out towards the window. "You wouldn't understand Plagg. I put myself out there, and he didn't overlook how I felt. He didn't try to belittle my feelings, he didn't try to shut me out...he actually cared about what I wanted." He explained clawing his heart swelling with something warm, almost happy. "Which is why I have to get this right, I have to tell him how I really feel, even if he doesn't feel the same way."

"Aww, the poor boy's frustrated because he can't finish the poem for his masked sweetheart?" Plagg mocked, uninterested about how into this his friend was. "You overthink too much."

Adrien's eyes widened as he looked at his Kwami in surprise. "I don't need a poem when I can tell him to his face... I love you." He remarked with a smile, blushing lightly at the thought of confessing to his partner.

Plagg made a gagging sound, "Bleh, gross. You're making me lose my appetite." Then he eyed the last of the bread, gobbling it down quickly with a smile and a satisfied burp. "Well, almost."

* * *

"Chloé? Since when did she start texting me?" Alya asked herself as she, Marin, and Max were searching for Kim. He and Alya were near the riverfront while Max checked his house.

"Making friends behind my back?" Marin asked jokingly as Alya's eyes widened in shock. Marin walked next to her, feeling a wave of shock as he saw a picture of Kim looking humiliated, drenched with water on his knees with garbage on his face. And now the entire school would see the photo as well.

"What a witch!" Alya snapped.

Marin sighed, "Poor boy, he doesn't deserve to be humiliated for saying how he really felt."

"I hope Adrien doesn't do the same thing to you." Alya joked but immediately wished she could take it back as she saw Marin's stoic expression.

"That would never happen," Marin remarked remembering the parcel he sent out that morning, recalling the poem that he wrote with a reddened face.

Just as Alys was about to comfort her friend she spotted something in the sky, something too big to be a bird. "What in the world is that?!" She asked pointing up towards it. But only a moment later she was hit with something, grimacing as Marin ran to his friend in concern.

"Alya?!" Marin asked but suddenly she shoved him away, now wearing black lipstick, donning a sinister grin.

"You're not my BFF, you're a joke! How stupid can you be that you can't see that everyone laughs at you behind your back!" She cackled, "You think Adrien's ever going to love a loser like you?!"

Marin was stunned at what she said, frozen in place as she ran off laughing. "Alya?" He questioned for a moment before snapping to attention, glaring at Dark Cupid. Whatever he did to his best friend, Marin knew he'd have to undo it. But something caught his attention as he noticed Dark Cupid's brooch. "Oh no, Kim!" He gasped realizing that Chloé must have dumped him hard. If that was the case then she may have unintentionally made herself a target for this Villain's rage. He quickly checked around, running under a bridge as Tikki hovered before him.

"Tikki, Spots on!"

* * *

Chat Noir stood atop the roofs of Paris. He knew he was taking a chance, but maybe he'd get lucky and Ladybug would show up. What he didn't expect was to see his partner crash landing next to him looking winded as he was scanning the skies for something.

"Falling for me already, bugaboo?" He asked, his face already reddening as he helped his partner up, "I need to talk to you."

Ladybug tried to step away "It's going to have to wait. Dark Cupi-" But stopped as it was made apparent that Chat Noir had a troubled expression on his face. He faltered for a moment, wondering what could be wrong as Chat Noir looked up towards him, grasping both of his hands as the stood at the edge of a roof.

" I swore to myself that I'd tell you as soon as I saw you. Ladybug, I-I" Chat Noir began to say but then his eyes widened with shock as he saw a villain aiming for Ladybug. "-look out!" Acting quickly, he pulled Ladybug into a tight embrace, spinning around so he'd take the blow. Chat Noir suddenly felt something dark overtake him. Ladybug noticed his partner had a different aura now, no longer being his Chat Noir.

"Cat Noir?" He asked, feeling a pit start to form in his stomach.

"Ladybug, I...I loathe you!" Chat Noir suddenly grasped him tighter, using his enhanced strength so Ladybug couldn't easily escape. His partner tried to escape, struggling, but Cat Noir dug his claws into his friends back. Smiling evilly as heard winces of pain. "You're nothing Ladybug! And mean even less to me! I hate you!"

Ladybug slammed his head against Chat Noir's, stunning him for a moment, as he quickly kicked him. As Ladybug fell backward off of the rood, he used the momentum from his yo-yo and gain some distance.

He landed in the Grand Paris hotel, wincing in pain as he could feel the claw marks in his back start to sting. But he counted himself lucky that Chat Noir didn't have the forethought to activate his cataclysm.

"Ladybug, it's about time, where have you been?!" Chloé demanded as Sabrina stood behind her looking worried, both popping out from behind a counter.

"You two need to leave. Your friend Kim's turned into Dark Cupid, and he'll be after you Chloé." He warned but his classmate wasn't having it.

"Me, how could he possibly have a vendetta against me? I've done nothing wrong." She insisted but when Ladybug glanced at Sabrina who looked away in embarrassment, knowing all too well what her friend had done.

Chloé then slapped her forehead with realization. "Duh! It's because of this. Everyone would love to get their hands on it. That's Adrien, a super hot guy in my class. And rich, too! He's hot for me of course."

Ladybug stared at the framed portrait for a moment, almost amazed that Chloé would decide to keep a framed ad of one her childhood friend.

Sabrina then screamed as the portrait started to move, "It's alive!"

But Ladybug knew better, already using his yo-yo as a shield when Dark Cupid began shooting at him. He quickly grabbed Chloé, hoisting her over his shoulder like a sack of flour and used his yo-yo to quickly escape the hotel, then throwing her into the street so she could get away. Sabrina trailed behind as Chat Noir then blocked his own route of escape, standing before him. 

"Well, well, looks like I'll have to cut this Ladybug's wings." He remarked darkly, taking out his baton.

Ladybug glared at him on one hand not wanting to fight his friend but on the other, having to do his job and protect the city.

Cat Noir rolled his eyes, "Ugh, that glare, thinking you're better than everyone else, it's revolting. Anyone would be unlucky to have you for a friend!" Cat Noir leaped into the air, swinging his staff directly at Ladybug. His partner easily dodged it, jumping up onto a lamp post and then to a roof to run away, knowing that Cat Noir would pursue. He then quickly turned, using his yo-yo to gran Chat Noir's staff, but to no avail as the latter was far stronger.

"Why are you so full of hate, Cat Noir?!" Ladybug asked, wondering why his partner was so intent on destroying him. After all, Dark Cupid had shot his closest friend earlier that day, and all she did was throw a few heartbreaking insults and then ran away. Chat Noir wanted to deal him physical harm, while also throwing some heartbreaking quips, which, coming from his mouth. May have come from a place deep within his partner's heart. He couldn't be sure, after all it wasn't like he knew Chat Noir's that well personally, only well enough to know that he'd never try and harm in intentionally.

Cat Noir grinned smugly, "Because hate conquers all."

Ladybug flinched slightly, hearing those words come from his partner. Part of him agreed with him, he knew what it was like, how negativity could easily destroy years of love. But Chat Noir wasn't like that, his partner believed in the best, of any situation, and of any person. Suddenly, he remembered the school lesson from earlier that day. And then proceeded to sla[ his forehead as Chat Noir looked on in confusion.

"Huh?"

"Sorry kitty, I really don't want to do this." Ladybug remarked walking towards his partner with a steely gaze in his eye. One that made Chat Noir feel unsettled, he was used to chasing Ladybug, not being pursued. Getting a bad feeling, Chat Noir quickly ran out of there, being followed by his partner mercilessly as they ran across the city together.

"Get back, you savage!" Chat Noir called out wanting nothing to do with Ladybug now.

* * *

Ladybug caught him easily using his yo-yo, pinning him to a wall as he lifted his chin up towards him. Every instinct told him not to do this as Chat Noir was struggling and squirming like crazy, but it, unfortunately, had to be done.

"No, no!" Chat whimpered out, but at the last moment, an arrow separated them. Ladybug jumped back as Chat Noir escaped his bindings with the help of Dark Cupid. Ladybug landed behind a fountain as Dark Cupid and Chat Noir looked around. Ladybug peaked over the edge, eyes darting between the villains, wondering which would attack first.

"How you gonna fight both of us now, bug eyes?"Cat Noir sneered at him, taking out his staff.

Ladybug narrowed his eyes as he activated his power. "Lucky Charm!" He shouted, and a candy apple fell into his hands. Already he knew what to do as he recalled his sticky these things were. He jumped onto the statue, throwing the candy apple onto Dark Cupid's head. Grabbing both of the villains' attentions, while Dark Cupid tried to take it off Chat Noir jumped towards Ladybug, growling. Ladybug could easily evade his partners' attacks, which were made easier as Chat Noir wasn't in his right mindset, thusly, was more prone to attacking recklessly, more so than normal.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that Dark Cupid was trying to shoot him, but couldn't as his hands were too sticky. "Ladybug!" Dark Cupid yelled out angrily as he tried to unstick himself from the arrow. With him dealt with Ladybug turned his attention to Chat who was already midswing as his staff sent him crashing against a stone pillar. He felt a stinging on his back from earlier, for a moment being distracted, but it was all that Chat Noir needed.

"Cat Noir, his Miraculous!" Dark Cupid reminded as he placed his bow and hands into the fountain's water.

"With pleasure! Finally, I'll find out who you are, Ladybug! Your little secret will be out of the bag, and we'll all see what truly pathetic person lies beneath the mask!" He gloated, pinning one of his arms to the ground as he grasped Ladybug's face, caressing his miraculous.

But just before Cat Noir could take out his earrings, Ladybug grabbed his arm, pulling his partner down as he immediately kissed him, shutting his eyes as he could feel his face turn red. Their kiss lasted for a few moments, Ladybug only released him as Chat Noir pulled back, looking down at his partner in confusion and embarrassment at their closeness.

"Huh? What am I doing here?" He asked as he could see that Ladybug's face was as red as his probably was. But swiftly Ladybug placed Chat Noir over his shoulders, "The quiver pin, Cat Noir! Now!" He said as he threw Cat Noir, screaming as he landed on Dark Cupid. The Villain was stunned for a moment, which gave Chat Noir enough time to grab the pin and then jump back towards his partner.

"For me? You really shouldn't have." He remarked as he clutched the brooch tightly. "Cataclysm!" He yelled out, releasing the Akuma into the air.

“No more mischief from you little Akuma. Time to purify!" Ladybug said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion. Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. "Bye-bye, little butterfly."

"Miraculous Ladybug!" Ladybug tossed his lucky charm into the air, returning everything back to normal. He didn't feel the claw marks anymore as Kim turned back to normal.

Ladybug and Cat Noir pounded their fists together triumphantly, "Pound it!" as Ladybug then handed the brooch back to Kim who looked at it sadly.

"Don't be so downtrodden Kim, just because you've experienced your first heartbreak doesn't mean that there's something better waiting down the line for you." Ladybug advised as Kim smiled gratefully.

"Thank you Ladybug." He said thankfully as Ladybug heard his earings beep. Just as he was about to leave, Chat Noir grasped his hand.

"Wait, Ladybug! I gotta tell you something." He said nervously but immediately grew curious as he saw Ladybug's face redden.

"I'm sorry, it was necessary for me to do. I swear I wouldn't have done it if I didn't need to." He insisted as Chat Noir could see Ladybug's ears were red as well.

But there was no time for other questioned, "Wait, I just wanted to say-" But he was interrupted by his ring flashing as well.

Ladybug pulled his hand back from him, flashing him an understanding smile, "Whatever you have to say, I promise it can wait." He said and then used his yo-yo to jump on the rooftops.

Leaving a disheartened Chat Noir alone for a moment before he himself ran in the other direction.

* * *

Adrien was completely appalled at what recorded, Him fighting Ladybug, even insulting him while Plagg was laughing like a maniac.

"Can you believe all the horrible thoughtless things you said to Ladybug? You tried to KILL HIM."

Adrien moved to plant his face in his bed. "You think it's funny, huh? Ugh!" He then screamed in his pillow while Plagg sighed.

"What's the big deal? You've got so many cards from all these lady fans of yours! Take your pick!" He then eyed a small heart-shaped box with something delicious smelling inside. He quickly opened it, cheering in surprise as he saw shortbread cookies, throwing the card to Adrien as he began snacking.

Adrien opened his eyes as he saw the card, widening his eyes as he saw it was unsigned. "Your hair shines like the sun, your eyes are gorgeous green, I look at you and wonder your innermost thoughts and dreams. While your Valentine I may never be, my admiration and love for you will last for an eternity."

Plagg grimaced again, "Yuck, anyone who writes as sickeningly sweet as you must be your soulmate."

Adrien lingered over the card, "It isn't signed... " Just then ladybug landed on the card for a moment as it then flew out the window. Adrien was enchanted at the sight, following it as he looked up towards the setting sun. Smiling warmly as he held the card close. "Could it have come from Ladybug?"

"Oh, please, don't be so dramatic," Plagg commented, popping another cookie into his mouth as he saw Adrien practically swoon over a bug.

* * *

"Why didn't you sign the card?" Tikki asked curiously as she bit into a spare shortbread cookie. Both were sitting on a bench near in the park, Marin turned towards his Kwami with a whistful smile, looking away for a moment as he rubbed the back of his neck. 

"Because I didn't need to." He simply said now looking up, towards the setting sun. 

"Hm?" Tikki looked at him curiously. 

"He probably gets a bunch of these kinds of letters every day, from a bunch of fans no less. This way, I can confess how I feel without him being weirded out by someone close by to him." 

Tikki then flew towards him, hugging his cheek as Marin chuckled. "You're not weird! That poem you wrote was sweet!" She insisted. 

But her partner shrugged his shoulders, "You're just saying that because you're a sweet little sugar cube. Boys don't want to be given poems by weirdos. It already feels awkward being around him as it is, considering how much I think about him already..." Marin admitted. "I don't know, it just seems kind of pointless." 

"It's not pointless, anyone would be lucky to be loved by you!" 

Marin couldn't help but smile at Tikki, hugging her close. " I guess that means that you're the luckiest Kwami then?" He asked playfully. 

"In the world!" She remarked as they both giggled. But it was cut short as they heard someone approaching, Tikki immediately disappeared into Marin's messenger bag. 

"Hey, cutie!" They called out as Marin turned his head to see Alya gave him a quick hug. "So you still owe me a date." She remarked.

"Do I?" He asked teasingly. "Could've sworn you would've forgotten all about that, what with you hating me and all." 

She elbowed his side " You already know that nothing you do could ever make me hate my main guy." 

"Likewise," Marin assured as Alya rested her head on his shoulder for a moment. 

"That being said," She remarked, standing up abruptly. "I've already invited Nino out on our date, poor guy couldn't find anyone else to hand out with. You cool with him going with us to that cafe?" She asked giving him a hand. 

Marin smiled at her playfully, grasping her hand. "Only if you promise not to get too jealous once he too, falls in love with me." 

"Psh, okay, I promise not to get jealous once Nino eventually falls in love with my cutie." Alya joked as they walked together with happy expressions on their faces. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Marin is far more pessimistic than Marinette when it comes to love. (due to tragic backstory reasons) But will always support his friend's pursuits. 
> 
> \- Adrien is in the love, and probably can't get out of the love. It's some powerful stuff. 
> 
> -I think Ladybug is probably in love with Chat Noir, the same way Marin is in love with Adrien. So that's something to think about. 
> 
> \- Marin and Nino are already good friends, when he's not handing out with Adrien he's usually seen with either Marin or Alya. 
> 
> \- Chat Noir scratching Ladybug, probably drew blood, but idk how graphic I get about some of the scenes.


	13. Maybe the True Horrificator, Was the Friends We Made Along the Way

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone in the class helps Nino with his movie project, but things get seemingly worse as Marin gets snagged by a monster. 
> 
> Also continuity from the last episode.

Marin sat at his desk overlooking the shooting being done for Nino's video, with some seriously bad bags under his eyes, looking exhausted. Everything was going smoothly until Ivan roared and Mylenè screamed out in fear.

"Cut!" Nino called out, annoyed as Mylenè hid under the teacher's desk. Ivan glanced at her guiltily, taking off his mask as he and Adrien tried to calm her down.

"Mylène! That's like, the tenth take, and we're only on the first scene!" Nino complained.

" Fourteenth actually. But who's counting." Alix corrected from behind as Nino began growling in frustration.

Mylène held her head apologetically, "I'm... sorry. I'm gonna do better on the next take, I promise."

"You're playing a hero from the special forces. You're not supposed to get all freaked out!" Nino said as-a-matter-of-fact like.

"I know, but... that monster mask he's wearing is so... realistic and scary!" Mylène reasoned as Marin's face ran red with embarrassment for a moment.

"Did you have to make the mask so freaky?" Alya asked as Marin shrugged his shoulders sheepishly.

"I don't know" He whined, "I stayed up nights watching horror movies for what kind of monster to base it on. But you can't argue with the results." He said as the two looked back towards their timid friend.

"But now you're in the same boat as our dear Mylenè," Alya remarked, making a point as she tapped his other shoulder and he almost squealed had he not covered his mouth.

Ivan smiled, messing around with the mask playfully, "But I'm not a real monster, it's just big ol' me, Mylène. Nothing to be scared of!"

"You ask me, he doesn't even need a mask!"Chloé laughed as Sabrina mirrored her friend's actions, though she looked more apologetic.

Marin sighed as he checked over the agenda he set up.

"Ivan, put the mask back on, you're playing the monster! And Mylène, we need you to stay in character!" Nino order as Ivan quickly obeyed, freaking out Mylenè once more as she hummed a song to herself. Then quickly got scared again she accidentally bumped into Adrien.

"And the Oscar for best pathetic scaredy-cat afraid of its own shadow goes to... Mylène!" Chloé laughed maliciously as Mylenè immediately ran out in tears.

Adrien glared at his childhood friend in annoyance, "Chloé, seriously?"

"Mylène!" Marin called out as then he turned back, looking towards Ivan. For a moment the larger boy looked confused until Marin gestured towards the door. He then nodded in understanding, dropping his mask in the process.

"Mylenè, wait!" Ivan called out as Marin picked up the mask. It was unnerving, looking at it, even though he made it himself. He really hated the idea of being part of what Nino called a spy-action-horror-romance-thrill fest. But honestly, it just seemed like he and Alya just mashed together genres because they couldn't agree on one.

"Epic, Chloé! Just epic! What are we supposed to do now without our leading actress?" Nino asked angrily as his classmate wasn't even giving him the time of day.

Chloé shrugged her shoulders. "Who needs her, anyway? She was a terrible actress."

"Chloé , why are you even here if you're not helping?" Adrien asked in annoyance as Juleka proceeded to continue his touch-ups.

"If you must know Adrikins, Nino asked me to be here because he wanted to know what a judge would look for in a winning entry." She explained as Adrien rolled his eyes. "And what a judge would look for is an actress who wouldn't cry in every scene she's in!"

Adrien sighed, "So? Who's gonna take Mylenè's part now?"

"Um, me of course!" Chloé raised her hand as if it was obvious.

"You haven't even read the script! Besides, Mylenè and Adrien have the most experience in acting, that's why they're the lead roles!" Alya yelled.

"Of course I have! The first scene anyway. I can even tell you that it ends with a kiss between Agent Smith and Officer Jones!" Chloé smiled deviously as half the Marin stepped back, remembering certain events that he didn't want to. He didn't even want to hear the word "kiss" for the rest of his life but, here he was.

"Hold up!" Alya remarked as she rechecked the script, her eyes widening angrily as she saw what Chloé was referring to. "I didn't write that!"

Nino spoke up, his voice now more timid. "Uh... I wrote it. It was just a little tweak. You know, to move the story forward?"

"What!" Alya yelled now insulted, "You edited MY script without even telling me? That's low!"

Nino, in turn, grew annoyed at his friend. "Now wait a minute! You mean our script!"

"Here we go again..." Adrien sighed.

"This sucks! Agent Smith does not need a man in her life right now! Sniffles just got munched right now, remember!" Alya remarked.

"Do you wanna finish this film or not?!" Nino demanded.

"Then let's just make Agent Smith a nurse instead! That'll fix everything." Chloé remarked as everyone stared at her dumbfounded.

Alya sighed, not wanting to deal with her. "Um, I'm sorry. How, exactly?"

Chloé shrugged her shoulders, "I don't know, but I'm sure I'd look amazing in a uniform."

"Oh, come on! We're not gonna rewrite this script again!" Nino sighed.

"We do this and there's no way I'm putting my name on those credits." Alya said crossing her arms.

"Good! Nobody cares about you anyway!" Chloé snapped as Alya grew angrier.

"What?!"

Adrien sighed at the rising tensions, distracted for a moment as Rose handed him a cup of juice. But then grew annoyed again as Chloé took his cup.

"Oh, who cares who wrote what? We've got to film this thing, right?" She remarked chugging the cup for a moment before then spitting it out. "This isn't diet!" Then began yelling at Rose.

"She's right. Principal Damocles is only allowing us to use school until 6 p.m. sharp. Which leaves us 9 hours, 12 minutes and 12 seconds. 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6..." Max said counting down the seconds in precision. Only stopping as Marin placed his hand on his shoulder, with a tired smile.

"Thank you Max, we get it."

"It makes no sense story-wise anyway. The main character's emotional journey goes from mourning to angry. Why the heck would she ever need a love interest?!" Alya asked angrily as Chloé laughed at her.

"Ha, don't you know anything about Hollywood? There's always a romantic interest for the leading lady, anything less is just lame." Chloé laughed as Ivan stepped back into the room.

"You're lame!" Ivan retorted walking back into the classroom. "Mylène is crying her eyes out on the bathroom thanks to you!"

Chloé laughed at his comment, "Me, lame?"

"Yeah, you heard me!" Ivan retorted angrily as he and Chloé glared at each other. Tensions rising within the room rapidly as half the class began to argue. Until Marin caught everyone's attention with a sharp whistle.

"Everyone chill out!" He said, placing himself right in the middle of the tension. "Chloé, you're lame for trying to steal Mylenè's part." He said first as she grew angry. "Fighting isn't gonna bring Mylène back. I'm the producer, and I'm gonna do everything in my power to finish filming tonight by schedule!" Marin remarked uncharacteristically annoyed with everyone.

"The deadline for the Parisian Student Short Film Festival is tomorrow evening, precisely 26 hours, 15 minutes and 14, 13 seconds from now-" But stopped again as he saw Marin glaring at him, sitting back down.

"We still have editing, post-sound, soundtrack, and a bunch of other stuff that needs to get done. First things first, we get Mylenè back."

"But she's terrified of the mask," Nino said.

"I'll take care of the mask," Marin reassured. "I have my sewing kit on me so all I need to do is consult her and edit the monster mask so it's more vanilla. Okay?" He said as Nino nodded.

"The script?" Alya brought up pointing to it as Marin thought for a moment.

"Nino, no kiss. It doesn't make sense if the leads have any no chemistry. Besides, I thought you were above pandering." Marin remarked as Nino spoke up.

"I am, but if we have a shot at winning we need some element of romance."

"A ton of great movies don't have an underlying romantic plot. Just be passionate and you're sure to get noticed for sure." Marin remarked placing his hand on Nino's shoulder, who looked more relaxed at his friend's words.

"What about Mylenè?" Ivan asked, still looking worried.

Marin glanced towards Ivan, "She needs our support so I'm gonna go find her and bring her back."

Chloé sneered at him, "Always trying to be the goody-two-shoes, aren't you, Marin? Good luck finding the filthy hole that scaredy-cat's hiding in!"

Ivan began growling until Marin placed a hand on his arm in reassurance. "Chloé if you have a problem that door is right there, along with anyone else. Does anyone got a problem with this?" He asked, and received a response as no one spoke up. "Good. Just try and shoot some footage that doesn't need Mylenè, Nathaniel did the storyboards so talk to him about it. Rose, Kim, Max, help me out please?" Marin requested at the smaller girl's eyes lit up, having something actual to do instead of just handing out snacks.

Adrien whispered towards Alya after Marin left with them. "What's up with him?"

To which Alya shrugged his shoulders, "He's running on half-sleep after doing all the costumes and watching horror movies."

"Well, not that the kill joy's gone," Chloé remarked crossing her arms. "Let's continue."

"Wait a sec, didn't you just listen to what Marin just sa-"

"Yeah yeah, but do you really think we have time for all that effort when the deadline is in a few hours?" Chloé reasoned, knowingly playing into Nino's insecurity.

* * *

Rose stepped unto the girls' restroom first, calling Marin in as she screamed.

"What's wrong!?" He asked as she pointed to the mirror, covered in gross purple slime. He walked towards it curiously as Rose stood behind him.

"Please don't touch it, it's probably super gross." Rose pleaded as Marin did anyway. Inspecting it carefully as he started at it. It didn't seem to be any kind of mold, more like...drool? A thicker version anyhow.

"Is Mylenè in here?" Marin asked as Rose shook her head. The two looked everywhere before this. If she wasn't in here, suddenly Marin thought he saw something outside moving around. "Did you see that?" Marin asked as Rose followed him out, now grasping onto his jacket as their eyes both widened fearfully, seeing the school was covered in the same slime that was in the bathroom. Then, they spotted the giant monster baring down as Rose froze in place. Marin had to carry her as the monster tried to shoot them with slime.

* * *

Adrien sighed as Nino gave into Chloé 's demands, uncomfortable as Chloé stood far too close with a smile on her face.

"Horrificator, take 15." Alix called out to Ivan as Adrien internally grimaced. Completely against what was coming next.

"Action!" his best friend called out.

"I'm not scared of that Horrificator thingy, Officer Whatever-your-name-is, now kiss me!" Chloé demanded as she wrapped her arms around his neck, almost touching his face as suddenly the door slammed open. Marin tried to catch his breath as he was carrying Rose who was trembling, almost close to tears.

"Cut!" Marin immediately called out as he placed Rose down, passing her off to Juleka he looked around the room for something before locking the door behind him.

Nino stared at his friend in exasperation, "Marin, what gives? We're in the middle of a shoot, and I'm the director, FYI. I say cut, no one else- What are you doing?" He asked as he saw Marin trying to craft something, forgetting to turn off the recording.

"If this is another one of your silly ploys to get me out of the way, you can forget it! Besides, I—" Chloé began to say, but then was cut off as Marin spoke up.

"There's something out and we need to barricade ourselves. Did Kim and Max make it-" Marin began to say, but was cut off by the door being ripped off its hinges. There was a shocking silence as the monster from before roared out loud. Everyone erupted in a panic Chloé stood behind Adrien, who exchanged a glance with Marin before something grabbed him around his leg, starting to drag him into the hall. Adrien dove for his classmate, only a hair-length away from grabbing to his hand, but the monster was faster.

* * *

"Marin!" Alya called out as she ran towards the door, quickly helping Adrien onto his feet as the watched the monster take their friend.

"We need to go after them!" Adrien remarked as Alya nodded. Both of them ran out as Nino followed with an excited expression. None of them saw the goo falling down from the window, slowly trapping them in.

Almost everyone ran down the stairs looking up at the goo that now covered the school. "Hey! Anybody here? Marin!" Adrien called out now worried but also looking for a way to escape and transform.

Alya looked down in shock as she saw a familiar armband. "That's Kim's!"

"They vanished!" Nathaniel said fearfully as everyone looked around.

"Or they're playing a sick joke on us." Alix remarked, the two standing close together.

"We need to go to Principal Damocles' office and tell him what's going on! Nino, stop filming!" Alya said in annoyance.

Nino shook his head, looking like a kid in a candy store. "Not a chance! This is just getting good!" Then noticed Adrien trying to sneak away. "Yo, Adrien! Where are you going?"

"I, uh, thought I heard something from the restroom, so I'm going to check it out!" he said before running off as the rest of his classmates went upstairs. He took off his shoe, throwing it to the side as he entered the bathroom.

"What are you doing?" Plagg questioned as hovered before Adrien.

"Leaving a trace so they'll think I've disappeared too." He simply said before Plagg recoiled in disgust after observing the shoe.

"Never complain about me stinking of Camembert ever again!"

"Plagg, claws out!"

* * *

Marin struggled against the monster's grasp as he was taken out of the room, and towards the basement. "Hey!" He called out as the monster paid him no heed. The closer they went to the basement, the closer Marin began to see the pods the monster had created, and the muffled voices of his friends coming from them. Having a good idea of what would come next Marin tapped on his messenger bag, seeing Tikki fly out in concern. He nodded to her as she flew back into his bag, taking out the yarn ball that he had used to make the mask. he grasped the end of the string as Tikki flew out of the boiler room, leaving a trail to be followed.

Next thing he knew he was face to face with a three-eyed monster but didn't waver as it placed him into a pod. The monster seemed to shrink down as Marin didn't waver away from its gaze, not even flinching as it covered him in slime. Managing to stick a knitting needle through the slime just before he was completely covered.

* * *

"Mr. Damocles? Sir?" Alya asked as she opened the door in disappointment, "Even Principal Damocles is missing..."

"Anyone seen Adrien?" Nino questioned, as he, Alya, Nathaniel, Alix, Sabrina, Ivan, and Chloé stood in the principal's office.

Chloé was repulsed at the goo on the windows as Juleka looked on in amazement. "Cool."

"We're trapped! I'm going to call Daddy!" Chloé panicked, dialing her phone quickly.

"Dudes, you know cellphones never work in horror movies," Nino stated as everyone else tried but to no avail, the goo seemingly cut off the signal. "Told you so!" He remarked as someone else appeared behind them.

"Hey, you all having a party without me?" Chat Noir remarked playfully as Nino's expression lit up.

"Chat Noir in my movie!? That'll be so legit!" He remarked continuing to record. The hero looked around for a moment.

"Is Ladybug not here?" He asked, now worried as Ladybug wasn't answering his calls.

"I tried to cut through the goo, but it's no good. So, looks like we're trapped inside the school for now. Just stay put and try to relax, guys. All we have to do is find a place for you all to hide so I can find somewhere for Ladybug to get in and save your friends. If he's trapped outside the school then we're going to have a problem.

"Finding the missing peeps and solving this crazy mystery with Cat Noir and Ladybug... This movie's gonna be so awesome!" Nino remarked as Alya sighed.

"If only we could find a lead..." Chat Noir murmured as he heard Alya call out from the second-floor balcony.

"Hey, what's that?" Alya pointed out as Adrien turned around for a moment, all of them crowding around a piece of red yarn sitting atop the stairs that had looked to be leading towards the basement. Nino recorded Chat Noir inspecting it as Ivan spoke up. "That's Marin's yarn."

"Yarn?" Nino questioned as Ivan nodded.

"He used it to make my mask, and he brought it today if it got messed up." Ivan explained as Chat Noir followed it's trail with a smile.

"Looks like your friend is pretty crafty." He complimented as they now had a trail.

* * *

Ladybug stepped into the classroom where he saw the monster standing over Juleka and Rose. He noticed as Juleka was smiling at it with a bright expression. He threw his yo-yo towards the monster, grabbing it's attention as he called out. "Run!"

But Rose couldn't move, paralyzed in fear as Juleka looked conflicted. Ladybug sighed for a moment, then using his yo-yo's momentum to swing across the room towards the girls, grabbing one of the nearby juice bottles that Rose brought. Quickly shaking it and dosing the monster as he carried Rose and grabbed Juleka's hand. He jumped down to the first floor with both girls, placing Rose down as he turned towards Juleka. "Where's everyone else?"

Both had no idea as they stayed in the room the entire time. But next thing they knew there were screams coming from the principals' office. Ladybug immediately stood in front of his two friends as Chat Noir was sent flying and the monster quickly tried to escape, having already captured a few of their classmates.

Ladybug dove, catching Chat Noir in his arms before he could hit a wall, avoiding eye contact as Chat Noir looked up at him in relief.

"Nice to see you could make it." He remarked as they both spotted the monster heading down into the boiler room. The only ones who were left were Rose, Juleka, Alya, Nino, and Ivan.

"That thing runs on fear, the more scared people are of it, the more powerful it gets." Ladybug informed as Nino ran up to him alongside Alya with both of their phones out.

"Ladybug too?! Double legit!"

"Ladybug, would you mind if I took a few photo's for my-" but Ladybug cut her off, pushing aside her phone much to her disappointment.

He turned towards Chat Noir, "Any leads?" He asked, already knowing the answer.

Chat Noir nodded, "Seems like one of the kids left behind a trail of breadcrumbs for us to follow, metaphorically speaking." he remarked, gesturing towards the red yarn. The two nodded un understanding as the hesitantly walked down the stairs with their classmates following closely behind.

"Anybody in here?" Chat Noir called out.

"Ladybug, it's me, Chloé Bourgeois!" Chloé called out as Chat Noir walked towards the pod.

"Don't worry! We'll get you out of there." Chat Noir tried to reassure.

"Well, hurry it up already!" Chloé snapped back, pissing off the hero slightly.

Ladybug walked towards the center of the room, "Is everyone here? Mr. Damocles? Alix? Nathaniel?" He heard everyone who was missing, all except one. "Adrien?!" He called out, but then heard his muffled voice in the distance.

"Yeah yeah, I'm fine!"

Ladybug sighed, but flinched slightly as Chat Noir called to him, "What about Marin?"

Ladybug quickly responded, "Yeah, we've got everyone! Just try and calm down, we'll find a way to get you out of there!" he promised as he sensed the monster. Looking above him he saw it, narrowly evading it's goo blasts.

"Okay, now this is getting gross." Chat Noir remarked, staring at the slime dripping onto his shoulder. The two heroes just narrowly evaded the monster before Chat quickly had enough. "Cataclysm!" He called out, activating his power. Using his destructive abilities to rust the support pillars, easily trapping the monster in place with a victorious smile on his face. "Now," He remarked, landing near Ladybug. "What do we do about this? Can't get any closer without getting blasted with slime."

"Lucky Charm!" Ladybug called out, receiving guitar strings from his yo-yo. His stomach sank as he realized what he probably had to do. He looked around the room, seeing all he needed, and passed out what everyone needed. While he placed Chat Noir in the seat of a make-shift set of drums, he started working on something.

"So that's your plan?" Chat asked curiously as Ladybug glanced towards him.

"We're going to sing."

"Sing?" Chat questioned.

Ladybug nodded, "You all know Smelly Wolf, don't you?" Ladybug called as everyone nodded in confusion. They all sang together, playing instruments as the monster began to roar, starting to shrink.

"It's working!" Chat Noir called out as the monster grew tiny. It was still timid, scrambling towards them as it jumped into Ivan's arms.

"That's the same button I gave to Mylène!" Ivan observed as Ladybug nodded, already having realized this was his classmate as he took the button.

“No more mischief from you little Akuma. Time to purify!" Ladybug said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion. Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. "Bye-bye, little butterfly."

"Miraculous Ladybug!" Ladybug tossed his lucky charm into the air, returning everything back to normal.

Ladybug and Chat Noir pounded their fists together victoriously, "Pound it!" as Nino cheered getting the ending he wanted as Chat Noir and Ladybug split, their miraculous starting to beep.

* * *

On the roof of the school, Chat Noir grasped Ladybug's hand.

"Hold on a sec-" Chat Noir said as his partner turned towards him. "I wanted to tell you something the other day on Valentine's day." He said as he triggered both of their embarrassing memories. "Ladybug, I-" He started to say, but almost immediately Ladybug uncharacteristically covered his mouth.

"Anything involving, that day, is off-limits, understand?" Ladybug said seriously, staring at him dead in the eye.

Chat Noir pushed his hand away, ears flattening, "Why?" then noticed Ladybug's face redden fiercely.

"You don't remember what happened, so you don't get to question this. Okay?"

Chat Noir stared at him, "What happened?" But then question only made his partner more embarrassment, which only made Chat Noir all the more curious. "I'm serious, what happened on Valentines da-"

"Stop it Chat!" Ladybug warned, but Chat Noir couldn't help but want to tease his friend.

"C'mon, at least give me a proper reason and I'll drop it." Chat Noir promised as their miraculous beeped again.

Ladybug hesitated for a moment, rubbing the back of his neck for a moment before glancing back at his friend sheepishly. "Because we're friends?" He said sincerely as Chat Noir instinctively tried to cover his smiling giggles.

"You're adorable!" He bluntly said, then burst out laughing as Ladybug just stared at his partner.

"Friendship over." Ladybug said, then jumped away using his yo-yo, leaving Chat Noir to roll around in laughter.

* * *

Nino groaned slammed his face into his desk the next day at school. "We didn't make the cut! He said the monster was a horrible replica! Completely unbelievable! No joke!"

"Don't worry, bud. This is how all good movie directors start out." Adrien offered.

"Yeah, couldn't have anything to do with the fact that the mayor is Chloé 's father," Alya remarked as she then saw Rose hugging Marin. The two smiling at each other as Alya leaned between Nino and Adrien. "Looks like those two are getting closer." She said playfully.

"Whaat?" Nino said lifting his head, looking back at Alya completely, jokingly insulted. "I can't believe her, everyone knows I have dibs!"

Adrien then turned towards his friend with a shocked expression, "Nino, you like Marin?"

His two friends then stared at him, exchanging a glance before Nino said in a serious tone. "Yes." Which Adrien believed without question.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- Story changes, slightly. But Horrificator's name was never said...because she couldn't speak. 
> 
> \- I wanted to go more into Ladybug using guitar strings, as he knows how to use them in practice. For reasons. But I couldn't find a way to put that in, so it'll probably come up next season. ;) 
> 
> -Adrien's feelings will be brought up again...next season. Basically, a lot more stuff happens next season and concludes in season 3. (Chat Noir and Ladybug fluff is cute okay? Let me have this) 
> 
> \- I am so close to making Ladybug a tsundere... :3 
> 
> \- Alya and Nino in that ending tho. Wonder were that'll go?


	14. Darkblade? Or a Stab in the Dark?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Class election is coming up and Chloe is a shoe-in on the grounds that, she's a terrible person.

"Ladybug and Cat Noir have saved Paris yet again." Marin overheard as he saw Tikki munching down on sandwich cookies. She spent most of her downtime watching the news or reading the comic books that he checked out for her from the library. Marin was fiddling with a pink box with white polka dots and black trimming, just making the finishing touches as he closed the box.

"What are you working on, Marin?" Tikki asked hovering nearby.

" A box to lock up all my secrets." He explained showing off his journal to her.

"Every little secret? You're telling me that you write everything down in that thing?"

Marin nodded as he placed his journal back into the box, "Yup, every doodle, design, and innermost thought...something wrong?" He asked as Tikki eyed him in concern.

"Well, for one, what if someone finds out you're Ladybug? And two, what if someone finds out you're Ladybug?!" She yelled in a panic, over-worrying as Marin calmed his Kwami down by nuzzling her face with the back of his hand. Tikki gentle landed carefully as she enjoyed cuddling.

"Not gonna happen. Try it, Tikki." Marin remarked, reopening the box. Tikki flew in, trying to pick up the journal but it suddenly snapped shut.

"Hey!" Tikki's muffled voice called out as she then phased through.

"See?" Marin remarked with a smug smile, as he then turned towards the news, seeing Chloé and her father on the screen. His previously swell mood turned slightly sour.

"Yesterday, Mr. Bourgeois was re-elected as mayor of Paris for the fourth consecutive term. Here we see Mr. Bourgeois with his daughter."

Marin rolled his eyes, turning off the screen and then checking the time. "Let's go Tikki, otherwise I'm gonna be late again."

"But..." Tikki turned back towards her cookies, her eyes widening to show off how blue they were.

"...You can take the cookies sugar cube." Marin gave in as Tikki quickly nuzzled his face, shoving as many cookies as she could into the pouch that Marin specially made for her.

* * *

Miss Bustier spoke before all the class, as Chloé and Sabrina stood near, "Chloé is running for the class representative position and Sabrina will be her deputy. Do we have any other candidates?"

Kim raised his hand but immediately backed down as Chloé glared at him.

"Yes, Kim?" Miss Bustier prompted but he looked away nervously.

"Um, er... nothing."

"Are you gonna try entering?" Nino whispered as Adrien shook his head.

"I don't have the time for-" Adrien started to explain but was cut off by Marin entering the classroom.

"Hi! I'm sorry! I-uh, I-uh, the bus- Sorry ma'am!" He apologized, quickly making it to his seat. Adrien noticed as Marin waved to Nino who returned the gesture both with a smile on their faces.

Miss Bustier clapped her hands to gain the class's attention, "Alright, I'll give all of you till the end of lunch to decide if you like to be a candidate."

In the courtyard, Alya rested her head in Marin's lap, who noticed Chloé being particularly active today. He tapped Alya to get up and both of them walked towards Kim.

"Hey Kim, what did Chloé say to you this time?" He asked as Kim looked away with an embarrassed expression.

"She threatened to tell everyone I'm afraid of spiders."

"She told me that if I ran for the election, I'd get kicked out of scrapbooking club, and you know how much I love all those stickers, colorful scraps of papers, and gluing!" Rose spoke up, overhearing what Marin said.

"Chloé's running again, she's been class rep since when? Kindergarten?" Nino remarked as a few other students gathered towards the growing crowd.

"Yeah, last time she became class rep she got the astronomy club got disbanded-" Nathaniel recalled, who then immediately was silenced by Alix jabbing him in the gut.

"Oh yeah, sorry about that dude," Nino said sympathetically, placing his arm around Marin's shoulder as a form of comfort.

"It's fine, it wasn't like there were a lot of members to begin with," Marin said trying to reassure his friends, then turning towards Alya.

"Why don't you run as a candidate? You'd make an awesome representative."

"No can do. My blog is a full-time job!" She responded as they all sighed together, no one wanted Chloé to be the class representative, but it wasn't like there was someone who would stand up to Chloé. 

"So, any new candidates who would like to run against Chloé and Sabrina?"

There was a silence as no one spoke up, no one wanted to stand against Chloé.

"Given that Chloé and Sabrina are the only candidates, there's no point in voting. So, Chloé and Sabrina..."

Adrien already opened his textbook, ready to start studying, as all of a sudden he heard Marin speak up behind him.

"I'll run!"

He and everyone turned towards Marin in a mix of surprise and admiration. No one would have expected that the one who Chloé tormented the most would be the one to stand against

Miss Bustier smiled happily as she clapped her hands together, "Wonderful! You'll need to develop your campaign and have a speech ready by tomorrow, then we'll have a vote!"

Marin then sat down as Alya half hugged him with a smile as the realization of what he just did crashed over him.

* * *

Adrien saw Marin sit on a bench, next to Alya who sat on top of it. He looked tense, sitting up straight as he was clearly stressed. He sat on the stairs as he overheard what they were saying.

"So, let's hear the scoop on your campaign! How are you gonna represent?" Alya prompted.

Marin laughed dryly, "Represent? I'm still trying to figure out why I volunteered." But that didn't matter as everyone started crowding around.

"Way to go, Marin! You spoke from the heart, it was truly authentic!" Rose commented happily as she shook his hand.

"Uh... Thanks, Rose." Marin said.

"When you win, can we get more comfortable chairs? They are so hard, I can barely concentrate in class." Rose asked and then suddenly gasped, "Maybe pink ones!"

"And it'd be primo if we could listen to our beats while we study in the library," Nino suggested.

"Uh, you know... um, I don't-, you know," Juleka mumbled as Marin couldn't help but break out a half-smile.

He chuckled, "Sure, Juleka."

Alya then spotted him from the staircase, calling out to him. "Hey, Adrien! Marin can count on your vote, right?"

"Sure. Depending on his speech." He said simply, looking forward to whatever Marin had to say. One thing was for certain, he thought to himself as he spotted his childhood friend smiling sinisterly, Chloé wasn't going down without a fight.

* * *

"Softer chairs, music in the library..." Marin murmured to himself, eating his lunch upstairs in his room today, shrimp fried rice. "It's a lot to take in, I don't even know what my angle is for my campaign."

Tikki then landed on his shoulder, 'I'm proud of you for taking initiative! You'd make an awesome class rep!" She complimented.

Marin smiled at his Kwami. "Everyone's relying on me to defeat Chloé, but I don't know...I don't just want their votes because they don't like her."

"Hm?" Tikki tilted her head in confusion. "But I thought you only volunteered because she was always a terrible class rep. You're giving them another option, so now it's up to you to live up to what they believe is best for the class."

Marin chuckled, "How does this seem heavier than being Ladybug." He remarked as he heard his mother call for him.

["Xiang, telephone! It's Alya."] His mother called out.

"Coming mama!" Marin called out, "Tikki." Marin called as the Tikki flew into his pocket. He quickly went downstairs and took the landline phone from his mother.

"Hello?" Marin asked.

"Battle's on cutie." He heard Alya warn. 

Marin tilted his head, "What? Why? What's going on?"

"Chloé's invited the whole class to her campaign launch party at City Hall and she's got Jagged Stone coming, too!"

Marin eyes widened "Seriously? Jagged Stone?! The, Jagged Stone?!" He questioned in growing excitement.

Alya nodded, " Yup, she's totally trying to buy student votes with autographs!"

Marin sighed, "I'll be right over." he hung up the phone, grabbing his bag off the couch and throwing a few cookies from the kitchen into his bag. As he left his house he didn't notice Sabrina sneaking in...

* * *

Back at school, Adrien was swiftly defeated by his teacher in one swift move, falling over.

"Wow, Mr. D'Argencourt, never seen you on fire like this! That was some attack!" Adrien complimented as he looked up to his teacher.

"It ought be. This particular maneuver hither was developed by my ancestor Darkblade." Mister D'Argencourt informed, handing back Adrien's saber.

"Darkblade?" Adrien questioned in amazement.

"In the days of yore, Darkblade conquered Paris and ruled over it with an iron fist. Until he was overthrown vence by a wealthy Frenchman who used his dirty gold to buy the loyalties of the common people. To think that not so long ago, my ancestor's flag was waving above Paris..." Mister D'Argencourt informed as he soon was interrupted.

"Is that what you ran in the election, Mr. D'Argencourt? To seek revenge on your ancestors' behalf?" Nadja Chamack asked alongside her cameraman.

Mister D'Argencourt glared at them, "Part le fer! Who dost we have hither?"

"Nadja Chamack. Don't be bemused, it's just the news! Do you have anything to say about your quote un-quote landslide defeat-" She was about to ask but then someone else yelled at them.

"Hey, you! Excuse me! How did you get in the school?" An employee demanded, running towards the reporters, who scrambled away quickly as they were technically trespassing.

"Here endeth the lesson." Mister D'Argencourt stated, leaving Adrien alone to pack up his things.

Adrien moved towards his bag, noticing that he received a text from Chloé, saying that his favorite rock star was at the city hall right now to support her campaign. Part of him really wanted to go...so that's what he'd do. Smiling to himself as he decided to ditch his next class.

But as he walked out of the building with his bag, he saw his fencing teacher transform into a villain, then transforming others into his servants, even his bodyguard.

"Darkblade! The lord of Paris! Soon my army shalt be immense and unstoppable! We shall take City Hall by storm and reclaim the throne from Bourgeois the usurper!" Darkblade stated as Adrien quickly turned back into the school.

"Talk about dedication," Plagg commented as Adrien smirked at his Kwami.

"Plagg, claws out!"

* * *

Darkblade gathered his small army, "Let us to battle, knights! Part le fer!" Then noticing Chat Noir as he handed before them.

"The people had their say and they chose Bourgeois over you, D'Argencourt!" Chat Noir remarked, taking out his baton.

"Thy peoples matter not to me. D'Argencourt was defeated, not Darkblade! En garde!" He stated as the two dashed towards each other.

Marin walked into City hall filled with his classmates, all excited to meet Jagged Stone, who he himself looked bored.

"I'm pleased to welcome you all to the official launch of Chloé's electoral campaign. And a special thank-you to world-famous pop-star Jagged Stone for endorsing her." Mayor Bourgeois stated wit ha smile as Chloé smiled victoriously.

"And, when you vote for me, you'll get free tickets to Jagged's next concert!" She stated

" You got an autograph, huh?" Marin observed, crossing his arms.

Alya smiled at him sheepishly. "Uh... Yeah, got you one too. Sorry, couldn't help myself." She said handing him a spare CD, but Marin shook his head.

"C'mon Alya, you know you can only bribe me with votes." He remarked as Alya couldn't help but smile at her friend.

* * *

At the Pont des Arts, Chat Noir did his best to keep his distance from Darkblade, realizing that he was far out of league.

Darkblade presented himself to his enemy, catching Chat Noir off guard as he performs the same feint-and-strike technique he did to Adrien earlier, sending his staff flying as he was now defenseless.

"Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice..." Chat Noir murmured as he was quickly surrounded.

"Take him!" Darkblade ordered as his foot soldiers charged at the hero. Chat Noir acted quickly, standing on the edge as he fell off backward, using the momentum to grab on the understand, hiding atop the support beams.

"Nary a minute to be wasted! City Hall awaits us!" Darkblade called out as he heard the troops walking no the bridge above him. Chat Noir checked that he was safe before hopping back up and picking up his baton.

"City Hall, huh? You go first. I'll catch up with you." The Hero remarked as he jumped atop the roofs of Paris.

Back at City Hall, Marin noticed Sabrina running in with something in hand, but he turned towards his friends trying to reason with them.

"You realize that you're all being bribed right? Concert tickets are awesome, but they aren't gonna solve classroom problems. Chloé 's taking advantage of your admiration for Jagged Stone."

"So what's your campaign then, Marin?" Nathaniel asked.

"Well, um, I'm, um, thinking that cushions would be more realistic than buying new chairs." Turning towards Rose he remarked. "Your cushion could be very pink." Much to her glee as he then turned towards Nino. "And I'll see about listening to music in the library. Through headphones, of course." And finally to Juleka, of whom he gave a smile towards. "Not to mention the music club needs that new equipment after all." Noticed that she smiled warmly at him.

"Remarkable. You actually sound like a class rep." Chloé remarked sarcastically. "Too bad you don't have a chance of winning." She said, then grabbed onto his arm, pulling him behind a pillar. " If you don't pull out of the race, all your secrets will be revealed."

Marin glanced between her and Sabrina who was currently trying to remove the box from her hand. "You realize this is not going to end well right?" Marin remarked.

Chloé scoffed at him, crossing her arms. "I think that's my line. Once I get my hands on a chainsaw you're history!" She said much to Sabrina's chagrin. All of a sudden everyone heard blasts of trumpets outside. Marin easily walked away from Chloé, opening the door to see a large group of knights in black armor standing outside.

"O-ye, o-ye! Darkblade shalt speak now! Listen or be imprisoned!" One of the green knights called as they all parted before one black knight with red trim walking forward.

"Henceforth, my flag shalt fly over thy kingdom! Bourgeois, pathetic knave, come hither and do battle!" Darkblade announced.

"What did he say?" Mr. Bourgeois questioned.

"Basically, he's gonna bust you up." Alya explained as all of them glanced at the growing army in concern.

"Bow down to Darkblade, or feel the wrath of mine sword!" Darkblade said dashing towards them with his weapon drawn. Marin immediately shut the doors, locking it quickly just as he narrowly avoided getting impaled at the weapon piercing the door, only a few inches from his face.

He let out a breath of tension as he checked the windows, seeing that Chat Noir was already in battle, taking on small army by himself.

"Wait, do I hear the sounds of crazed fans? I can totally get them under control." Jagged Stone remarked, about to open the door when Marin immediately pulled him back by his arm.

"Sir, I can assure you those are NOT your fans!"

Jagged Stone brushed him off but was taken to the side by a woman who seemed to be his manager.

"What are we gonna do?" Ivan asked in concern as he hugged Mylene who was trembling in fear.

"Chloé, what should we do? What would a class rep do?!" Rose asked in a panic as Chloé hid behind the front desk.

"Well, if indeed you vote for me, I'll provide you with an answer. Tomorrow." She responded, peaking over the desk.

"But we can't wait until tomorrow!" Alix snapped.

Chloé shrugged her shoulders, "Then you're out of luck. You'll have to ask someone else."

Marin glanced at the doors, realizing that if the army grew in number then there would be nothing them back. He scanned the room, all of his classmates either arguing or cowering. Meanwhile outside Chat Noir looked like he wasn't going to hold out much longer against the growing numbers.

He took a deep breath, recalling the first lesson he learned; Never hesitate. "The doors, quickly!" He called out grabbing a nearby chair. "Kim, Ivan, lock the doors! Make sure all the windows are closed too, quickly! Everyone else start barricading!" He ordered as everyone nodded in agreement following instructions, noticing Alya's proud smile.

"Well, I was going to say the exact same thing!" Chloé retorted as everyone ignored her. Quickly, all the entrances were sealed, but it wasn't going to hold for long as the windows started to break.

"I hope they haven't gone too medieval on Cat Noir!" Nino said as he saw the hero getting dogpiled.

"We need to get out of here," Marin remarked turning towards the Mayor. "Sir, your office has a lock on it right?" He asked as Mr. Bourgeois nodded, guiding the students as Alya turned towards Marin who remained behind.

"I'll catch up with you gotta make sure all the windows are closed first!" He called as Alya nodded, as soon as she was out of sight, Marin ran towards the second floor, seeing a window he could jump out from. He opened his bag seeing his Kwami fly out.

"Tikki, spots on!"

* * *

Cat Noir had his back to a wall, holding a staff as he was slowly cornered. Suddenly familiar yo-yo fell before him as he grabbed it, cheekily waving at the knights who crashed into each other trying to catch him. Ladybug grabbed his hand, pulling him in from the window, turning back towards the crowd.

"I was managing just fine by myself, you know. But it's always nice to see you." Chat Noir remarked with a smile. But it soon faded as he thought he saw something large fly by. they both looked out the window to see the knights tossing their own using catapults.

"Why are they going on the roof?" Chat asked as one hit the wall nearby, falling back to the ground. "Well, at least some of them."

Ladybug narrowed his eyes, eyeing their leader who was holding a long pole in his hand. The Hero's eyes widened, " The flag!"

"Tally ho!" Darkblade announced, landing on the roof. "Ha ha ha! Once these stripes are supplanted by mine coat of arms, I shalt reign supreme!"

Ladybug reasoned throwing up his yo-yo, wrapping it around the current flag pole. He pulled it down, then grabbing Chat Noir around his waist so they both could travel faster.

"I always wanted us to get closer." Chat remarked playfully as they both were sent flying to the top of city hall.

"The Akuma has to be in the flag." Ladybug guessed eyeing Darkblade who was climbing up the hall on the backs of his vassals.

"No way, the Akuma's in the sword." Chat Noir responded.

"How can you tell?" Ladybug asked, knocking back a few knights.

"Uhh, the guy's a fencing teacher!" Chat Noir rambled over his response, "How are we gonna get a hold of it- hey!" he called out as Ladybug already had his yo-yo wrapped around Darkblade. The villain then sent him flying with his heightened strength. Slamming Chat Noir's partner into one of the towers. Getting pinned down by a few of the knights. He felt his claws extend angrily, but snapped out of it as he heard his partner's voice.

"Cat Noir, don't let him get to the top!" Ladybug called out as he struggled against the grip.

Cat Noir nodding, taking out his batton, knocking down the tower of vassals as he stood before Darkblade.

" Villains! Thou impress me not. By the blade of darkness, I hereby declare all peoples of this kingdom are henceforth mine! Bow to King Darkblade!"

"Sorry, but I'd only bow to one person, but hard pass!" Chat Noir said, attacking Darkblade, "En garde!" Chat Noir held his own against the skilled fencer. As he did so, Ladybug finally escaped the grasp of the knights. Eyeing his partner in battle, noticing how skilled Chat Noir was against the knight. Even so, they both would need a little more help.

"Lucky Charm!" Ladybug called out, receiving a small wind up toy. Ladybug eyed Darkblade, winding up the toy just before he kicked it into the armpit of his armor just as he disarmed Chat Noir. The knight started laughing as Chat Noir activated his cataclysm, destroying the sword as the Akuma flew out. "No more mischief from you little Akuma. Time to purify!" He said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion. Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. "Bye-bye, little butterfly."

"Miraculous Ladybug!" Ladybug said throwing up his lucky charm, returning all the knights and cars to normal. Chat Noir picked up Darkblade who turned back into Mr. D'Argencourt, a teacher form their school, landing before city hall as Ladybug followed.

"Keep your head up Mr. D'Argencourt," Chat Noir remarked, handing his saber back to him. "There's always next year to build up your campaign." The man nodded in newfound resolved as Ladybug and Chat Noir fist-bumped.

"Pound it!"

Ladybug then heard his earrings, ring "Later." He said using his yo-yo to leave as Chat Noir watched his partner leave with a fond expression on his face.

* * *

"Great job, Marin. You proved that you can be Ladybug and a student leader at the same time."

Marin smiled at his Kwami, nuzzling her face in his bag for a few moments just before he walked back down the stairs. He cringed internally as Chloé spotted him, just a moment before Alya crashed into him, trapping him in a hug.

"So where were you? Safely hiding under a rock?" Chloé asked snidely as Alya glared at her.

"Very funny, Chloé. I got transformed into a knight." Marin lied, but they didn't need to know that. "Now please give me back my stuff."

"What?" Alya asked in confusion as she glared at Chloé angrily.

Chloé looked fearful for a moment, "I really have no idea what you're talking about! I-"

Sabrina shoved Chloé aside and holds out her hand with the diary box on it towards him. "Please take it off!" Sabrina begged as Marin took the key off of

"Got an explanation, Chloé?" Alya asked. 

"I told you, I never took her diary! And I'm offended that you're accusing me!" Chloé remarked defensively. 

"Then how did you even know my journal was in here then?" Marin asked unlocking Sabrina.

"Oh, well, uh... Sabrina told me. It was all her idea!" Chloé retorted but grew nervous as a crowd drew around her.

"That's not cool Chloé, Marin's always been nice to you," Nino said, his armed crossed with disapproval as the rest of the class agreed.

"At least now we know nobody will vote for Chloé. You're a shoe-in." Alya elbowed his side playfully, making a wave of uneasiness.

"Uh... wait a sec Alya, Alya-"

"Ha ha ha! See? He's undependable! She's already throwing in the towel!" Chloé suddenly shouted, pointing a finger towards him to get all the negative attention off of herself.

" No, I'm not." Marin clarified, "I just wanna be voted in fairly, not because you don't wanna vote for Chloé, but because you believe in me! I'm not gonna make promises that I can't keep, and I'm not gonna be able to get you everything that you want. But I am resourceful and I know how to prioritize and I'm always willing to listen. Representing you all is something important to me, so as long as I have your trust I won't let you down. So... please vote for me for class representative. If you want." Marin mumbled off as his face heartened, flashing a tired look towards Alya through the cheers of his classmates.

His best friend luckily knew him well as she dragged him out of there, remarking, "If you guys could remember what he said that would be great because I'm pretty sure he can't talk that much ever again...in his life."

* * *

"By majority vote, Marin is the new class representative, and Alya will be his deputy." Miss Bustier announced at the end of the school day as everyone cheered. 

Adrien looked around in surprise as even Sabrina was cheering for him. 

"Marin's really popular huh?" Adrien remarked towards Nino who nodded with a smile on his face. 

"Yeah, after he took charge after that Akuma attack, basically everyone's on his side." Nino explained, "Had a killer speech too, shame ya' missed it bro." 

Adrien only smiled as half the class crowded around Marin, congratulating him just before they left. Nino, Alya, and he lingered behind them. 

"So how are we celebrating?" Nino asked. 

"I'm thinking..." Alya thought for a moment. "We go to Marin's family bakery for celebratory croissants?" She offered as Marin rolled his eyes with an amused smile. 

"It's always croissants with you, my parent's bakery has more than that you know," Marin said with a chuckle. "My dad's making salmon tarts today." 

"Oooo, yes please." Nino remarked, "and your famous chocolate chip cookies please." 

"I put in a batch this morning to be sold, we can go see if there are any leftovers," Marin suggested as Nino placed his hand on his friend's shoulder. 

"Dude. I love you so much." He said seriously as Alya started to giggle. 

Adrien couldn't see what was so funny, in fact, he was somewhat confused about how Marin never reacted to Nino always telling him how much he loved him. For the longest, while he had assumed that Marin and Alya were the couple, so this threw him for a loop. But he shook it off as he received a text notification, already knowing that Natalie would be waiting for him. He stepped forward as Marin glanced at him in surprise. 

"I can't make it today but congrats on winning the class election Marin." He said with a smile on his face as Marin turned his head away, mumbling his thanks. "See ya." Adrien said as he walked out of the door he heard the three friends planning ahead for their get together, while he usually always had to cancel. Just as he was walking down the stairs, he heard someone call out to him, turning back to see Marin standing atop the stairs. 

"You should come by later on if you have free time." He offered at Adrien stood there stunned for a moment. "If you want, I mean-" Marin stumbled over his words, about to walk away when Adrien quickly spoke up. 

"Yeah, of course!" He said with a bright smile. "Save me a slice." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- Marin is a good kid but he's not the best a public speaking. 
> 
> \- Adrien is confused and Nino and Alya sure as heck aren't going to correct him anytime soon.


	15. Mr. The Mime

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marin is a little worried for his friend who keeps running around the city trying to catch a good photo of her favorite hero for her blog. 
> 
> But it'll have to wait as there's a showing of The Mime, and it's not the stage performance...

"I can't believe it!" Alya complained as she planted her face on the sofa of his living room while he finished off sewing a hat. "How is it to get a photo of one person!"

"If that person if Ladybug?" Marin remarked, his face slightly reddening in shame as the conversation continued. "Probably pretty hard."

"I just need one for my blog! One crip, clear photo of everyone's favorite hero." She pouted looking through her phone and all the blurry shots she tried to get of Ladybug. "Not even the major news outlets can get a good enough photo. It's all Chat Noir in the forefront, and Ladybug leaving.

"Wasn't he at a public gathering a few weeks ago? I'm sure I saw cameras."

"The mayor was covering him up more than half the time," Alya muttered turning towards him.

"It shouldn't matter, right? I mean the guy probably just wants to do his job and leave." Marin remarked. "What's the big deal about a picture?"

"Uh-" Alya then stood in front of him. "HUGE DEAL." She remarked. "Even if he doesn't think he's a big deal, everyone thinks he is. Chat Noir gets almost all the coverage, I just want people to see how cool this dude really is!"

Marin simply shrugged his shoulders, not really sure what to say. "Maybe you'll get lucky?"

"Thanks, cutie," Alya said, quickly hugging him before running out the door. "This day for sure I catch myself a Ladybug!" She called out running down the stairs. Marin turned his body watching as she left. Sighing heavily as she was out of sight, which was Tikki's cue to fly out.

"It's tough being popular." She said as Marin smiled at her in amusement. "Alya's been really trying to track you down for weeks. Shouldn't you just give in already?" Tikki asked.

"No way." Marin said, "It's already too embarrassing running around Paris in polka dots, I don't need evidence of it."

"But she's your biggest fan," Tikki said, "and your best friend. Couldn't you cut her some stack?" The Kwami inquired but the sound of the doorbell caught their attention as Tikki quickly retreated into Marin's jacket pocket. Already knowing who was at the door, Marin grabbed the hat, quickly racing down the stairs to see Mylène and her father.

"Hey Mylène, sir." Marin greeted handing over the newly repaired hat to Mylène's father.

"It's just like new!" The man complimented with a smile. "Thank you, Marin, you really saved me." Mylène's father said taking back his hat.

"I fixed up the tear and I also sewed the pocket on the inside, just like you asked." Marin pointed out.

He nodded once more with a smile on his face, "You've done a perfect job. Thanks to you, I'll have my good luck charm right here next to me at all times. A photo of my biggest fan."

Mylène smiled, hugging her father, "Aw, dad..." Only pulling back as her father's phone rang.

"That's Sarah, I better get going. See you tonight at the Eiffel Tower, kids!" He said picking up the phone as he walked out of the door, in a hurry.

"Thanks again for helping me Marin," Mylène said in appreciation, then handing over an envelope. "Alya already has her ticket, she'll meet you at the tower when showtime starts. Around 7, don't forget."

"Are you in a hurry too?" He asked, noticing her face slightly reddening.

"I wanna swing by my house to change before the show, me and Ivan have a date afterward." She said with a warm smile that was contagious.

"Well don't let me hold you up. I'll catch you later." He said as Mylène quickly hugged him, waving goodbye as he closed the door behind him. Peaking into the bakery he saw that his parents were already busy with all the customers. He didn't have anything else to work on today, so perhaps...

"Tikki." Marin called, walking back up the stairs to grab his messenger bag. His Kwami appeared before him as he just picked it up. "Let's go for some sightseeing."

* * *

Ladybug overlooked the Louvre's plaza, towards his friend scanning the entire city for him. She had kept this up for a few hours, trying to find any trace of him, not realizing that he was following her almost all of that time from the rooftops. He admired that part of Alya, her dedication towards her passion. Unfortunately, her passion was his alter-ego more often than not. Suddenly, something caught his attention, a mime of sorts standing before a confetti of former posters promoting Mylène's father's show. He sensed something off about the man, then jumped into action as The Mime sent a police car flying.

The Hero jumped into action as he saw it was heading directly for his best friend. Aly fell over in panic as she saw it, dropping her phone. However, Ladybug used his yo-yo to cushion the car's fall, by making it fall onto a net. Ladybug quickly assisted the policeman out of his vehicle, seeing that he and the vehicle were alright.

"Ladybug?!" He heard Alya call out, stunned, then searching for something as the hero turned back to the cop.

"Sir, could you please escort this young lady away while I deal with the villain?" He requested as the policeman nodded, guiding Alya away.

"Hey-wait! Could I just have one pho-" But her words were cut off by the two almost getting shot by an invisible projectile. Ladybug used a yo-yo to shield them as they fled. The Mime then dashed towards him miming something in his hand, something probably sharp as Ladybug jumped back. During that moment he recognized his own handiwork, this man's hat...it was Mylènes' dads!

He grimaced for a moment at this fight would be an uphill battle. He began swinging his yo-yo once more as he then charged towards the villain.

* * *

Adrien sat in his car with Nathalie and his bodyguard. He already knew what was coming as he overheard Natalie.

"Yes, sir. Understood, sir. I'm, sure he'll understand, sir." Natalie then turned towards him, "Adrien-"

"You don't have to say it, I already know." He simply remarked.

"Yes, but he has reserved the best seats in the house for you, Adrien. Front row." Natalie offered but faltered as Adrien sighed, looking out of the window. It wasn't like he expected his father to come. He just hoped for a moment he might-

Suddenly the car was ripped in half, Adrien was staring at Natalie. He stunned for a moment as Ladybug deflected an invisible attack.

"I'll cover you, but you all need to lea-" Ladybug remarked glancing once towards Adrien who looked up towards his partner. His eyes suddenly widened as the villain, a mime, mimed something, looking like he was about to lasso something. The next thing he knew, Natalie was undoing his seatbelt as Ladybug was grabbed by an invisible rope, sent flying as The Mime slammed him against a light pole.

Adrien meanwhile followed Natalie and his bodyguard for a moment before then running down an alley. When he opened his shirt Plagg flew out. "We gotta transform now."

"I thought I was gonna be a spectator, not a performer. What about the show?" The Kwami questioned.

"It can't go on without us, now can it?" Adrien remarked. "Plagg, claws out!"

"THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT-" Plagg called out as he was sucked into the ring.

* * *

Ladybug struggled to escape as he was bound to the light pole with an invisible rope. He glared at The Mime, about to take his Miraculous when he immediately mimed a shield, protecting himself from a strike from above.

"Keep those hands to yourself, clown!" Chat Noir called out placing himself between his partner and The Mime, holding his staff. Ladybug didn't feel the bindings anymore, noticing that they disappeared when Chat Noir attacked the villain. The Mime mimed something else, catching Ladybug's attention as The Mime then smiled at them, at the same moment Chat Noir charged forward.

"Hold on!" Ladybug called, but his partner was already mid-jump while The Mime was walking away. Luckily for him, Ladybug's yo-yo was faster as he felt the wire wrap around his waist, pulling him back and falling to the ground.

"Hey- what gives?" Chat Noir asked as Ladybug walked past him. He noticed his staff in Ladybug's hands, swinging it against what he heard to be iron bars, like those in a prison cell. They both saw The Mime then mime a card, putting in a helmet, revving up a motor and then driving off.

"We can't let him go like that!" Chat Noir proclaimed but Ladybug kept on hand of the bar.

"Patience, kitty cat." Ladybug chided then no longer felt the bars, walking past his partner as he then used his yo-yo to jump on the roof-tops.

"Hey! Wait!" Chat Noir called out following his partner, running alongside him. "What's the plan?"

"We get the hat." Ladybug explained briefly.

"Great, but we don't even know where this guy is going!" Chat Noir pointed out as they had lost sighed of him, but his unease slowly faded as Ladybug looked back at him with a knowing smile.

* * *

"Lucky Charm!" Ladybug called out, receiving a cardboard box. He and Chat Noir were standing before the Eiffel tower just as a bus pulled up. One that contained all the actors for the upcoming show. Chat Noir walked over to the head of the troop, explaining the situation as he noticed Ladybug grab the flyer, crafting something.

"You know, if I knew the plan, I could probably lend a helping paw?" Chat Noir offered after Ladybug asked for the glasses from the troop leader.

"Sorry," Ladybug apologized, "This, and you are the bait," he explained as Chat Noir looked at him in disbelief as Ladybug used his contraption to enlarge the flyer on the Eiffel tower.

"Excuse me?" Chat Noir questioned, glancing at The Mime who arrived at the scene, looking furious. He took out his staff, ready for an attack.

"Can you handle him?" Ladybug asked, to which Chat Noir nodded with a playful smirk.

"Try not to be completely floored." He playfully remarked as he then dashed towards the mime, who appeared to hold a sword in his hand. "My forte!" Chat Noir remarked, using his staff like a sword, parry's most of the mime's attacks. He held his own for a little while until The Mime mimed something else, what seemed to be a bullhorn as the villain smiled nefariously. Chat Noir was stunned for a moment, hearing a buzzing in his ears as The Mime pinned him to the ground. He was too frazzled, not even noticing The Mime removing his ring until Ladybug used his yo-yo to grab his hat. Taking out a photo and ripping it in half, releasing the Akuma.

"No more mischief from you little Akuma. Time to purify!" Ladybug said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion. Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. "Bye-bye, little butterfly."

"Miraculous Ladybug!" Ladybug called out, throwing the box into the air as everything turned back to normal.

"What happened? How did I... get here?" Fred asked, looking around in confusion as Ladybug helped Chat Noir to his feet, the two pounding their fists together in victory.

"Pound it!"

Ladybug then handed the newly repaired the hat back to its original owner, who quickly checked for his most prized possession. Sighing in relief as he saw it wasn't damaged.

"Thank you Ladybug, Chat Noir. I don't know what I'd do without this." He thanked as he jogged towards his troop for the upcoming show. Ladybug glanced at him fondly, then turned towards his partner in surprise as Chat Noir rested his hand around his shoulder.

"You know, I heard this show is pretty good. I could be your date in the play tonight. Just you and me."

Ladybug smirked in amusement, his earrings starting to beep. "Thanks, but I have something to take care of." He remarked, stepping aside from Chat Noir's grasp as night began to fall. Not noticing the soft lovestruck expression Chat Noir had plastered on his face. 

* * *

The Mime show was about to begin as Adrien saw Alya one seat over. He sat down in his seat, smiling as he she spotted him. "Hey, you're here too, cool. I thought I was gonna end up sitting by myself."

Alya gave him a worried expression, "Hey, did you see Marin? We were supposed to meet up here."

"Sorry, I didn't," Adrien remarked.

"Aw well, he'll probably show up later." Alya's voice faded as she looked up towards and all too familiar person who walked up next to her.

"Excuse me, you're the girl with the Ladybug blog right?" Ladybug asked as Adrien could see Alya was trying not to squeal as he himself was trying not to squeal.

"Y-yeah!" Alya confirmed as she saw him take something familiar out of his yo-yo.

"I think you dropped this earlier. Sorry I couldn't get it back to you sooner." He remarked handing back her phone. She was surprised, as she probably hadn't realized that she had lost it. Just as he was about to leave, Alya spoke up again.

"Wait, can I get a picture and an interview for my blog please?!"

Ladybug looked surprised for a moment, looking like he was about to decline for a moment before smiling. "Sure, I can do a photo." He said as he stood before Alya, waving as she snapped a photo. Just as he was about to leave again, he spotted Adrien. "Hey, I saw you earlier, I hope you didn't get hurt."

"Yes! I- mean no, I wasn't injured, I mean-" Adrien stammered as Alya rested her hand on his shoulder.

"He's a fan just like me, could we get a photo of all three of us together?!"

Ladybug hesitated for a moment, but then shrugged his shoulders, agreeing to his fan's request. Alya held the camera as Adrien stood right next to the hero, trying his hardest not to do anything dumb. Then Ladybug rested his hand on his and Alya's shoulders, and he felt like he was on cloud nine, being right next to the person he cared for the most. After Alya snapped a few shots of them together, she thanked him over and over again, to which Ladybug reassuringly told her not to worry about.

"Enjoy your show, I hear it's good." Ladybug remarked with a playful wink, using his yo-yo to head towards the city, leaving his two fans starstruck as they sat back down.

"You're going to send those to me right?" Adrien immediately asked as Alya nodded.

"Ladybug and Adrien Agreste on my blog? I'm gonna get a ton of coverage!" She said happily quickly making a post on her blog, while also sending the photos.

Once Adrien received them, he couldn't hold back his smile. Gently caressing the photo on his phone, his newly treasured possession. But he quickly turned off his screen as someone else walked up, panting heavily.

"Hey, I miss anything?" Marin asked walking up. Adrien smiled warmly at the sight of his classmate but noticed that he had to take a step back from his best friend. Who looked like she was about to explode with excitement.

"Dude! You are not going to believe what just happened!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- This chapter doesn't have a lotta meat because if the Akuma is in the hat. Then just grab the hat. 
> 
> \- But I added some Ladydrien for the fun, because it's cute.


	16. Everybody was Kung Food Fighting-

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marin wants someone to go with him to his great uncle's contest. Unfortunately, it seems like everyone is unavailable...everyone, except Adrien. But it's not like he'd ever ask his crush to grace his presence. 
> 
> Good thing he has Alya and Nino to back him up. ;3

"Alya please, you gotta be there." Adrien overhead Marin plead as he stood adjacent to their conversation within the locker room, just out of Marin's vision. "I've already asked everyone else please, you're my last hope."

Adrien stood there dumbfounded for a moment, Marin never asked him about any favor. Did he really not want to be around him that much?

"Sorry cutie, I can't. I gotta watch my sisters." She apologized, but then eyed Adrien eavesdropping, a mischevious expression growing on her face.

"What about Adrien? Maybe he could help ya' out."

He perked up his head, part of him not wanting to get involved if Alya was smiling like that, the other part; really wanting to know why Marin didn't ask him.

"Adrien? That'd be a disaster." He heard Marin chuckle and his heart almost sank. Then he sighed, "You know what, don't worry about it. I think I'll be able to handle this on my own."

"You sure?" Alya asked with a concerned expression.

"No. But we will see." Marin sighed, about to turn away, but then Alya rested her arm on his shoulder.

"Tell ya what, I'll see if I can convince someone to go with you."

Marin looked back at her in disbelief. "I doubt anyone else is going to agree at this point, but more power to you if you can."

"Don't underestimate me cutie. I'll send them your way if I do." Alya teased as she caught him in a half hug before Marin walked past him and towards the main hall.

Alya rested her weight on the locker, with a sultry smile. "Hey Adrien."

"Alya." Adrien greeted trying to search for an escape route.

"So, you've picked up eavesdropping as a hobby?" She asked playfully.

"Uh...maybe." Adrien turned his head away in embarrassment.

"Nino already told me that you wanted to be friends with Marin, and I know you overheard most of that conversation. So, you interested?" She asked.

"I don't know Alya..." Adrien sighed. "I don't think Marin even likes me, what if he's just nice to be polite?"

"Like you are with Chloé?"

Adrien chuckled, "Chloé's different when she's around you guys. I know she can be trouble, but I can't overlook how long we've been friends."

Alya sighed, "Fair enough. So, you in?" She asked.

"In what? I don't even know what this favor is." Adrien reminded her, still curious about Marin's request.

" Right, right. Basically, Marin's great uncle is coming tomorrow, and he wants someone to go with him when he escorts him to this competition at Le Grande Hotel."

"What's the big deal about that?" Adrien asked.

"The thing is-" Nino said as he suddenly butted into the conversation, as he was also in the locker room, resting his arm over Adrien's shoulder casually. "You two are new around here so you don't know, but the Cheung-Dupain family isn't exactly the closest family."

"Hm?" Adrien turned his head towards his best friend curiously.

"Marin's family isn't exactly close with each other. This is the first time meeting his uncle, plus that competition is going to be crowded with a bunch of cameras which makes him nervous, not to mention the fact that his parents aren't going to be there either."

"Really?" Adrien asked in surprise as Nino nodded.

"Yeah, they're almost always super busy with the bakery, they're the only two employees working there after all."

"How the heck do you know so much?" Alya asked, "I didn't even know that much."

"Dude, more than half the class has known each other since kindergarten, our family situations are pretty common knowledge," Nino explained.

"Wait, so why does he need someone to go with him?" Adrien asked, still confused.

"He just wants someone to be there as like an anchor if he gets too frazzled. Because he and social situations don't exactly go together very well." Alya explained. "That's where you come in."

"Me?" Adrien questioned. "If it's an all-day thing tomorrow, then there's no way my father would ever agree..." He said, starting to perhaps get a better picture as to why Marin didn't ask him in the first place. But then was caught off guard as Nino then poked his cheek with a playfully smug expression.

"What if you tell your father that you'd be practicing your Mandarin with a Michelin star chef from China?"

"Well, that would help. But what does that have to do with anything?" Adrien asked.

"Dude," Nino remarked, slightly dumbfounded at his friends' slowness. "Marin's mom's last name is Cheung. His great uncle is Wang Cheung." Nino explained, then nodded his head as Adrien's eyes widened with realization.

"That would definitely help."

* * *

Marin carefully wrapped the sweet violets from his balcony garden together, tying the bouquet with a purple ribbon. Tikki flew towards the flowers, smelling them with a small smile.

"I know they smell sweet but don't eat the flowers Tikki, they're for my uncle," Marin informed as he walked towards the living room.

"I was just admiring them!" Tikki remarked, hovering nearby as Marin sat on the sofa, a bundle of pure anxiety as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Do you think he'll like them?" He asked, to which Tikki smiled in reassurance.

"Of course he will, you've been growing them for weeks. Anyone could see they've been grown with love. Trust me, you'll be fine."

Marin grumbled to himself. "They can't be fine, they have to be perfect! Uncle Cheung is very particular, so everything has to be just right- " His eyes suddenly widened with panic. "That's him! Hide, Tikki." Marin called out, opening his jacket so she could fly in. He then jumped down the stairs towards the front door, opening it he was expecting to see his uncle, instead, he was greeted by the sun.

["Welcome to my home-"] Marin began to say, but immediately grew embarrassed as Adrien was standing right there with his hands folded behind his back, smiling brightly. But just as he was about to respond Marin shut the door on him. On the other side, Adrien grew somewhat disheartened.

"What is he doing here?!" Marin harshly whispered to Tikki in his pocket, his face immediately running red as he realized he had just rudely shut the door.

"Maybe he's here to see you?" Tikki recommended before hiding once more in his coat pocket.

Marin immediately took a deep, opening the door more slowly this time as Adrien still was standing there with a half-smile, tilting his head slightly. ["Heya Marin, is this a bad time?"]

Marin could feel his ears burn with embarrassment as he invited his classmate in. ["Sorry,"] he said, opening the door fully so he could come in, his eyes then widened in surprise. "You speak Mandarin?"

Adrien nodded, smiling sheepishly "Yeah, I'm learning it, but it can be really hard sometimes."

"Right, so what are you doing here?" Marin asked curtly, closing the door behind him as he led Adrien upstairs towards their living room. He tried to command his heart to stop beating so hard, practically hearing it as Adrien sat down on his sofa.

"Alya recommended that I come," Adrien explained as he noticed Marin taking out a box with his family's bakery logo on it. "She and Nino say that you owe them croissants and cookies now?" He said somewhat confused at the request but saw Marin chuckling under his breath.

"They would say that, the gluttons," Marin remarked with an amused smile as he placed a box of snacks before him. Containing multiple pastel-colored macaroons, "I hope these taste alright." He said as Adrien eyed the colorful cookies greedily.

"You don't have to go through the trouble," Adrien said, trying to hold himself back.

"It's no trouble, my parents ingrained me with hospitality. Despite, me being rude to you earlier." Marin remarked sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck.

"I did surprise you after all," Adrien said, trying not to make his classmate feel guilty about it. " But I shouldn't, model's diet after all." He said guiltily but regretted it as he could see Marin looking ashamed.

"Oh- I'm so sorry, I didn't realize!" He rambled closing the box.

"No, no it's alright!" Adrien insisted.

"Sorry, they're probably not that good anyway. It's my first time baking passion fruit macaroons after all." Marin remarked with an embarrassed tone. "The fruit-infused cream probably ruins the whole thing anyhow."

Adrien really wanted those cookies now, diet be damned.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang, and both boys snapped to attention. Marin walked towards the front door, leaving Adrien alone with the cookies. They were in the box, right in front of him.

"Just grab one," Plagg muttered, sitting on Adrien's shoulder. "baker boy won't mind." He probably wouldn't, and those cookies smelled really good. Maybe just one wouldn't hurt-

"Adrien?"

Automatically Adrien snapped his arm back as Plagg retreated. He stood up to see Marin with the person whom he assumed was his uncle standing behind him now holding the same bouquet Marin was holding earlier.

["Uncle, this is my classmate from school, Adrien Agreste."] Marin introduced, gesturing towards him,

["It's nice to meet you sir. Is this the first time you've visited Paris?"] Adrien asked, blowing his head respectfully.

["No, I have been here 30 years ago. You can speak Chinese very well Adrien."] Wang remarked with a pleasant smile.

["Thank you, Master Cheng."] Adrien said graciously.

"The taxi is already out front. We can go right now." Marin informed.

It took all of Adrien's willpower not to look back at the cookies, forcing a smile. "Sure."

* * *

Outside the hotel the car parked in front of a red carpet where the announcer Alec was reported surrounded by an entire crowd of fans of the show. Adrien left the vehicle first long with Wang as Marin left from the other side. Intentionally trying to avoid any unwanted attention. As Wang walked forward to greet the mayor Adrien waited on his friend. Smiling warmly as Marin apologetically nodded his head towards his classmate.

"Only one will be awarded the title of "World's Greatest Chef." The winner's dish will become the new Mayor's Special on the Grand Paris's menu! Tell us Cheng Shifu, what dish will you be honoring our panel with today?" Alec asked, glancing towards Wang. Adrien walked up towards him, repeating the question as Wang nodded.

"My dish is: Celestial soup." He said simply.

"Wow! I've heard so much about your legendary Celestial Soup, but today we'll actually get to taste it!"

"Would you like me to come with you, Cheng Shifu?" Adrien asked.

Wang shook his head. "No thank you, Adrien. Cooking needs no words." Wang remarked, following Alec towards the kitchen. He then saw something that made him instantly more anxious, Chloé talking to Marin.

"Oh look who it is! My favorite person, Marin Dupain-Cheng." Chloé said slyly as she stood before him. "I mean, seriously? Does your great-uncle really expect to win the contest with a SOUP!? It's not even a main dish! Please! Doesn't he know how to make sushi like everyone else?"

Marin stared at his classmate, trying to process what she just said. "Are you really complaining about someone making you a free meal?"

"If that someone is deluded enough to think a bowl of soup can win a competition." She mocked as Adrien walked up with a displeased expression.

"Cheng Shifu isn't like "everyone else" Chloé, he's a highly respected Chef. His is soup is legendary!" He informed as Chloé still looked unimpressed.

"Well, I despise soup." She remarked.

"So what?" Marin asked as Chloé smirked at him.

"Didn't you know? I'm on the jury, and your uncle won't be getting my vote, that's for sure." Chloé chastised with an amused expression.

"Well, he doesn't even need your vote if your palette can only register sushi." Marin snipped, as Adrien glanced at his classmate in amusement, giggling at the truth of his comment.

Chloé glared, first at Adrien laughing and then at Marin. "You've made a big mistake." She growled under her breath, walking up the stairs as Adrien spoke up.

"I think your uncle would've appreciate you standing up to Chloé like that."

Marin shook his head, uncertain. "I'm not sure. I don't think he likes me. I mean, he even ripped up the bouquet I gave him."

Adrien glanced at his classmate with a concerned expression, "Oh no, you're wrong. Cheng Shifu isn't just a chef, Marin - he's an artist! He improvises on faithful things that come his way, the flowers you gave him must be what he'll use to garnish the soup."

"How can you be so sure?" Marin questioned, flinching slightly as Adrien placed his hands on his shoulder.

"I'm a fan of him. His work is known throughout the world, even being able to talk to him is a great honor." He said with a supportive smile, noticing that Marin turned his head away with a sullen expression on his face. "Hm, is something wrong?" He inquired.

But Marin shook his head, drawing a smile on his face, "It's nothing. Looks like they're going to be shooting for a while-" Marin's words were cut off as he suddenly felt something near his leg. They both looked down to see a crocodile wagging its tail happily.

Immediately, Marin took a step back as Adrien looked at it in curiosity. "I think it likes you Marin." He remarked with a smile as he noticed it was following Marin around fondly, while his classmate was looking nervous.

"Likes me, or wants to taste me?" Marin retorted bumping his back into a pillar as the croc rolled onto its belly before him, still furiously wagging its tail. A thought came to him as he recognized this particular reptile's collar, taking a familiar box out of his messenger bag. "You want a treat buddy?" Marin asked, holding up a passion fruit macaroon from earlier. The reptile's eyes began to sparkle as Marin knelt down to feed it. The crocodile licked its lips happily, nuzzling Marin's hand for more.

"You keep macaroons in your bag?" Adrien questioned as Marin fed it once more with a smile on his face.

"Sure," Marin remarked as he petted the crocodile's belly, much to its delight. "which is what this cutie probably smelled."

"There you are Fang!" A woman with colored hair remarked jogging towards him with a worried expression. She was dressed professionally, holding a clipboard in one hand and a leash in the other. "I'm so sorry if he gave you any trouble." She apologized attaching Fang to his leash.

Marin shook his head, "No trouble ma'am, he just wanted some snacks."

"Even so, he knows better than to harass other people." She remarked in a scolding tone, making Fang whimper slightly. "Are you two here for the competition?" She asked.

"Yes, my uncle is completing. Wang Cheung?" Marin answered, noticing the woman's expression fall slightly.

"Well they're already done filming if you wanted to see him." She remarked, then walking away as the Fang looked back sadly at his new friend who gave him delicious treats.

"They're done already?" Marin questioned having a bad feeling about this situation. He turned towards Adrien who seem to read his mind, the two then proceeding towards the kitchen via elevator.

* * *

Marin went to find his uncle as Adrien looked around, seeing the judges faces filled with discontent. As he walked past them he saw the camera crew looking over the footage. He observed from afar, seeing the chef get the lowest possible score and saying that his soup was tampered with. But what Adrien narrowed his eyes at was Chole smiling while the other judges tasted the dish before them. Not even covering her tracks as he then noticed the purple violet petal on her yellow cardigan.

He turned towards the producer, Alec who was observing the footage as well.

"Sir!" Adrien called out walking towards him.

"Hey, Adrien Agreste!" The announcer greeted, "What can I do for you?"

"I believe Cheung Shifu's soup was medaled with, by Chloé." He stated bluntly causing the producer to glance in the teens' direction, who was laughing at something on her phone.

"That's a big accusation for a judge on the jury. Do you have any proof?" He inquired.

"I just saw on the footage you got that she didn't even try the soup. Plus, she has it in for our classmate Marin, who's Cheung Shifu's nephew. Please, just give him another chance, he's a world-renown cook. There's no way he'd mess up something like this." Adrien pleaded.

Alec thought for a moment, then nodded. "Alright, we'll go through the footage again. If what you're saying is true then we'll have a do-over." Alec remarked as Adrien smiled gratefully.

"Thank you sir." Adrien said, then he searched around for Cheung Shifu and Marin, both of them would probably want to hear the good news. He checked the kitchens first, where his smile soon faded as he saw Marin standing before his newly Akumatized uncle.

["Uncle Cheng, I know it's not your fault. It was actually because of me, because I provoked Chloé and-"]

["I am Kung Food, and I can assure you. Today's first entree will be Brat soup!"] He remarked, picking up a pot of the remaining soup.

Adrien suddenly reacted, grabbing Marin's hand just before the soup was tossed at them. He led his classmate down the stairs towards the nearest exit when Marin suddenly pulled back, the two now in the lobby.

"My uncle's still up there, I can't leave him behind!" Marin remarked, looking back where they ran from.

"I promise, we'll go back but we have to get out of here before-" A floating creature interrupted Adrien's warning, projecting a message out before them.

["It's not polite to leave table without permission. Cut off all exits!"] Kung Food remarked, and only moments later a golden liquid began covering the doors.

Adrien tried pushing against them, but the liquid began hardening. "Hm." He touched the liquid with his finger, about to taste it when Marin immediately caught his hand.

"What are you doing?!"

"Tasting it?" Adrien stated as though he were stating the obvious.

"Tasting it?! Just smell it, it's caramel!" He retorted removing his hand. But Adrien still tasted it, licking his lips. "Please tell me you don't always try to eat what you don't recognize."

Adrien shrugged his shoulders. "It might taste good but it's totally indestructible. Looks like we're trapped inside."

Marin glanced up in worry, grasping the sash of his messenger bag, but then a more determined expression took over. "I'm going to try and find a way out."

Adrien nodded, "Then I'll see if I can find something to break through the caramel." he said, the two then split up in different directions.

Marin headed for the back room as Tikki flew out of his bag. "I never should have riled up Chloé!" He chided himself but still was determined. "Tikki, spots on!"

Meanwhile, behind the front desk, Plagg flew out of Adrien's shirt.

"You didn't happen to pick up a little piece of Camembert during all this cooking chaos, did you?" He asked as Adrien smirked at him in amusement.

"Cheese comes after the main meal," Adrien remarked. "Plagg, claws out!"

* * *

Ladybug and Chat Noir appeared at the same time before the grand staircase. Looking surprised to see each other for a moment as the hotel was already locked down.

"Ladybug, I see you've heard about the fine dining experience this hotel offers as well. Shall I reserve a table for two?" Chat Noir asked flirtatiously as Ladybug smiled in amusement.

"By all means kitty cat." Both ran towards the elevator but only Chat Noir tried to open it.

"Ugh! It's jammed shut!" He informed as the projection of Kung Food appeared before them once more.

["Ladybug! Cat Noir! You soon have privilege to be ingredients in Kung Food's soup. But first — you taste my special of the day!"]

"Did you catch that?" Chat Noir remarked curiously as Ladybug nodded.

"Did you?" He asked as Chat Noir smiled.

"Your kitty cat is blessed with many talents, Bugaboo." Chat Noir said but was pushed out of the way as Ladybug noticed the new enemy behind them wielding a large claymore entirely built from seafood.

"Seafood appetizers anyone?" The familiar henchman remarked with a smile, resting his weapon on his shoulder.

Ladybug narrowed his eyes, observing that the possessed rockstar seemed to have his strength heightened as he could easily swing the heavy looking weapon around.

"Seafood? This scam-pi happening. Let's see if you can carry a tun-a!" Chat Noir smiled in amusement at his own joke, twirling his staff in hand while Ladybug took out his yo-yo. The rock star attacked Ladybug first but the hero easily evaded, using Jagged Stone's momentum to catch him in his yo-yo and send him flying into the closet where Chat Noir quickly kicked a chair in front of.

"Well, that wasn't very "rock and roll" of you, Jagged Stone." Chat Noir remarked as he followed Ladybug into the elevator. He observed Ladybug resting his back against the wall with his eyes closed, crossing his arms. Cat Noir, on the other hand, rested his elbow next to him, leaning against the same wall. "Ladybug, come on, it's just you and me together. You can tell me how you really feel." He playfully poked, but soon dropped it as Ladybug didn't respond to his quips.

The hero only opened his eyes as he could hear a creaking as all of a sudden the lights flickered and the elevator shook to a stop, causing Chat Noir to fall over.

"I feel like we may have a delay for that table for two." He remarked pressing the emergency escape button on the elevator.

"I think the electricity between us short-circuited the elevator." Chat Noir said as the elevator opened to a possessed mayor.

"Royal hotpot with its giant string of boiled sausages!" He started swinging around a chain of steamed veggies and meat.

"Personally I prefer my sausages smoked." Chat Noir said as he and Ladybug dashed forward. The Mayor smirked evilly as he used his whip to wrap Chat Noir and Ladybug together, sending them flying in another room where Chat Noir crashed atop his partner on the sofa.

"Welcome to the world-famous Suite 36 of this hotel." The Mayor announced as Chat Noir helped his partner to his feet. They split up as the Mayor attacked again, this time capturing Chat Noir and dragging him closer. Not noticing Ladybug wrap his yo-yo around the neck of the chandelier, pulling it right down atop the mayor, halting his attack.

"Nice work, my lady. Shall we go and find the head chef and lodge a complaint about their staff?" He asked looking up at the hole in the ceiling that Ladybug made. He extended his staff to the ground, wrapping his arm around Ladybug's waist, lifting them to the dining area. "Great. All this fighting has made me hungry!" He remarked.

["Kung Food is generous. No need to choose between cheese and dessert, you get to have both!"] Kung Food said as the elevator to the roof rang, and from it appeared Alec and Marlena Caesar, Alya's mother.

"Watch the spectacular demonstration of the famous thousand flying cakes!" Alec remarked, seeing the two heroes evade the archer's attacks. "Oh ho! Our guests seem to have a few tricks up their sleeve, but how will they fare against the blinding stinging cheese bombs?!" He said shooting a wheel of cheese towards Chat Noir, stunning him for a moment as he dropped his staff.

"Ugh, he's right. The cheese really attacks the senses, I think it's turned-" He almost wretched. Ladybug pursued Marlena as she was shooting at him, jumping over her as he grabbed her and Alec's attention.

"Haha, you're no match for my- Hey!" Alec called out in annoyance as Ladybug intentionally bumped into him. Smirking as Marlena accidentally aimed for him causing the two to effectively knocking them out after all of Alec's cheese bombs went off simultaneously.

Ladybug quickly tied his scarf around his mouth, then quickly grabbed Chat Noir's staff and hand as he raced towards the elevator. Chat Noir could breath easier with the loss of tainted air, blushing at Ladybug held his face his hands, eyes searching for something.

"I'm not usually one for an invasion of personal space, but if it's you, my lady, I don't mind." Chat Noir said but felt a loss as Ladybug stepped back.

"Sorry, I was just checking if that attack messed up your vision. You alright?" Ladybug asked in concern, unintentionally making Chat Noir swoon.

"I'm always more than alright when I'm with you." He said flirtatiously as they arrived on the final level. Just in time to see Chloé getting lowered down into a large pool of soup.

["Ah, the temperature's just right. Time to add the main ingredient!"]

Chloé began struggling, "Oh, no no no no noooo! Ah!" Ladybug cut the string using his yo-yo as Chat Noir caught her in his arms. But quickly frowned as Chloé began yelling at him. "Hey! What took you so long!? Just wait until I tell everyone—" Chat Noir then dropped her without a second thought.

Kung Food glared at them maliciously. ["Oh no! My Brat Soup will be so flavorless!"]

["You're an honorable man, Cheng Shifu, don't let one person ruin your career!"] Ladybug tried to convince him, but it had no effect against the akumatized victim.

Kung Food growled at them. ["I am not Cheng Shifu, I am Kung Food — the Greatest Chef in the World! And nobody will stop me from finishing my Brat Soup!"] He proclaimed angrily, taking out a pair of tonfas.

"Get out of here Chloé!" Chat Noir ordered as their classmate ran off in a panic.

"The Akuma has to be in the hat." Ladybug remarked under his breath so that only Chat Noir could hear him. "Try and grab it if you see an opening."

["I take care of you two myself!"] Kung Food said viciously as he took both of them on. But eventually, he lost his weapons as Ladybug kicked them towards Chat Noir who immediately discarded them off of the building. But before Ladybug could strike again he was hit with a red powder that immediately burned his eyes.

"Ugh!" Ladybug grunted out as when he tried to remove the power it just seemed to make the problem worse. It didn't help that he was now the easy target as Kung Food sent him flying with a kick. He was lost without his sight, luckily his partner was there to pick up the slack as Chat Noir caught him in his arms. Ladybug placed a hand on his shoulder as Chat Noir rested his hand on Ladybug's waist. Both of them keeping their distance from Kung Food who laughed like a maniac.

["Haha! Like it spicy?"] The Villain taunted as Chat Noir snarled at him. Only calming down as Ladybug squeezed his shoulder tighter, catching his attention. He reached for his yo-yo, tossing it up into the air.

"Lucky Charm!" He called out, and this time Chat Noir was the one to catch the item.

" A... check dispenser?" He said in confusion. "Well, it's a good way to tally up this massive bill." Flinching slightly as saw Kung Food pull out a giant buster sword-shaped weapon made from pizza.

["You think you can beat me with a piece of paper!?"]

["You're one to talk, Kung Food. You've been trying to defeat us with the five food groups!"] Chat Noir retorted, his grip slightly tightening around his partner's waist. "So what do we do?" He asked seeing Ladybug's eyes well up with tears from the spices. He had limited vision, but it was easy to see he would still be impaired.

"You take him, I'll handle the Lucky Charm." Ladybug remarked, taking back the dispenser, wishing that he was the one with the heightened senses as Chat Noir took on Kung Food.

Ladybug walked towards the strong-smelling soup, extending the paper and dunking it in while still holding onto the dispenser. He could hear the sounds of weapons clashing, seeing blurred outlines.

"Chat Noir!" Ladybug called out.

"Present!" His partner shouted in return, signaling his location. Ladybug held on to one end of the paper, then throwing his lucky charm towards the sound almost immediately. Chat Noir smirked victoriously as he caught it, quickly wrapping it around Kung Food, in turn blinding him as he tried to take off the now sticky paper.

"Cataclysm!" Chat Noir called out, destroying his bag of weapons as he then kicked the hat towards Ladybug who's vision was slowly improving. He ripped it in half, able to see the outline of the Akuma flying against the blue sky.

"No more mischief from you little Akuma. Time to purify!" Ladybug said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion. Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. "Bye-bye, little butterfly." Chat Noir then handed the tape dispenser back to his partner watching as he threw it up into the air as well.

"Miraculous Ladybug!" He called out, turning everything back to normal. Even clearing up his vision as he glanced towards his partner graciously.

"Happy to see me again my lady?" Chat Noir asked with a smile before the two pounded their fists together.

"Pound it!"

Wang looked around in confusion. ["Where am I?"] He asked as he looked up to Ladybug returning his chef's hat.

["You're a good man Cheung Shifu, I'm sure other people can realize it as well."] Ladybug said placing a hand on the confused chef's shoulder before his earrings started to beep.

"Oh what a shame, we never got seated." Chat Noir groaned in faux disappointment, already knowing that he and Ladybug simply had a work relationship. But noticed as Ladybug smiled at him.

"Seems like we'll just have to take a rain check on that dinner for two." Ladybug remarked, winking playfully as he then used his yo-yo to leave.

Chat Noir sighed, still love-struck as he too then left.

* * *

Back in the kitchen, Adrien smile as he observed at Marin and his uncle making the soup together fondly. Resting his back against the door frame as he then saw a familiar face out of the corner of his eye. 

"Seriously? Still making soup?" Chloé said from behind with a furious look on her face. "I told you I hate soup! You think the jury is going to approve of this-" She was about to step into the kitchen, earning some glares from Marin and his uncle but Adrien stepped before her. 

"Didn't your father kick you off the jury?" Adrien asked crossing his arms defensively, glancing at his childhood friend in irritation.

Chloé faltered at the confrontation. "Ugh, no he didn't! I... er... I... resigned!"

Adrien hummed for a moment. "I think Cheng Shifu and Marin have the cooking aspect covering. Unless you want to help out in the kitchen again, Chloé?"

Chloé flinched back with a fearful expression on her face for a split second. Then turned away grumbling under her breath as Adrien simply sighed. She may be a handful, but Chloé still was his friend, in some respects.

* * *

Marin's eyes lit up with joy as he saw his uncle receiving a perfect score with the newly created soup. He exchanged a glance with Adrien who also looked happy for the chef as well.

Wang Cheng bowed to the judges respectfully. "Thank you, but is no longer Celestial Soup. Now is: Marin Soup." He said, gesturing towards his great-nephew. Marin suddenly blushed at the sudden attention, glancing back at Adrien who placed his hand on his classmate's shoulder.

"Thanks for coming today, Adrien," Marin said gratefully as the cameras turned back towards Wang and the other judges.

"No need for thanks, today was super fun all things considered," Adrien said.

"I know you didn't exactly come for me, but I'm glad you were here today," Marin remarked, bowing his head humbly towards him. " I heard what you did for my uncle, I'm really grateful to you."

"Huh?" Adrien's joy dimmed a little. "What do you mean?"

"He told me you got him another shot in the competition-"

"No, the other thing, the first thing you said." Adrien clarified, his heart racing with some panic.

Marin remarked rubbing the back of his neck. "I mean, you said it yourself, you're a huge fan of my uncle. Why else would you go along with this?"

"Because I-" Adrien faltered for a moment, his face reddening slightly. "I overheard what you said earlier. To Alya, about why you didn't ask me to go with you. How it would've been a disaster to ask me..."

It was Marin's turn to get embarrassed as he covered his face with his hands for a moment, his entire face turning red. "That was because I wasn't sure you could've made time. Nino keeps saying how you do your best to follow your father's instructions, how much you try to please him. I didn't want to burden you..." He mumbled off, avoiding eye contact as the two teens were equally anxious.

"But it wasn't a burden!" Adrien insisted. "Marin I wanted to be here today because I wanted to become your fr-" Adrien began to saw but was cut off by Marin getting toppled by a giant reptile. Falling to the ground as Fang began licking his face affectionately.

The tense air between them quickly faded as they both began to laugh at Fang's affection towards Marin. Panting happily in hopes of getting another treat from his new friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- This chapter was fun to write.   
\- Alya and Nino are the ultimate wingmen, making up for each other's faults.   
-I enjoy writing Marin's familial relationships, whose dynamics and their effect on Marin will become more apparent as key episodes pass. >:3   
\- I had to backtrack what kind of edible flowers Marinette had in the show, and the closest thing I got was Sweet Violets. (It probably isn't though)  
\- Marin keeps a garden on his balcony, as he enjoys gardening as a hobby, Tikki has eaten the flowers once and Marin has never let her live it down.   
\- Adrien Protecc, He attacc, but more importantly he want that passion fruit macaroon snacc-  
\- Fun story, I once got a masala in my eyes (a really spicy indian spice) So Ladybug's experience is derived from my own. Fun right? :D  
-Poor Adrien, he really likes Marin, but can't seem to prevent himself getting Croc-blocked XD   
\- Fang and Marin will have the relationship I wanted Marinette to have with him. (Also Fang was attracted because Marin always smells like Macaroons)   
\- Marin still thinks that Adrien doesn't really think much of him ya'll. This is the slow burn y'all, Marin and Adrien becoming friends.   
-Ladybug does not mind Chat Noir flirting with him for REASONS. That will eventually be explained...in like season 3...maybe...


	17. Gamer Nation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marin enters the school-wide video game competition and ends up spending an afternoon with Adrien as his partner. But it all comes crashing down when he has to make a choice about the price of victory.

Marin gasped for breath as he stepped into the library, glancing at the crowd of his peers who all had their eyes glued to the screen.

"What did I miss?" Marin asked Rose who was standing nearby Juleka. 

"Adrien and Max are duking it out for a spot on the two-man team, and Adrien's in the lead!" Rose explained as Marin glanced at the board, looking interested as Adrien was surprising good at the game.

"Get ready Marin, this is the year Max totally schools you!" Kim said with a competitive smile on his face, not noticing Adrien slightly turn his head towards their conversation as he heard Marin's name. "He's been grinding all year to level up, there's no way you can beat him."

Marin smirked in amusement, placing a hand on his hip. "Didn't you say the same thing last year?"

Kim took some damage with that remarked, "Y-yeah, but this year it's gonna happen-" He remarked as everyone then cheered. Kim's game face turned into a frown of concern for his friend as Adrien won the game. The two shook hands as Max spoke up.

"Awesome job. We're gonna make a killer combo-" But Max's mediocre victory turned into a competitive fire as he spotted Marin. Instinctively he adjusted his glasses. "I thought you weren't going to show up."

"Come on Maxie, when have I ever let you down?" Marin remarked with immense confidence as the two walked towards each other, intensifying the tense atmosphere as everyone looked onward with excitement. 

Adrien stepped next to Nino. "What is happening?" He asked as he saw Nino's face glow with excitement.

"Marin and Max are the two best gamers in class, well two of the three best." He said jabbing Adrien's side playfully. "It's a total clash, they argued once about what the best gameplay style was and that culminated into a rivalry that lasted for years," Nino explained. 

"Years?" Adrien asked in disbelief. Marin hardly came out of his shell whenever he was around. Yet he apparently had such a bright personality around everyone else?

"Adrien?"

The boy turned his head towards Main who held out his hand. "Would you mind?"

"Huh? Oh, right." Adrien handed over his controller, stunned for a moment as he watched Marin sit on the seat before the monitor, crossing his legs right next to Max. 

"Dude, is Marin popular?" Adrien had to ask seeing everyone cheer for him.

Nino nodded, "Oh yeah. But it's not like he even realizes how much everyone actually likes him."

"Come on, Max, you can do it!" Kim called out in support from the back of the room before getting a glare from the principal.

"Care to continue our yearly wagers?" Max remarked as his shoulders tensed up.

"I assume it's the same as always," Marin said with a sly smile, to which Max mirrored. Alya and Adrien exchanged a confused glance, as the rest of the class cheered. The two probably kept the same wager every time they gamed together, so the two new students would have no idea at what was at stake.

However, the 3 rounds were finished swiftly with Marin losing no health, utterly dominating Max.

"He beat him..." Kim said stunned.

"Beat him? He pulverized him!" Alya cheered as she recorded the entire event.

"The Prince keeps his crown!" Rose cheered, shaking Juleka in excitement.

"Prince?" Adrien questioned. 

"Just a silly title Rose came up with," Alix explained from the back. 

"You keep thinking about combos and don't account for the delay from your actions towards the screen, that's a serious exploitable weakness," Marin critiqued as he held out his hand towards Max.

Max then sighed, "I accept this defeat. I relinquish my position at the tournament. Congratulations, Marin. And Adrien."

Marin's eyes widened in surprise as Max walked away without even shaking his hand. "Wait, Max-" Just as he and Kim were about to run after him Max turned back.

"I'm fine, I lost fair and square. But if you don't mind, I'd like a little solitude." Closing the door behind him.

Kim and Marin exchanged a worried glance, as the principal then spoke up. "So, Marin Dupain-Cheng and Adrien Agreste will represent Françoise Dupont High School at the Paris Ultimate Mecha Strike III Tournament. Good luck to both of you."

Marin sighed heavily as he was just about to chase after Max, despite what he said, but Adrien caught his attention.

"Well, I guess I'll be coming over to practice. See you later?" He asked as Marin looked conflicted.

"Yeah, sure, afterward..." He said he then received hugs from almost the entire class.

* * *

Marin laid on his bed looking up at the ceiling with his hands folded on his chest.

"If all you wanted to do is spend time with Adrien, there are other ways to do that." Tikki remarked hovering nearby chewing on some carrot cake balls.

Marin's eyes darted towards his Kwami. "What are you getting at?"

"You know how much Max wanted to be in that tournament, he's been training for it all year."

"So was I! Ugh, damn Max and his feelings making me feel bad! Ughhh-" Marin groaned in frustration, screaming into a pillow.

"Marin! Someone's here to see you!" His father called from downstairs, making Marin lift his head in a panic. Of course, the nicest guy was going to walk up into his lame room. He thought being overly aware of the amount of pink that he unconsciously surrounded himself with.

"Uh... Coming!" He called out. "Tikki! Stay on the bed!" He ordered, then harshly whispered, "and clean up those crumbs!"

* * *

"Marin and I are finalists in the Paris Ultimate Mecha Strike III Tournament." Adrien explained as he folded his hands behind his back.

"No way!" Tom cheered happily, his face lighting up. "Well, my boy did learn from the best Tom style!"

Sabine smiled warmly. "Marin's been looking forward to it all year. How long have you two been practicing for?"

"We were just paired today. I'm very lucky to have him as a teammate."

"You two are a pair, huh? I'm not surprised. Marin speaks highly of you-"

"Mama!" Marin called out halfway down the stairs, then waved lamely at his classmate. "Come up, Adrien, everything already set up."

Adrien nodded his head respectfully, "Uh, very nice to meet you."

As the two walked up together Tom and Sabine smiled fondly at them.

* * *

Adrien looked around Marin's room, never having been in another person's home before, let alone in a classmate's room.

"Your room is so cool." He complimented turning towards Marin already sitting in front of his desktop.

Marin's face reddened at his comment. "Thanks." He laid out two controllers out, one pastel pink with white polka dots and one light blue. "You can have the first color choice."

Adrien shook his head, "No, no you can choose."

They both reached for the pink but both immediately recoiled, exchanging nervous laughter as Marin took the blue and Adrien the pink.

"Your parents seem nice," Adrien remarked as they played a warm-up match.

Marin nodded, "Oh yeah, they are, they're the best. But you know, they're sometimes, well you know."

Adrien glanced towards Marin curiously. "Sometimes what?"

"Everything going good?" The heard Marin's father ask as Marin paused the game. "I thought just in case you wanted something to eat, they're fresh from the oven." He offered.

Marin glanced at Adrien who smiled sheepishly, recalling his model diet. "Uh... no thanks, Papa. We're training."

"Well then, uh, maybe I could show you kids, some tips, show you the ultimate gameplay style. Dad Style!"

Marin chuckled under his breath. "Thanks, but no thanks, Papa. We have to focus."

Tom smiled brightly, "Whatever you say, my wonderful son." He said retreating back downstairs.

"Sometimes, a little smothering." He remarked. "Ready for online PvP?" He asked as Adrien nodded.

"Yeah, let's do it!"

* * *

Adrien sighed, tired after a few hours of online competition, "Wow! We won again, thanks to you!"

"Thanks to our teamwork you mean." Marin corrected his face reddening.

"We?" Adrien scoffed, "That was practically all you. I guess you wouldn't even need me. I'm so lame compared to someone as amazing as you...

Marin immediately shook his head, "It's just practice." He insisted. "I'm not exactly the luckiest person, so I have to make up for it with skill."

"Even so, I don't think I could ever catch up," Adrien admitted resting his head on his hand.

"Anyone want cookies? They're hot from the oven!" Marin's mother asked holding up a plate of Marin's favorite, chocolate chip.

He could see Adrien's eyes light up so he stood up taking the cookies from his mother. "Thank you, mama. Adrien, do you want milk with these?" He asked.

"Yeah, sure!" He nodded now excited as Marin closed the hatch behind him.

Plagg then popped out, "You should ask for some of that camembert bread!" He requested as Adrien rolled his eyes. "I can't just ask, it would be rude."

"How!?" The Kwami demanded. "You're the guest aren't you?"

"I don't want Marin or his parents to go out of their way, it would be ru-"

"We're in luck there was some of that leftover bread you liked," Marin said bringing up a tray, he then glanced at Adrien curiously. "Were you talking to someone?"

"Me? Uh- no, nope. No one. Just...me?" He said sheepishly. While Marin's back was turned Plagg quickly snatched the bread into Adrien's bag, chomping down as his partner then regained his composure. "So the bread you say?" 

Marin nodded placing the tray nearby. "Yeah, my dad liked it a lot so they started selling it sometimes in the shop. It's getting pretty popular."

"Cool. So," Adrien asked breaking a cookie in half. "Is pink your favorite color?" He asked sheepishly, trying to veer the conversation away from his Kwami's interests as Marin then shrugged his shoulders.

"Kind of. My room's always been this color and everything else was chosen to match the decor." Marin explained. "Have you always been a fan of video games?" he then asked.

"Yeah, it first started out fun, but then my father said that I have to be the best at any hobby I pursue, so I can't let him down," Adrien said, but then his mood dropped at the mention of his father. It was something he seemingly wanted to get off his chest for a little while. "Sorry, I'm being kind of a downer aren't I?" 

Marin looked away for a moment, "Hey, my dad makes the best tarts. How about we take an actual break instead of being in this stuffy room?" He offered to which Adrien accepted with a smile.

They left the snacks in his room. While Adrien went ahead towards the front of the bakery, Marin took two slices of the pie and met with his classmate outside. The two found a bench to sit on as Adrien began consuming the tart, utterly famished.

"You're not relaxed enough," Marin said as Adrien turned towards him in surprise. "You're too tense, and when you're tense it impairs your technique."

"So, how do you not get tense under all that pressure?" Adrien asked curiously as he finished off the tart. 

"I do sometimes, but other times it's a breeze." Marin rubbed this back of his beck. "It's because I've got a secret." He stood up, untying something from the hook of his pants, taking out something that was sitting in his back pocket. Holding out a bracelet with a green charm towards him.

Adrien looked at the taller boy dumbfounded, "Are you messing with me?" He asked.

Marin shook his head, "Just try playing a match with it. It's a charm of courage, it'll help you out, I promise." He said with a warm smile.

Adrien took the charm from his hand, admiring Marin's smiling face for a moment as they both felt the ground shake. Both of them turned to see a giant black robot standing over them as the other people in the park began to panic.

"Please tell me this isn't some kind of publicity stunt for the tournament-"

"Well, well, let's see who's victorious this time! The Prince or the Gamer!" The robot's voice boomed as Marin's eyes widened with realization.

Adrien immediately grew defensive as he pocketed Marin's charm. "Doesn't look like a publicity stunt to me." His eyes then widened as he shoved Marin out of the way of an attack. The two landing on top of each other as Adrien smiled nervously at their closeness while Marin's face was entirely red. "Uh, we better get outta here!" He remarked quickly grabbing Marin's hand out of the park.

He was prepared to defend his classmate again as he heard the robot charge another attack but fell to the ground as Marin shoved him away. The two then evading another attack.

"What are you doing?!" Adrien demanded as Marin started running towards the robot.

"It's after me! Just get to safety!" He called out sprinting towards the roads.

"That guy's crazy!" Plagg remarked popping out of Adrien's shirt.

"Crazy or not we have to save him. Plagg, claws out!" Adrien called out.

* * *

Marin ran out of cover, no spotting any other cars in the area, he just narrowly evaded another blast as he then tripped over a curb. Picking himself up he realized that Gamer's robot shadowed over him.

"Game over, Marin!" Gamer called out in amusement about to crush him as suddenly he was attacked by a baton.

"Mind if I join this server?!" Chat Noir asked jumping onto the street before Marin who was surprised to see him. "Heya Macaroon." He winked playfully as he then wrapped his arms around his classmate. He evaded Gamer's lasers as he ran across rooftops. Safely placing Marin on the roof of a hotel with a satisfied grin.

"Fancy running into you like this." He said with a smile as Marin still a worried look on his face.

"Chat Noir! My classmate Adrien is still at the park! He might be in danger, we have to go back!"

Chat Noir looked away nervously searching for an excuse. "Uh... don't worry. Adrien's not in danger. He'll be fine. You'll be safe here. Just stay put." The hero ordered.

"But-" Marin tried to talk back but Chat Noir shushed him.

"No worries Macaroon, Chat Noir will take care of everything." He said reassuringly then did a barrel roll off the hotel

Marin sighed as he looked at the robot making its way towards the Stadium as Tikki flew out. "Ready?" Marin asked as his Kwami nodded with a determined expression.

"If ever there was a game to win, this is it!"

"Tikki, spots on!"

* * *

Chat Noir tried to disperse the crowd from the parked bus. "Get away from here! As far as you can! Hurry!" He called out as he glared at the robot shooting the vaporized bus. "Hey, tin can! Over here!" Chat Noir tried to grab its attention but the robot ignored him. Instead, favoring to vaporized almost every vehicle in sight. Gamer's robot increased in size, growing arms.

"My calculations indicate that your system's about to crash Chat Noir-" Gamer proclaimed, but then his robot fell over after its legs got tied up. "Hey!"

Chat Noir then watched Ladybug land on the top of the robot with his lucky charm in hand, seemingly a spray paint can. The window opened, and Gamer popped out, which enabled Ladybug to take off his glasses, throwing them towards Chat Noir who quickly broke it, releasing the Akuma.

"No more mischief from you little Akuma. Time to purify!" Ladybug said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion. Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. "Bye-bye, little butterfly." He then threw up the spray can into the air. "Miraculous Ladybug!" He said and everything turned back to normal.

Chat Noir stared at him for a moment as Gamer turned back to normal.

"Did that seem a little too easy?" Chat Noir commented as Ladybug helped Max to his feet.

Ladybug shrugged his shoulders as he and Chat Noir pounded their fists together.

* * *

Marin stood outside the stadium, his arms folded behind him as people walked into the stadium, he saw the entire class pass by then saw his target.

"Max." Marin called out as he and Kim turned towards him in surprise. "You mind giving us a moment?" Marin requested as Kim nodded, heading inside.

"What're you doing out here you should already be inside," Max said.

"I'm not going inside," Marin said. "You're going to compete in my place."

"What? Why?!" Max shouted in shock, but then a wave of realization rushed over him. "It's not because of me is it?"

Marin looked away for a moment.

"Don't do this you've been working just as hard as I have for this competition. I was wrong to get upset before." Max insisted.

But Marin shook his head, "You've worked extra hard for this Max. All you need to do is just relax and have fun with it. Stop overthinking every combination." He said placing a hand on his shoulder. "I know what you're capable of, you're my gamer rival after all."

"Wait a second- You can't do this!" Max argued.

"I can actually," Marin remarked with a mischevious smile. "Loser has to obey one command of the winner. That one command is to compete, and still walk out with your head high." He said handing off his pink controller to him. Max's eyes widened as he recognized the personalized one that Marin always used for good luck.

"You're not staying?" Max asked, feeling jubilant, but still wanting his friend there to cheer him on.

"Nah, Adrien's kinda in the same boat as you. If you wouldn't mind apologizing for me?" Marin asked, pressing his hands together apologetically. But received and an answer as Max immediately hugged him.

Nodding his head in thanks as he walked back into the stadium. Marin sighed under the cool night air. Feeling sad that he wouldn't be able to compete, but even so, he was glad he could do this one thing for his friend. He then stretched his arms above his head as Tikki flew in front of him.

"Are you sure you did the right thing?" She asked curiously, but Marin shrugged his shoulders.

"I did the best thing for Max. Now then," Marin said clapping his hands together. "Why don't we do what's best for us and go get some ice cream."

"Yes please!" Tikki cheered as she hugged Marin's face cutely.

* * *

"So remember, the High Score to beat is 24500, so gamers, hit those consoles. Game on!"

Adrien looked up towards the announcement, crossing his arms in worry.

"Don't worry dude, there's no way Marin misses out on this. He's been waiting all year." Nino said trying to ease his friend's nerves, but he himself was nervous for his longtime friend.

"Yeah, unless there was a really good reason or he overslept, or he-" Alya began listing off reasons but suddenly stopped as Nino glared at her.

"Hey, Adrien," Max said walking up towards them.

"Hey Max what up..." Adrien greeted then noticed the pink controller in his hand, recognizing it from earlier. "Isn't that Marins?" He asked as Max nodded.

"So it's good reason," Alya remarked. "That boy needs to get his feelings in order." Alya muttered as Nino nodded in understanding.

"I may not be the best, but between the two of us I'm sure we'll walk out with the first prize," Max said with determination as Adrien nodded in agreement.

As their school's name was called both of them walked towards the field. Adrien squeezed the good luck charm Marin gave him earlier, walking forward with his head held high.

* * *

The next morning Marin walked out of the bakery with a bag of chocolate chip cookies and croissants as he was suddenly surprised by Adrien waiting for him outside.

"Good morning." Adrien greeted politely.

Marin was about to turn the other way, his face reddening as he realized the implication of ditching Adrien just before the competition. But was stopped as his crush grabbed his hand.

"I want to talk, please," Adrien asked politely as Marin had no choice but to comply.

"I'm sorry about leaving you hanging yesterday. It wasn't a great look on my part but I thought it was the best option for you two." Marin explained.

"I can't say I didn't appreciate it," Adrien admitted. "When my father heard the good news, he said he could let me keep my games."

"Good news?" Marin asked as then Adrien smiled brightly.

"Didn't you hear? We won first prize for the school." He said as Marin smiled brightly at the news. 

"I knew you two would do well together!" The taller boy said. But suddenly was aware he was still holding onto Adrien's hand, quickly pulling it back as he blushed sheepishly.

"Hey- we make a good team as well. Even if you are a little better than me. " Adrien teased as the two then walked together towards the school. "Oh, here's your good luck charm back by the way." He said holding it out. "I think it really saved us during the competition."

"Keep it." Marin remarked, munching on a cookie.

"Huh? Are you sure?" Adrien asked to which Marin nodded.

"It seems like you could get more use out of it than I can," Marin said offering Adrien a cookie to while he accepted. 

Adrien then stopped walking for a moment as they stood outside the school. 

"Something wrong?" Marin asked. 

Adrien hesitated for a moment, then squeezing the charm in hand. "Marin, I want to say that I-" He began to say that he wanted to be friends with him, but Nino cut in between them as he snatched the cookie from Adrien's hand. 

"MY best friend? Stealing MY cookies? From MY Marin?" Nino stated with an offended expression on his face. "Sacrilegious." He said taking a bite out of the cookie. 

"Hey," Alya greeted taking her bag of croissants. "What's the surprise in them today cutie?" Alya asked as she walked with him towards the school. 

"You'll have to taste them to find out," Marin responded with a smile as Alya grasped her best friend's arm. 

Adrien was left standing with his best friend, now glaring at Nino who was shoving cookies into his mouth. Who in turn noticed the animosity, and looked at his friend in confusion. 

"What?" 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- Adrien getting Nino-blocked tho.  
\- Marin is more of a pragmatic thinker, so letting Max and Adrien win was what he thought was most beneficial for all parties.   
\- Gabriel is a jerk, and I want everyone to know that he gives his son anxiety   
-They are still not friends...yet


	18. He's an Animan-eater

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nino invites Adrien to the zoo with himself, Alya, and Marin to maybe bring his best friend and the latter closer. But it starts off on the wrong foot as a Panther decides to make Kim his next meal.

Adrien walked towards his best friend who was reading something intently on his phone. His curiosity peaked as he saw he saw what looked to be a black cat in the photo's so he then sat down next to him on the staircase in the plaza of the school. 

"Hey Nino what're you doing?"

"Just lookin' at the article for that new Panther at the zoo. I was thinking of asking Marin and Alya to check it out later today."

"On a date?" Adrien questioned, still slightly uncertain as to the nature of the three's relationship. Nino said that he was in love with Marin, and Marin and Alya were almost never seen without each other. Not to mention that when they weren't together, they were usually seen together in some pair. He was alright with the idea of his them dating, they already acted as though they were in a relationship anyway. But they never announced anything of the sort, and he never liked to assume anything from anyone.

"Yeah." Nino nodded as he then suddenly lifted his head, "Hey, why don't you come with us?!" Nino remarked as he stood up next to Adrien. "You're still trying to be Marin's friend and what better way to bond than over animals?" He recommended.

"I'm not following you on this," Adrien admitted as Nino sighed for a moment.

"You're already in Alya's good books and she's Marin's best friend. He loves animals, her dad works at the zoo, we all go together, and we all walk out as friends by day's end. What could go wrong?"

"I don't know-"

"What does Mr. Front-of-the-cover-Teen-Model-weekly think he's too cool for the zoo?" Nino teased as Adrien laughed.

"Of course not. But are you sure you want me imposing on your date? After all, you three are..." Adrien dropped his sentence, hoping that Nino would finish it for him. But to no avail, as his best friend simply wrapped his arm over his friend's shoulder affectionately.

"They won't mind at all!" Nino reassured as Adrien simply stared at his friend.

* * *

Marin was looked through his most recent edition of Vogue, this one featuring Adrien as he and Alya walked out of the school.

"See something you like?" Alya teased as Marin smiled at her, hiding his reddened face behind his reading material. But it served to impair his vision as he then bumped into the lead model on his magazine.

"Sorry!" The two said at the same time, both accidentally bumping their heads together. Adrien quickly picked up the magazine, handing it back to Marin who nodded in appreciation, averting his gaze.

"Hey, guess what. Adrien's coming with us to the zoo today." Nino said with a smile on his face.

"Yeah?" Alya said interested as she glanced at Marin who intentionally turned the other way from the conversation. "I didn't think our Adrien had an interest in Zoology."

Adrien chuckled, "Well, not really, but-" He glanced at Marin who wasn't even paying attention, keeping his face behind the magazine. "I always wanna hang out with my friends."

"There you have it," Nino remarked. " Are we all meeting up later or...?"

"We can just head there directly right now, I can ask my bodyguard to drive us," Adrien said.

"Oh-uh, I have to...do some stuff at home. But I'll catch up with you guys later?" Marin asked, rubbing the back of his neck.

"That's fine with me," Alya said as Nino nodded.

Meanwhile, Adrien looked more sullen, "If it's something that we can help you with-"

"NO! No, I mean. It's fine, I'm fine you're fine. Just...it's all good." He remarked, slipping away as he then ran towards his house, leaving his friends and Adrien behind.

"Should we follow up on that?" Nino asked.

"Nah, just let him do his thing," Alya said. "He'll catch up in no time. Besides if we can get there early maybe my dad can get us tickets for the shows."

"Cool." Adrien said in defeat as his plans seemed to already be down the drain.

* * *

* * *

At the zoo, the trio had a good time walking around, eating junk food, and looking at the animals.

"Over there's where my dad works." Alya pointed out, towards the new panther exhibit, she ran ahead waving to her dad on the inside of the tank. When he spotted her he waved back with a smile.

"Isn't that dangerous?" Adrien questioned as he saw the panther walking around freely with his keeper unguarded.

"Sure, my dad's a professional, but that panther was a rescue. Totally domesticated." Alya explained. "Maybe if we're lucky then he'll let us pet her later."

"If it doesn't eat our hands first." Nino joked but then a wave of fear rushed over him. "It's not gonna eat kids right? What if he gets aggressive?"

Alya smiled in amusement, "You know what they say, a black panther's only enemy is the spider. And you seem to be a few limbs short of a spider." She joked poking his side playfully.

"Alya no- you know I'm ticklish!" Nino complained as she started chasing him around the park as Adrien watched in amusement. He was then roped into their game as Nino used him as a shield.

"I'm not a part of this." Adrien said holding up his hands in defeat, but instantly regretted it as it was a trap. Both Alya and Nino ticked his sides playfully as Adrien almost fell over. Sincerely enjoying his time with his friends. He then noticed two of their classmates standing before the panther exhibit.

"Hey! Kim, Max!" Alya called out as Nino and Adrien continued to chase each other around.

Max walked over to them as Kim seemingly was taunting the panther.

"What's up dude?" Nino called out as he caught Adrien in a headlock, messing up his best friend's hair.

"Kim wanted to see the panther, and I'm here to make sure he doesn't get kicked out again," Max explained, then remembered something. "Oh yeah, Marin was looking for you guys." He said.

"He's already here?" Alya asked as both Nino and Adrien looked up. But Nino refused to release his friend on the grounds that he hadn't said uncle yet.

"Yeah, he said he was fine but I think he was seriously lost," Max said. "even though he was holding a map."

"That's our boy!" Nino called out, as Adrien now struggled to escape from his grasp. But then all the fun came to a stop as Kim screamed out. All eyes turning on him and the panther that apparently escaped her cage.

* * *

"Ohhhhh, where is ittt?" Marin wondered out loud as he looked around the park growing more anxious. He had a map right in front of him but was completely lost. He sat down at a bench, wondering where his friends could be. He looked over the map for what seemed like the hundredth time. "The panther exhibit should be around here shouldn't it?" He sighed heavily, wondering where exactly his friends were. He lifted up his head noticing a familiar Hawaiian red pattern shirt in the distance admiring the elephants before Marin was stunned by Kim and Max sprinting by, terrified out of their minds.

"He's coming!" Max screamed out, followed up by Kim.

"Get outta here!"

Marin blinked a few times, then noticed the mob of animals released from their cages running in his direction as Tikki then flew out. 

"This is fine."

* * *

Adrien looked for a way to hide without getting cornered by the released animals, but he couldn't easily just abandon his friends as Alya and Nino ran alongside. He looked around for a moment, seeing that the road forked before them.

"I'll try to grab their attention!" Adrien yelled out as his two friends looked at him in disbelief.

"Dude! That's crazy!" Nino called out but was in no place to stop him as Adrien's plan partially worked. He and Alya ran for a while longer until they both felt themselves being lifted up. Next thing they knew they were dropped in front of an emergency exit.

"Is there anyone else here?" They both turned to see Ladybug standing above them on a cage.

"Yeah, our friends are probably still around here, and that panther is following our friend Kim!" Alya called out in worry "and Ladybug then nodded.

"Don't worry, I'll find them." Ladybug said as he threw his yo-yo towards another pole, swinging into the zoo.

* * *

Adrien thought that he had lost the pack of animals chasing him, but he couldn't be more wrong, and he couldn't transform out in the open like this. All of a sudden he felt something wrap around his waist. Next thing he knew he was being carried in the arms of the person he was in love with across the roofs of the zoo.

"Ladybug?!" Adrien rasped out, his face immediately turning red at the close contact. But the hero was focused on something else, his eyes narrowed. The Hero dropped him in front of the front entrance, placing his hand on his shoulder.

"Are you alright?" He asked to which Adrien nodded, wanting to place his hand over Ladybugs, but held himself back.

"Get to safety," Ladybug ordered, quickly running back into the zoo as Adrien stood there stunned. Plagg then flew out, waving his little Kwami hand in front of Adrien. Sighing in exasperation.

"Kids."

* * *

"You lost, kiddo. What do you think of panthers now?" The panther asked, slowly creeping towards Kim and Max.

Kim backed up in terror, but still standing before Max. "That... panthers are the best-" He suddenly heard Max yelp out as his friend suddenly disappeared.

"Max?!" He called out, then felt something wrap around his waist, sending him flying into the arms of a superhero as Ladybug stood atop one of the cages, out of reach from the Panther and any trees. Ladybug placed him on his feet next to Max.

"There's an exit nearby, I'll distract the Panther while you two make a break for it." Ladybug said as he then jumped down in front of the animal with his yo-yo in hand.

The panther snarled at him. "You're no match for Animan, Ladybug!" Jumping towards him with great ferocity. But Ladybug sidestepped him, using his yo-yo to trap him. He sighed, looking over the struggling animal, then eyeing his violet bracelet. Just as he was about to break it Animan shifted forms, turning into a ladybug, and escaping capture.

Ladybug tsk'ed, resetting his yo-yo cord, not wanting to lose sight on the Akumatized victim. As he stood at the edge of the zoo he saw that the animals began to create havoc across the city.

"Trying to track a kitty cat that's not your partner?" Chat Noir chided landing next to him. " And I thought we had something Bugaboo."

"Actually, it's a Ladybug we're looking for now." Ladybug corrected as Ladybug took out his staff.

"Ooo, my specialty." His partner said with a cheeky smile as Ladybug threw his yo-yo. "So? How do we track this guy?"

"Through his target, Lê Chiến Kim." Ladybug informed showing his partner their classmate's location, implying that he had already placed a tracker on him.

"As expected of my Bugaboo," Chat Noir remarked as Ladybug was already heading towards the city. "Always thinking three steps ahead."

* * *

Ladybug grimaced internally, not letting his expression show on his face as he landed on the roof of his home. His tracker showed that Kim was apparently hiding out here of all places.

"At least he's safe inside this building. Panthers can't open doors, so it won't get inside."

"Until he morphs into a smaller animal." Ladybug remarked as he jumped down to the front of the store.

"Right. But we do have an advantage over him." Chat Noir said as he followed suit. "We know exactly where he'll end up."

The both entered the bakery where Tom looked at Kim in concerns and Sabine glanced towards the two heroes in her shop in surprise.

"Oh, you're..." Ladybug's mother pointed to him in surprise, immediately making him freeze in place for a shocking moment. "you're, you're Ladybug!" She said with a smile.

Ladybug sighed, then nodded. "Yeah, exactly. Would you mind if we took this conversation upstairs?" He asked politely. The couple nodded as Tom led Kim and the rest of them towards their living room. Ladybug crouched before Kim who looked shaken up by the experience.

"You'll be safe here," He reassured, "But we're going to need to borrow your wrist band. Do you mind?" Ladybug asked as Kim then nodded, handing it over. The Hero then noticed Chat Noir observing a framed photo of the 3 family members on the bookshelf.

"Chat Noir." He called out, grabbing his partner's attention, walking out of the door.

"We'll take care of the rest, make sure you lock all the doors and windows. Once we leave." Chat Noir ordered as the couple nodded in understanding. Shutting the living room door behind him Chat Noir saw that Ladybug placed the wrist band on the head of the stair's railing. He then eyed something in the bakery, grabbing it as Chat Noir observed the wrist band. He wondered what exactly were the specifics of his partner's plan. "Hey-" Chat Noir snapped as he was sprayed with something, glaring at his partner holding an air freshener. "What is that stuff?"

"Air freshener. It'll help cover up our scent so Animan can't smell us." Ladybug explained as he then sprayed it on himself.

"Thanks, I've always wanted to smell like... Ocean summer breeze? Couldn't you have throw something nicer on me? What if I wanted to smell like bread? Or a nice croissant?"

"We don't have enough time or the recourses to make you smell like baked delights." Ladybug reminded him.

"You usually do though." Chat Noir pointed out.

"Hm?" Ladybug looked at him in confusion.

'You always smell like cookies...or something..."Chat Noir remarked his face suddenly going red as he realized how that sounded. "I don't smell you, I promise. I just noticed it!" He suddenly rambled.

"We probably smell like what our Kwami's usually eat." Ladybug suggested. "It's why you usually smell like Camembert."

"I do?!" Chat Noir asked, slowly realizing that if he always smelled like Camembert then someone could probably put two and two together. "Uh-Couldn't we capture him inside something like this?" He asked suddenly changing the subject.

Ladybug nodded, "Until he transforms into something bigger." He then looking out of the window, eyeing an empty bus parked nearby. "You think that bus will make a big enough cage?"

Cat Noir nodded. "Definitely. But how could we get him inside there?" He asked as suddenly he could lear the beating of wings, making his ears twitch, suddenly pulling down his partner. "He's coming!" He harshly whispered.

Ladybug narrowed his eyes, looking out the window towards an eagle flying far too close to the shop. "It's working." He informed as the two moved towards the bait sitting across the room.

They both saw Animan transform into a small ladybug. Chat Noir watched as his partner caught his namesake, then glanced towards him, his eyes lit up with amusement.

"Batter up."

Chat Noir smirked in amusement as he quickly took out his baton, the two exiting the apartment in different directions; Chat Noir out of the front door, and Ladybug out of the Bakery.

"Hey, batter batter!" Ladybug called out as Chat Noir nodded with a mischevious grin holding his batton. As Ladybug threw the box at full strength Animan transformed midswing into a panther but still sent flying by Chat Noir's hit into the bus, getting knocked over. Ladybug then jumped on the bus as Chat Noir threw his baton towards him. The black-spotted hero smirked in victory as he extended the staff, locking Animan in the bus with little way of escape. Chat Noir jumped on the bus right next to his partner, watching Animan struggle to escape, going through various transformations until he laid down in exhaustion in his original panther form.

"Ready to free the Akuma?" Chat Noir asked, but Ladybug raised his hand in caution.

"Wait a moment." He said feeling unsettled, then his eyes widened as the bus began to shake with Animan's next transformation. Both heroes jumped off the bus as a Tyrannosaurus Rex destroyed its previous cage, sending Chat Noir's baton flying somewhere. It was as tall as the nearby buildings, towering over them threateningly.

"Hey! Since when do extinct animals count?" Chat Noir complained as Ladybug immediately grabbed his hand, using his yo-'yo to gain some distance between them and the giant creature. The two landing behind a car, as Ladybug threw his yo-yo in the air.

"Lucky Charm!" He called out, receiving an extra-large car jack from his yo-yo.

"Too bad Animan doesn't have any flat tires that need changing, with arms like that-" Chat Noir began saying the car they were hiding behind was tossed aside, the large animal now bearing down on them, poised to strike. Time seemed to slow down as Chat Noir realized he didn't have his baton, staring up at dozens of sharp teeth as he suddenly felt himself being shoved aside. The last thing he saw was his partner's reassuring smile as the T-Rex chomped down, consuming him whole.

"LADYBUG!" Chat Noir screamed out, horrified as the T-Rex looked almost satisfied, now turning his attention towards him. "You're so gonna pay for this..." Chat Noir said darkly, flexing his claws.

"Cataclysm!" He said activating his power but held himself back at the last second as he saw the T-Rex stumble. It shook its head wildly before falling over. Chat Noir's eyes widened as he saw his partner using the Car Jack to open up Animan's mouth, to a point where it couldn't use its jaw. Quickly ripping off its bracelet and tossing it towards his partner.

Chat Noir caught it with his cataclysm, destroying the object as the Akuma flew out.

"No more mischief from you little Akuma. Time to purify!" Ladybug said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion. Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. "Bye-bye, little butterfly." He then threw the car jack into the air as Animan turned back to normal. "Miraculous Ladybug!" He said and everything turned back to normal.

He walked over to Chat Noir who was seemed to be shaken up. "Pound it-" He began saying but was immediately embraced, as Chat Noir wrapped his arms around him. Ladybug allowed his partner to remain that way for a moment as he then returned the hug.

"I'm alright." He said gently in a reassuring tone. "Sorry for worrying you."

Cat Noir then pulled back returning the smile, his hand still resting on Ladybug's waist for a moment until his ring started to beep. "Look like I'll have to catch 'ya later Bugaboo." He remarked, waving as he jumped towards the rooftops, looking back for a moment as he saw Ladybug kneel down towards Alya's father. His smile fading as he could still feel the terror he experienced moments ago.

* * *

"Well, this day seemed to be a dud," Adrien remarked as he reunited with Nino and Alya a few hours later. All three sat inside Alya's place as they relaxed after the hectic affair. "We didn't even get to see Marin at all today." He sighed as Nino patted his shoulder.

"There's always next time dude, maybe with ice cream?" He said with a smile as Adrien chuckled light-heartedly. But the two snapped at attention as Alya sounded dumbfounded, talking to someone on her.

"Where are we? WHERE ARE YOU?!" She remanded, listening for a moment before she sighed. "Just stay there." She sighed hanging up.

"Everything alright?" Adrien asked as Alya stapped her forehead.

"Marins still lost at the zoo, so now we have to find him." She explained opening the front door, as all then backtracked towards the source of this entire ordeal. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- Unofficially this is a prequel for Gorilla, after Adrien realizes that he needs to stop smelling like cheese.  
\- In new areas, Marin will most definitely get lost if he doesn't have someone with him. (And Tikki's sense of direction isn't as great as his)  
\- Let Adrien have fun with his friends.  
\- Fu is actually in the episode when I rewatched it. I planned to have him and LAdybug talk for a moment, but the moment was scrapped.  
-After the fight, Marin thought his friends may have returned to the zoo but they didn't, and he had to use a payphone to call them.


	19. The Magical Vanisher-ing AntiBug

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chloe gets herself an invisible tormentor, which causes Ladybug and Chat Noir to have to deal with an enemy they can't see. But things quickly turn from bad to worse as Chloe gets akumatized and Marin is caught without any cookies.
> 
> ( this title is trash, I admit it)

Alya jabbed Marin's side, waking up from "resting his eyes", and pointed towards Chloé. "Check out Chloé." She remarked, and Marin saw that she looked even more exhausted than he usually did. All-day Chloé had seemed more timid, and tired. But no one really mentioned anything because...well it was Chloé. No one

"Maybe she's missing Sabrina?" He yawned.

"Mister Dupain-Cheung, manners!" Ms. Mendeleiev snapped.

"Sorry, ma'am!" Marin whimpered out, bowing his head apologetically before he turned back towards his friend. 

Alya shrugged her shoulders "They seemed fine last Friday."

Ms. Mendeleiev shushed them both, Alya giggled while Marin apologized once more. Suddenly, Chloé's hair is then pulled.

"Ow!" Chloé yelped out as she held her ponytail.

Ms. Mendeleiev glared at her, "What is it, Chloé?"

"Someone pulled my hair!" Chloé said as Ms. Mendeleiev then glanced at Mylène sat directly behind her, who was shaking her head.

"I didn't do it, ma'am, honest!"

Chloé shook her head, "It wasn't her, it's-it's some invisible mystical being. Like a leprechaun. Or a unicorn without the horn!" She insisted while everyone laughed

"Quiet, everyone! Eyes on your papers!" Ms. Mendeleiev ordered.

" Oh, it's happening again!" Chloé insisted as it looked like she was pulling something back.

"Chloé, sit down!" The teacher ordered as Marin narrowed his eyes, having a sneaking suspicion. He then walked towards the back of the room near Rose.

Things started being throw at Chloé, various supplies from the other student's desks. She slammed into the front desk, breaking Miss Bustier's vase as it shattered on the ground.

"Compose yourself, Miss Bourgeois!" The teacher ordered as it looked like someone was pulling Chloé's ponytail.

Marin stepped in, throwing Rose's glitter at what appeared to be attacking Chloé and a silhouette appeared before the entire class, and invisible being that immediately pushed Marin to the ground before running out of the classroom.

"See?! I told you!" Chloé yelled out, running out of the classroom as Adrien helped Marin to his feet.

"Good thinking." Adrien complimented as Marin averted his gaze.

"It was Rose's glitter." He explained as he held up the now empty bottle. "Sorry!" He called out towards her as she brushed it off.

"Don't worry about it!"

Ms. Mendeleiev clapped her hands together. "Everyone, in light of this recent Akuma possession you all are to go straight home!" She ordered. "I will inform the principal right now."

Marin quickly grabbed his bag and ran out towards the library. Tikki flew out "Somebody seems to have it in for Chloé." she said as Marin nodded.

"That's like saying people drink water." He remarked. "The hard part is figuring out who got Akumatized."

"Tikki, spots on!"

* * *

"Damaging my daughter's reputation is the same as soiling the reputation of the Mayor of Paris, umm, which is me. And an attack on Chloé is an attack on Paris!" The mayor proclaimed at a press conference. As Ladybug and Chat Noir arrived at the same time behind him.

"We'll find the culprit, Mr. Bourgeois. You have my word." Chat Noir reassured as the Mayor then led the two of them inside and directly towards Chloé's room.

"Chloé, my darling? Help has come!" The Mayor beckoned as Chloé then came out from her hiding place,

"Ladybug!" She called out in relief, trying to hug the hero but he sidestepped her attempt. "I knew you'd come to save me! You know, considering what good friends we are!" She remarked, batting her eyelashes at him. Meanwhile Chat Noir investigated the room with Chloé's father standing nearby.

"I have to put out an emergency call to all the biggest designers. Can you imagine? My daughter wearing department-store clothing? How humiliating." The Mayor remarked as both Chat Noir and Ladybug saw the closet filled with off the hanger sweatsuits.

Ladybug eyed the remote, "Do you have any security cameras?" He asked as Chloé immediately nodded.

"Of course! With all my adoring fans, I have to be protected at all times from the losers." She said pulling up various security cameras footages on her flatscreen TV.

"Have you had any run-ins with anyone lately?" Ladybug asked.

Chloé immediately shook her head. "I never have run-ins with anyone. Everybody absolutely loves me." She insisted.

"Really? Not even with your closest friend?" Chat Noir asked picked up a photo from a broken frame.

Chloé turned her head away. "Sabrina? Trust me, she's not a friend, she's more like...hired help."

Ladybug exchanged a glance with Chat Noir before the black-spotted hero turned towards her father. "Your daughter's safest in her room with the doors and windows locked. This enemy may be invisible, but it can't go through walls.

Chloé this time caught Ladybug's arm in her grasp, "I'm sure you'll make my life perfect again! Just like it was before! Maybe after this is all dealt with we could-" She began to say but Chat Noir immediately pulled him away.

"Thank you Chloé we'll be sure to take out the Akuma in a timely manner." He quickly said dragging his partner out of the room. Ladybug had a questioning expression on his face but wasn't going to dissuade his partner from taking him as far away from Chloé as possible. As the two entered the elevator, pressing the lobby floor Chat Noir noticed Ladybug deep in thought.

"Is something up?" Chat Noir asked.

"She's not telling us the entire truth."

"Should we go back there?" Chat Noir asked, even though he grimaced at the thought of doing so.

"No...we need to ask someone who knows Chloé..." Ladybug remarked pulling out his yo-yo, placing it on its phone function.

"Who're you calling?" Chat Noir inquired curiously.

"Adrien Agreste." Ladybug said and immediately Chat Noir's stomach started to sink.

"Uh, are you sure about that?" He questioned. "He's a model, probably really busy?"

"He's also her childhood friend unless you have a better idea."

"Actually..."

* * *

"Whatever you tell us won't leave this room." Chat Noir reassured as they both stood before Chloé's butler at the base of the stairs.

"Mademoiselle did have a run-in with someone." He remarked, explaining the entire story of Chloé's fight with Sabrina and how it ended. Ladybug thanked him before turning back towards his partner, who had the same idea.

"Sabrina seems to be our main suspect." Chat Noir said, picking up a rose to flourish before Ladybug "It's not going to be easy to find someone we can't see."

Ladybug glanced at the rose that Chat Noir presented before him and his eyes lit up as he immediately ripped out all the petals.

"Hey!" Chat Noir snapped in shock as Ladybug then scattered them before the exit points around them.

"Nice idea Chat Noir." Ladybug complimented. "With the rest of the exits locked up, we'll have a better idea where Vanisher is." He said taking off his scarf, now holding it in his hand as he stared at the entrance.

Chat Noir stared at his partner for a moment. "That's not exactly... Huh?" His ears twitched as he heard the petals move, his widened as he saw a few moves behind where Ladybug was standing.

"Look out!" Chat Noir called out as he took out his baton, but Ladybug was already warned, quickly tying up Vanisher with his scarf in one swift move and pushing her to the ground. "Oh." The hero murmured out as Ladybug then threw his yo-yo in the air.

"Lucky Charm!" From his yo-yo he caught a red paint can.

"Looking for me, Sabrina? I'm right here, come on!" Chloé called out, wearing a cosplay of Ladybug's suit, save for the scarf.

"Chloé, you need to leave!" Chat Noir called out as he then hear Ladybug yelp out in pain, clutching his shin in pain as it appeared Vanisher kicked him during the distraction. He dropped it paint can, which popped open on impact, spreading all over the ground. But it was close enough that they saw a vague silhouette of Vanisher.

"If you stop this ridiculousness right now, I might let you be my BFF again!"

"You've got no friends left, Chloé. And you'll never have any, EVER again! I'll make sure of that..." Vanished threatened as Chat Noir swung his baton at her, careful not to step in any of the red paint.

"You don't scare me! Everybody adores me!" Chloé remarked swinging her toy yo-yo.

Meanwhile, Ladybug grabbed Chloé's hand, limping over to the elevators were he immediately pushed her in.

"Hey! This concerns me too, you know!"Chloé argued. Just as Ladybug was about to press the button on her floor she grabbed onto his forearm. "Wait! The akuma has to be in the designer pin I bought her. She's wearing it on her sweater. Such an unfortunate ugly sweater. It was a gift from me.

"Miss Bourgeois, you'll be safer in your room. Please, just leave this to us." Ladybug asked as he pressed the button despite Chloé's cries.

Chloé glared at the hero. "Why aren't you listening to me? I'm telling you, the akuma is in her pin-" The elevator doors closed as he heard a crash. Seeing the Chat Noir had been stunned as the arm where his ring was sitting, was lifted up.

Immediately Ladybug threw his yo-yo, wrapping it around Vanished as he pulled her towards him, slamming her against the elevator doors.

"Aw, look who's come to the rescue." She grunted with an amused tone. He broke her purse off, realizing it wasn't the possessed item as Vanished cackled. She pushed off against the wall knocking him back.

"Ladybug!" Chat Noir called out as he threw the paint overhead. It fell on both his partner and Vanisher, who was more visible. Immediately Ladybug reached for the pin on her sweater, crushing it under his foot at the Akuma flew from the broken pieces.

"No more mischief from you little Akuma. Time to purify!" Ladybug said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion. Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. "Bye-bye, little butterfly."Miraculous Ladybug!" Ladybug called out as everything turned back to normal. There was no more pain anywhere, and Ladybug was wearing his formerly fallen scarf.

"Uh, what happened? What am I doing here? Oh no! The brooch Chloé gave me!" Sabrina looked around in worry but relaxed as Ladybug handed it back to her.

"Any chance you could make better friends?" He asked with some concern as Sabrina looked away with a sheepish smile.

Sabrina insisted as Ladybug helped her to her feet. "I know Chloé can be much sometimes, but she's not that bad, honest!" She quickly hugged the hero, thanking him and Chat Noir and then walked out of the hotel cradling the pin that was gifted to her.

Ladybug held up his fist, expecting Chat Noir to return the gesture, but surprised when his partner glanced at him.

"Why didn't you listen to Chloé? She was only trying to help." Chat Noir inquired.

Ladybug sighed, placing a hand on his hip. "It could've been anyone's guess on which item was possessed. Besides, Miss Bourgeois is an unreliable source of information given her, "friendship", with Sabrina." He explained as the two walked out of the hotel as they were suddenly swarmed by reporters. All of the attention was overwhelming as Ladybug's earrings started to beep. As he started to back away, Chat Noir smirked at him in amusement.

"Don't you ever want to embrace all the love?"

To which Ladybug smirked at, "Heroes don't need recognition when they do the right thing. Besides," He said as Chat Noir crossed his arms with a smile. "you can handle a little more exposure."

"I do live for my audience." Chat Noir remarked as he watched Ladybug escape the paparazzi.

Suddenly someone else stood above the crowd of reporters, clearly, it was Chloé wearing a reversed version of Ladybug's suit, right down to the earrings. "If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have defeated Vanisher. And now, I'm going to defeat you!"

Chat Noir's eyes widened in surprise. "Chloé?"

Antibug snarled at him, "Utter wrong you mangy cat, I am Antibug!"

"Mangy?!" Chat Noir snapped back, then crossed his arms with a cheeky smirk. "I'm not the one who showed up to the party in a bootleg outfit."

Antibug looked like she was about to explode. "Shut up! Where's Ladybug?!"

"Aww, does poor little rich girl not wanna play Ladybug's better half?" Chat Noir teased, trying to buy time for his partner to transform back.

Antibug gripped her yo-yo in hand, one with reversed colors, aggressively attacking the hero with a malicious smile. "We both know compared to Ladybug all you are is dead weight!"

* * *

Marin had managed to make it to the roof before he transformed back, his Kwami landing on the palms of his hands as she looked up at him, exhausted. Immediately he reached for the cookie pouch in his messenger bag but realized the only thing left were crumbs.

"Tikki please tell me you didn't eat all the cookies," Marin asked as Tikki shot him a guilty smile.

"Don't worry Marin, you'll find something..." Tikki murmured out as Marin sighed.

"Ohhhhhh, you're lucky you're cute sugar cube." Marin groaned as he placed his Kwami on his shoulder. Then out of the corner of his eye, he saw Chat Noir fighting against a new enemy. One that had an outfit that resembled his, except the colors were reversed, and there wasn't a scarf.

"Chloé?!" Marin remarked in shock as he recognized the blonde hair.

"Must have heard what you said in the hotel..." Tikki murmured out as Marin gently nuzzled her face with his hand.

"Hang in there sugar-cube." Marin tried to reassure as he then ran towards the hotel's kitchens just one floor below.

* * *

Antibug cackled in amusement as she evaded almost off of Chat Noir's attacks, while he kept getting hit with assortments of furniture that were on the deck.

"I guess Sabrina was good for one thing!" She laughed in amusement as Chat Noir panted heavily, still holding his staff. "Aren't you tired of playing second fiddle to Ladybug?" She asked walking towards him, swinging her yo-yo as the hero tried to retain the distance he had made. Still waiting on his partner to return...hopefully.

"Aren't you tired of copying Ladybug?!" He bit back, his back hitting the railing of the deck. He was only distracted for a moment, but it was enough time for Antibug to make her move. She knocked him using a nearby porch-lamp, laughing in amusement as she stood over his unconscious body.

* * *

"Tikki!" Marin complained as he saw his partner tied up to his own baton, being shaken by the Villainess who was smiling like a child in a toy store.

"Just a little longer..." Tikki murmured as she chewed the cookie Marin had found in the kitchen. Now he had broken into Chloé's apartment bedroom, and could only watch as his partner was being tormented with a news helicopter flying by. "You have to save Chat Noir." She said.

"Me?! Are you nuts!?" Marin asked. "I'd get creamed in a heartbeat, I'm not Ladybug."

"You are Ladybug, with or without the costume!"

Marin sighed heavily as he heard Antibug speak up.

"If you beg, maybe I'll allow you to be one of my new servants."

Chat Noir laughed, "Never! Not with a fake like you. Ladybug and I are a team, he'd never let me down." He said with confidence, only to be shaken up again as Antibug jumped up and down on the pole that kept him dangling.

Marin's heart swelled with guilt, looking around he then spotted something of Chloé's on the ground. Picking it up he recognized the shape of his mask. Suddenly getting an idea he opened up her closet finding exactly what he was looking for. "Tikki, I'm going to need your help," Marin remarked as the Kwami nodded her head.

* * *

"I know you can hear me Lady-brat, wherever you are. You're going to have to choose. If you want to keep Chat Noir alive, you'll have to give me your Miraculous. And if you refuse, well then take a good look at Chat Noir, because this will be the last you'll ever see of him. I'm going to count to ten! One…!"

"Uh… could you make that 20?" Chat Noir asked, but was silenced once more.

"Two! Three!" Antibug stopped for a moment, smiling maliciously. "Nine!"

"Hey!" Chat Noir called out in a panic, silently hoping... Suddenly, he looked up in shock as he a red Kwami hovering before his eyes. "Who are..." Then the Kwami revealed itself to Antibug. Waving as it quickly flew away.

"Ladybug's Kwami!" Antibug called out immediately abandoning Chat Noir to fall in favor of chasing down the source of Ladybug's power.

Chat screamed out as he began falling towards the ground. But caught his breath as he suddenly stopped, feeling that he was being pulled back to safety by his belt-tail. Chat Noir had a questioning expression as he was sitting on the deck, his baton was reset back to it's smallest form and he turned to see a person in a large black hoodie covering most of his body and face, wearing a ladybug costume mask.

"Hey kitty cat." They greeted.

Chat Noir's eyes widened at the pet name only one person called him. "Ladybug?!" He said in shock, looking towards where Anitbug was still running around the hotel. "But, your Kwami..." His words faltered as the same one phased through from the floors, smiling happily as she nuzzled her partners face.

"She's a trickly little one."

"But, our identities..."Chat Noir faltered once more, unable to believe that his partner was near him right now without his normal ladybug attire, save for one exception.

"We're an unstoppable team." This person remarked with a smile, repeating what he himself said earlier. "But I would never abandon my partner."

"So, you think you're so smart, huh? Mangy cat!" Antibug snapped as she had returned, standing before them with an angry expression. Chat Noir stood protectively before his partner, with his baton in hand.

"Round two, Faux-bug?" Chat Noir asked a furious Antibug. Then glanced back at his partner and Kwami.

"Ready?" His partner asked his Kwami who nodded. Under his breath he muttered something, transforming into this normal hero suit.

"Ladybug?!" Antibug said in disbelief as her former hero transformed right in front of her.

"Sorry to keep you, Chat Noir." Ladybug remarked as he stood right next to his partner, who simply shrugged his shoulders.

"Personally, I'd wait a lifetime for you, my Lady. But I'm glad you're here now." He remarked as both of them turned towards Antibug who fled onto the roof of the building.

The two heroes followed after their target, seeing her use her yo-yo to pull the pool cover towards her. Giving them more room to fight.

"I'm thinking the Akuma is in her earrings." Chat Noir remarked as they both stood with their weapons ready. "She was already wearing them when she was akumatized.

Ladybug nodded. "I'll handle this part, you take a breather kitty cat." He said, already noticing Chat Noir's exhaustion from the previous fight.

Chat Noir nodded, sitting down for a moment on one of the pool chairs as Ladybug took the lead. Antibug took a step back, looking like a cornered animal as Ladybug showed no hesitation on his face.

"Anti Charm!" The villainess suddenly yelled out, throwing up her yo-yo. Ladybug mirrored her actions, "Lucky Charm!" Both of them received far different items.

Antibug laughed victoriously as a giant sword fell into her hand, while Ladybug held a banana. "What? You're going to defeat me with fruit? Are you some kind of child?!"

Ladybug merely smiled at her, somehow ticking her off even more so than if he actually responded. She charged towards him, jumping up high, and thrusting her giant weapon down as Ladybug merely folded his hands behind his back, sidestepping her attack as he dropped banana peel. As Antibug tried to pull her weapon out of the broken pool she slipped on the marbles. Falling onto her back as Ladybug quickly removed her earrings. Breaking them under his foot as the Akuma then flew out.

"No more mischief from you little Akuma. Time to purify!" Ladybug said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion. Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. "Bye-bye, little butterfly." He then threw up his lucky charm. "Miraculous Ladybug!" Returning everything to normal.

Chloé turned back to normal, looking up in confusion as Ladybug and Chat Noir pounded fists.

"Ladybug?" Chloé question as Ladybug helped her to her feet, handing back her costume earrings.

"Chloé, I'm sorry about earlier. I would've defeated Vanisher sooner if I'd taken your advice." Ladybug said, being the bigger person as Chat Noir just stared at him in disbelief.

Chloé giggled flirtatiously "Oh, huh. In that case," She remarked tucking a lock of her behind her ear, then grasped his arm. "I might just have to stay your most devoted fan after all!"

The sight made Chat Noir flatten his ears.

"Maybe if you're free after this, we could spend some time together?" She recommended looking up at him with adoring eyes.

Ladybug gently pushed her way, " Thank you for the offer, but I think you should work things out with your friend Sabrina. She really cares about you."

Chloé hummed for a moment, shrugging her shoulder, "Mm. Well, since it's coming from Ladybug. Then perhaps we could-"

"Thank you Chloé!" Chat Noir cut in, grabbing his partner's arm again. "But we need to leave." He smiled, flashing his teeth, but it disappeared as soon as he turned his back, still grasping his partner's hand until they both jumped off of the roof.

* * *

The next day Adrien walked towards his classroom, noticing Sabrina smiling happily with a new broach on her sweater as Chloé seemed to be in a good mood. He was happy for the two of them as he then walked into the classroom, seeing that the teacher's vase was replaced with a bouquet of pink camellia flowers. He turned back towards his classmate, chuckling under his breath as he noticed Marin was resting his head on his arms, his head was turned to this side.

Adrien looked back at his classmate, noticing a pink petal sitting atop his bed head, putting two and two together. Carefully, he removed, not, not wanting to wake him up. But immediately snapped his hand back as he heard footsteps.

"Hey, dude!" Nino called out walking in with Kim and Max.

Adrien snapped his head towards his friends, trying to look natural as he smiled in greeting as Nino sat down next to him. 

"Is Marin asleep again?" Kim asked poking his friend's face as Adrien started to get worried. But his classmate was in a deep slumber, undeterred by the physical contact. 

"Yeah, but maybe we shouldn't bug him?" He suggested as the class began to fill up. "There's still time before class start-"

"Cool, let's draw on his face," Kim said mischievously taking out a marker from his backpack. 

Max suddenly stepped forward. "Kim no, that's permanent marker- KIM!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- Marin stole the hoodie and mask afterward, it wasn't like he had any way to return them. (You may even see the hoodie again in the future ;) )  
\- Chat is a jelly kitty :3 
> 
> -Marin doesn't really mind Kim's pranks, getting him back later one way or another.


	20. Puppet-ot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marin gives into a small child's demands because he's soft, and isn't very good at making good decisions when not in a ladybug costume.

Marin held two home-crafted dolls in his hands one of Chat Noir, the other of Ladybug, sighing heavily. While Manon pouted as she held 3 villain dolls, one of Lady Wifi, the other of Evillustator, and the last one of Rogercop.

"I wanna win!" Manon complained hugging the dolls close.

"But Manon, the bad guy's can't win," Marin remarked, confusing the small girl.

"Why not?"

"Because if they win, then the good guys will lose their Miraculous."

"Miraculous?" Manon questioned tilting her head cutely, hugging the toys in her arms.

"The jewels that give Ladybug and Chat Noir their power." He explained. "Hawkmoth wants them..." Marin's words drifted as he realized that he himself didn't really understand why Hawkmoth wanted their Miraculous.

"And what would happen if he did get them?"

Marin hesitated for a moment before placing a happy smile on his face. "The bad guys…would win!" He said playfully as Manon squealed, running around run as Marin chased her.

"I know! I know what the bad guys want!" She said happily, then holding up her villain dolls. "We want the Miraculous! Then we'll win! Forever and ever! I'm gonna get your Miraculous, Ladybug and Cat Noir! You-you goody two-shoeses! You'll be super duper sorry!"

Marin smiled, holding up his hero dolls. "You won't get our Miraculouses!"

"Oh yeah?!" Manon yelled out, throwing her toys at Marin who then suddenly froze.

"Ugh- you got us!" He then collapsed on his sofa, his body going him as he dropped the toys.

Manon glanced at her sitter in confusion. "Marin?" She asked, now growing worried as he wasn't moving. "Marin!" Her sitter then lifted her head with a smirk, grabbing her in his arms, then tickling her.

"Ladybug and Cat Noir will always win, no matter what!"

"No fair! You cheated!" Manon cried out, half laughing, half annoyed, trying to escape.

"Nope, I just got the upper hand. You have to think ahead of your enemies, that's how you win." Marin advised as they both heard someone coming up the stairs. Manon's mother walked up with a smile on her face.

"I'm back Manon, have you been a good girl?" Nadja greeted as her daughter immediately ran into her arms.

"Mommy! Marin didn't let me win! He didn't play fair and square!" Manon complained as Marin smiled apologetically to her mother.

"Oh Manon, you can't always expect to win." Her mother informed.

Manon then took a step back, "Yes you can! Ladybug and Cat Noir always win!"

Marin knelt down before Manon giving her a reassuring smile. "You'll win next time, Manon."

"Alright, now give Marin back his dolls, we have to go now."

Manon clutched the Ladybug and Chat Noir dolls in her arms. "NO! I wanna keep it!"

Marin exchanged a glance of surprise with Nadja at Manon's refusal. "She can borrow them if she wants, I don't mind."

"That's sweet of you Marin, but Manon already has so many toys at home." Nadja said, then looked down towards her daughter, first taking the Chat Noir doll, then grabbing the Ladybug doll one. But Manon was more defensive with that one.

"NO!" She shouted out, trying to pry the doll back. She pulled on the scarf of the toy, but applied too much force, tipping the head off of the toy that made Marin reflexively touch his neck nervously.

"Look what you've done Manon! Give it to me." Nadja snapped, taking the broken toy away from Manon who looked away. Her mother then handed back the pieces to Marin. "I'm so sorry about this."

Marin shook his head, shoving the nervous feelings in the back of his mind. "Oh, it's nothing, I can sew it up again! It's no problem, really."

Najda then sighed, " Even so, that was uncalled for. Come on Manon, we're leaving. Say goodbye." She said taking her daughter's hand, but Manon tried to pull her hand away.

"I want that DOLL!" Manon demanded, starting to cry as her mother sighed, picking her up.

"Is she going to be alright?" Marin inquired placing his dolls away in his crate.

"It's just a tantrum, she just needs a little while. Come on Manon, be a good girl and say goodbye." Her mother then said gently as she carried her daughter down the stairs as Manon then lifted her head. Marin waved goodbye, watching as the two were greeted by his mother, before heavily sighing. He glanced at his own decapitated doll, grumbling nervously as he didn't want to think about it actually happening. He sat down at his desk, taking out his sewing supplies as he looked over the damage, noticing that only the threads came undone. He probably forgot to tie the end.

He smiled gratefully as Tikki handed him an already threaded needle. Smiling happily as Marin flashed her a grateful smile. Which immediately faded as they both heard footsteps on the stairs. Tikki hid within the sewing box as Marin quickly turned towards Manon walking up and picking up her backpack.

"Manon! What are you-" Marin began to ask but was then cut off.

"I left my bag here." Manon explained as she saw the Ladybug doll lain out. "Can I have Ladybug?" She asked.

Marin looked between the doll and the little girl. "You heard what your mom said..." He said feeling bad that he had to say no.

"She wouldn't know if I hide it!" Manon remarked, grasping the straps of her backpack.

Marin looked away. "Sorry, but I have to fix him up." but Manon caught his attention once more as she pulled on his jeans, wanting him to pay attention to her.

"Pretty pleeeeease?" Manon asked widening her eyes while pouting her lips.

Marin's will quickly crumbled. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Tikki who had moved behind the desk monitor, shaking her head, but it was already too late. "Ugh. Okay, you can borrow Lady Wifi."

Manon looked up at him, still eyeing the Ladybug doll.

"Hurry up Manon! We have to stop by the station!" They both heard Manon's mother call out as Manon turned away for a moment.

"Coming, mommy!" She called out, waving at Marin as she then ran down the stairs. Marin sighed heavily, resting his head in his hands as Tikki flew out with a teasing expression.

"She sure had you wrapped around her little finger!" She had observed as Marin then tickled her tummy.

"What can I say, I have a weakness for baby-blues." He admitted sheepishly as he took notice of Tikki's blue eyes.

* * *

Marin stood alongside Alya at the train station, walking down the stairs together as they were going to the movie theatre today.

"The movie starts in about an hour, you could call up Nino. See if he's up for-" Marin began to say checking the time on Alya's phone.

"AH!" Alya suddenly snapped to attention as she rested her hands on his shoulders. "Marin, nine 'o' clock!"

"Actually it's just past four-"

"Not that nine 'o' clock! This nine 'o' clock!" Alya asked, turning his head towards Adrien standing nearby. Marin's face immediately ran red as he quickly hid behind Alya.

"What is HE doing here?"

Alya stared at her best friend dumbfounded. She loved Marin, really, she did. But sometimes she wondered how he was ever able to function before he met her. "Dude we're going to the same movie. YOU INVITED HIM TO THIS MOVIE WEEKS AGO-" Alya then caught her breath, taking back her phone as she then grabbed Marin's hand. Dragging him into towards Adrien, whose face lit up as he saw them.

"Hey Adrien," She greeted as she pulled Marin from his hiding place from behind her, who waved nervously. Adrien eye's lit up as he was greeted by his classmates. "Headed to somewhere important?" She asked playfully.

He chuckled, "Nah, nowhere special, just a lame movie, with some even lamer people." he said, but couldn't hold back his laughter, his smile faded as he glanced at Marin who seemed emotionally distant. "So, I hear this premiere is going to be pretty good." Adrien said, trying to strike up a conversation.

Alya saw where his gaze was settled on, and elbowed Marin's side, who jolted to attention.

"Uh- yeah. It's uh, a great movie..." Marin mumbled under his breath, feeling the anxiety as all of Adrien's attention was on him while Alya glanced at the two of them with an exasperated face.

But just as she was about to break the tension between them, she started to glow, stepping back in confusion."What— what's going on!?"

Marin held out a hand towards his best friend. His eyes widened in shock as she transformed into a far too familiar form before his eyes. Everyone surrounding them on the platform began running in different directions. "Alya?" He questioned stepping towards his friend.

"Marin! Give me those Ladybug and Cat Noir dolls!" Lady Wifi demanded trying to grab Marin but failed as Adrien stood between the two defensively guarding his classmate.

"Lady Wifi?" Marin questioned as the villain snarled at him.

"No! I'm Puppeteer! And I want those dolls NOW!"

"Dolls?" Adrien questioned exchanging a look of confusion with Marin. The train station beeped, signaling the arrival of the upcoming train.

"I don't-I don't have them," Marin said reflexively, which only infuriated Lady Wifi. His eyes widened as she then pulled out her phone, smiling evilly as she then eyed Adrien. Suddenly, the train shot out of the tunnel, slowing down as the doors then opened. Marin glanced at the tunnel, realizing what he needed to do to protect his classmate.

As soon as the train doors opened, Marin stepped past Adrien, pushing Lady Wifi onto the subway train. But unluckily, she gripped his blaze, pulling him along with her onto the subway car.

"Marin!" Adrien called out in a panic, slamming into the train just as they closed. As the train moved on to the next station Adrien ran into the tunnels nearby. He opened his shirt to call Plagg out of his hiding place. "Plagg! We have to transform!"

Plagg sighed heavily, "Just when we'd shaken off your bodyguard. Now you want to chase after that crazy guy?"

"Plagg, claws out!" Adrien said ignoring his Kwami.

"Wait! What about the movie?! And the buttery popcorn-" Plagg pleaded as he was sucked into the ring.

* * *

Marin was thrown against the train's door as Lady Wifi pinned him using her icons.

"Why do you want the dolls, Puppeteer?" Marin demanded.

"Because you said I could have them! Then Mommy said "no!" So give 'em to me now! Or you'll be super duper sorry!" Marin was confused for a moment as he watched Lady Wifi throwing a tantrum like a...child!

"Manon?!"

"No! I told you! I'm Puppeteer!" Suddenly, Marin was suddenly freed from Lady Wifi's control. Smirking as she tried to trap him once more, not realizing that her Wifi signal was cut off within the tunnel.

"UGGHHH! You're cheating!" She accused, throwing a punch in his direction, which he evaded. Just as that moment, realizing that he did not think this plan through as the train shook as it came to its next stop. Marin fell over as Lady Wifi sucker-punched his gut, making him stumbled off the train at the next stop. The crowd of train goers scattering at the sight of the traumatized victim stepping out of the train car.

"I going to get Ladybug and Cat Noir's Miraculouses, and then I'll win forever and EVER!" Lady Wifi proclaimed with a smile as she now had a signal, standing over him.

"Manon! This isn't a game!" Marin scolded. But Lady Wifi didn't care, just about to freeze him when a pole knocked her phone out of her hands.

"Hey!" She snapped, diving after it as Chat Noir stood at the entrance of the subway.

"The directions say, stand behind the yellow line." Chat Noir remarked with his staff in hand as he helped Marin to his feet. But the taller boy pushed him out of the way again as Lady Wifi used her icon to fly out of the subway.

"A little uncalled for there, Macaroon." Chat Noir remarked, picking up his staff, seeing Marin bow his head apologetically. "The classmate you ditched back there agrees as well." Noticing Marin look a little ashamed being called out at what he meant as a little jab.

"Sorry, I thought that by keeping Lady Wifi in the tunnel system might mess up her powers."

"But you didn't account for getting trapped with a supervillain." Chat Noir finished his thought as Marin nodded, rubbing the back of his head.

"Yeah, sorry about that."

"Don't worry about that, I'll track her down." Chat Noir turned to run out of the subway but stopped as Marin suddenly grabbed his arm.

"Hold on, I think I might know who Puppeteer is," Marin said as Chat Noir looked at him in surprise. "It's the girl I babysit, Manon. Earlier today I let her borrow this doll of Lady Wifi, so I think that she may be after the rest of them."

"The rest of them?" Chat Noir questioned for a moment. "Okay, where do you live?"

"12 Rue Gotlib." Marin answered as Chat Noir nodded with a reassuring smirk, placing a hand on the worried boys' shoulder.

"No need to worry Macaroon. Me and Ladybug will definitely save your kid." He promised as he then ran out of the subway.

Within the empty station, Tikki flew out. "Are we going after him?" She asked.

"Chat Noir will be able to handle securing the dolls, we need to track down the one who's pulling the strings. Tikki, spots on!"

* * *

Chat Noir landed on the roof of Marin's hold, landing on the patio as he noticed there was a skylight. As he landed on Marin's bed he overhead something down below.

"It's really not nice to steal from your babysitter." He remarked, landing before Lady Wifi holding a few dolls in her hand, even those of himself and Ladybug.

"Soon I'll get your Miraculouses, you goody two-shoeses!" Lady Wifi retorted, placing the dolls in her bag as she then pulled out her phone.

"There's only one good two-shoes around here and I'm he's not even here!" Chat Noir said as he used his staff to attack Lady Wifi, easily evading her attacks as she was already cornered. He used his staff to knock the phone of her hands, sending it into the air as he then activated his power.

"Cataclysm!" He called out, destroying the phone as he did once before, catching it in his hand. But was shocked when an Akuma didn't appear and looked around to see that Lady Wifi had escaped...with all of the dolls...ugh, Ladybug wasn't going to like this.

His ring then beeped, signaling his transformation time about to run out, and his ears twitched as he heard someone walking up the stairs.

Uh oh-

Chat Noir quickly, escaped the room, ending up back up on the roof porch. He sighed heavily as his baton then rang, much to his surprise. Already knowing who was on the other line. "Uh, hello?" He asked sheepishly.

"Lady Wifi?" Ladybug questioned.

"Okay, in my defense. I thought that she was going to have an Akuma so I used my power on her cell phone but nothing came out." Chat Noir quickly explained but his ears dropped in disappointment in himself.

Ladybug didn't answer for a while, "Please tell me you at least got the dolls."

Chat Noir lowered his head even though no one could see him. "Sorry."

" Don't worry, I tracked Puppeteer down to the tv station. We'd better find her fast before she takes us both out."

"You're right about that, I'm the only one who gets to take you out." Chat Noir joked, trying to lighten the mood, but the joke seemed to be as bad as he thought it was. Just then his ring beeped.

"Chat Noir your ring?" Ladybug questioned as he heard the warning beeps.

"Yeah, I'm used my cataclysm to destroy her phone." Chat Noir said. "But I'll be able to head to the station-"

"Just stay low for now." Ladybug ordered. "If there's a chance that she can only control us in our transformed state, then you're better off walking on the streets without your hero suit on."

"Aww but then how else would we spend time together." Chat Noir complained as he then jumped onto the rooftops, heading towards the station.

"We already spend most of our time together already." Ladybug pointed out. "I'll try to take out Puppeteer before Lady Wifi has a chance to give her the dolls. See you soon."

"Don't let her make me a puppet! You know that only you can pull my strings!" Cat Noir snickered as Ladybug then ended the call. Even though the situation was a little dire, he couldn't help but look forward to seeing his partner.

* * *

Ladybug walked tried to calm down Nadja as he explained the situation.

"I want to find my daughter!" She insisted, but Ladybug shook his head, trying to reassure her.

"I promise, I'll bring your daughter back, Miss Chamack. But the building needs to be evacuated for everyone's safety."

"But-" She tried to argue again but faltered as she saw Ladybug's sincere face. "Alright..." She sighed, walking out alongside her co-workers as Ladybug then turned into the building. He opened his phone, but then just as quickly put it away as he realized that Alya wouldn't have her phone if Chat Noir already destroyed it, so at least she wouldn't be trouble...maybe.

The other two villain dolls that she probably took were Rogercop and Evillustrator. Both of their weak points were the pen and the whistle, but all together, they could prove to be more than he could handle. He needed a plan, a shared weakness of all four...

Ladybug's eyes widened as he realized what he needed to do, but for the plan to work he needed Chat Noir. As well as a layout of the building's electrical system.

* * *

Behind a pole on the street across from the news station building stood Adrien feeding his Kwami cheese. "I don't suppose you could eat faster?" Adrien asked, spotting Lady Wifi entering the building.

"What?!" Plagg asked, "But I'm savoring my cheese!"

Adrien then sighed, "Could you mind savoring it a little faster?" He said but then spotted Sabrina's father yelling out nearby as he transformed into Rogercop right before his eyes. Who then looked up towards the new station, flying up direction as Adrien could only watch.

"Okay, savoring time's over." Adrien said as Plagg's cheeks were filled with cheeks. "Plagg, claws out!"

* * *

Ladybug stood surrounded by three of his former foes, holding his yo-yo in hand Evillustrator had drawn a new phone for Lady Wifi, so she was back to full power as the threw crept closer. Puppeteer hovered above him as she made the Ladybug and Chat Noir doll float before her. She smiled happily, holding up her wand.

"Cat Noir! Come to Lif-" But before she could finish her words, Ladybug threw his yo-yo to wrap around Lady Wifi, throwing her Evillstrator while he jumped on Rogercop's helmet to grab the doll of his friend.

"You Cheater!" Puppeteer yelled out in annoyance, then turning towards the Ladybug doll with a smile. As Chat Noir burst into the room. "Ladybug, come to life!"

"Noo!" Chat Noir called out in a panic as he saw Puppeteer wave her wand at the Ladybug doll. But nothing happened as the real Ladybug smirked, placing the Chat Noir doll on his belt.

"What?! Why won't my magic work?!" Puppeteer demanded, grabbing the doll, but was taken aback as the head fell off, only barely stitched on. Chat Noir couldn't help but wince at the morbid sight of his partner losing his head, doll or not.

"You should be nicer to your toys." Ladybug remarked, evading Rogercops attacks, as he threw the Chat Noir doll back to him. He side glanced at the door he was closest to, "Think you can handle them?" Ladybug called out as he caught the attention of Evillustrator as Lady Wifi and Rogercop turned on Chat Noir.

"Course!" Chat Noir called out as he evaded Rogercop's shots, the two heroes exiting through different doors.

"Gimme that Chat Noir doll!" Puppeteer demanded, waving her wand, commanding her puppets to chase after the heroes, choosing the chase after Chat Noir.

* * *

Ladybug jumped down the elevator shaft, having no time to wait around, using his yo-yo to steady his fall as he landed on the basement floor, forcing the door open. The entire floor appeared to be used for storage, well that, and-

"You're time is up Ladybug!" Evillustrator called out through the shadowy halls. He flinched back as the lights were suddenly shut off, leaving him defenseless as he couldn't draw anything. Only feeling his pen being snatched out of his hand as he was trapped in the darkness, unable to find his way out as Ladybug barricaded the door behind him. Having to feel around as the entire building was pitch black, save for the elevators which ran on a separate generator. Luckily, he was guided towards it by its floor sign above the doors.

Ladybug entered, being greeted by light, then threw up his yo-yo. "Lucky Charm!" He said then received something familiar to him, a needle and red thread. The hero couldn't help but smile, already realizing what he needed to do.

* * *

Chat Noir heard Puppeteer squeal in fear as all the lights shut off, having no way of seeing as Evillustrator went after Ladybug. He, on the other hand, was fine, seeing clearly through the darkness as he quickly crushed Lady Wifi's phone.

"Rogercop!" Puppeteer called out, waving her wand. "Make the dark go away!" She said in a panic as Rogercop obeyed, blasting a one-way route to the roof, as he and Puppeteer flew up.

"Not so fast, rugrat!" Chat Noir called out, using his pole to elevate himself. On top of the roof, he was surprised to see Ladybug already there, holding something behind his back.

"Hey Puppeteer," Ladybug called out holding up a familiar doll. "You want this?" He asked noticing the child's eyes lit up, her awe then souring into anger.

"The Ladybug doll, get it!!" She demanded as Rogercop flew towards him. 

"What's the magic word?" Ladybug asked, taunting the child who was growing even angrier at the fact that Ladybug was too swift to be caught. 

"GIMMIE!!" She demanded as Ladybug then sighed, shaking his head in disappointment. 

"Chat Noir!" Ladybug called out as he threw the Ladybug doll towards him. His partner then smiled as he used his batton to hit the doll halfway across Paris. 

"I'm faster than you! You're gonna lose, Ladybug!" Puppeteer called out, using her last minion to chase after the doll, not realizing the situation as Ladybug used his yo-yo to then grab her wand breaking it in two as the Akuma flew out. 

"No more mischief from you little Akuma. Time to purify!" Ladybug said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion. Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. "Bye-bye, little butterfly. Miraculous Ladybug!" Ladybug called out, throwing up the lucky charm as everything turned back to normal. 

Manon turned back to normal, looking around in confusion as Chat Noir and Ladybug bumped their fists together. 

"Ladybug! Chat Noir!" The little girl called out happily as she immediately hugged the black-spotted hero as he knelt down. He smiled warmly at her, picking her up. 

"Your mommy's worried about you Manon." He said as the small child looked a little guilty. "Do you know why?" 

"Because I took Marin's toy when I wasn't supposed ta'." She said. "But he said I could!" She tried to explain. 

"But should you have taken the toy? Even when your mommy told you no?" Ladybug asked as Manon shook her head. 

"No...I'm sorry." She said sincerely as then Ladybug ruffled her hair affectionately, causing her to giggle. He then passed off the small child to Chat Noir who looked bewildered for a moment then noticed his earring starting to beep. 

"You seem pretty good with kids." Chat Noir commented as Ladybug took out his yo-yo. 

"You're imagining it." his partner said, but even so, waved at Manon who looked towards him with a smile just before he jumped off the building. 

"So, you like my partner, what about me?" Chat Noir asked, lifting up the small child who laughed happily. 

* * *

Marin panted as he ran up to Nino standing in front of the theatre. "Sorry, I'm...late!" He apologized, trying to catch his breath. 

"Hey dude," Nino greeted. "You're not late." He pointed out holding up his phone, showing it was 10 minutes before the movie would begin. 

Marin then sighed in relief, "I hope you weren't waiting too long." He remarked as Nino shook his head. 

"No, just wondering where you guys were. I thought we were supposed to meet up like, 4 hours ago? But it's fine. Not like I was lonely or anything." Nino muttered, turning his head away as Marin couldn't help but chuckle. 

"Aww, I'm sorry Cookie." Marin said opening up his arms. "Forgive me?" 

"I don't know if I can," Nino said, dramatically holding his head. "You all left me to fend for myself, practically abandoned me, I don't know if I can come back from this..." Nino faked tears as he allowed Marin to hug him, planting a kiss on his cheek as the two then giggled. "So? Where's Alya and Adrien?" 

"No idea." Marin admitted as he walked into the movie theatre with Nino's arm on his shoulder. "We all got separated at the train station after this Akuma possessed Alya to transform into Lady Wifi, then I knocked her into a train car and was separated from Adrien." 

"What?!" Nino exclaimed taking a step back to face his friend. "Maybe LEAD with that next time?!" He then checked his phone, sighing as he held it up. "Adrien's bodyguard caught him, and Alya's still halfway across town at the train station." 

Marin groaned, "I guess we'll just have to watch the movie and spoil the entire thing for both of them, or go catch up with Alya." 

"Dude. Don't even joke, that's the meanest thing anyone could ever do." Nino said with a hint of seriousness as Marin guided him out of the theatre with a haughty smile. 

"Alya it is." 


	21. When Will My Reflekta-tion show, Who I am Inside?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's picture day, and Juleka ain't feeling it. So Marin tries to help her out, but reaches a hurdle when his friend gets possessed by an Akuma.

"Spaghetti!" The photographer called out as the class before them had their class photo taken.

Meanwhile, their class was spread out into smaller friend groups until it was time to take the photo. Adrien something Nino said while Marin looked on, then immediately turned his head away, not wanting to get caught staring. But he could never escape Alya's sly smile as she caught him red-handed, sitting on the stair behind him.

"I know that smile." She remarked as Marin's face immediately reddened with embarrassment. "It's definitely the opposite of the "Please-don't-take-my-photo" expression of panic."

"I'm just not photo-genic why is that so hard for you to understand?" Marin explained as Alya wrapped her arms around him, resting her head on his shoulder.

"Because you are literally too cute, and too handsome not to be immortalized." She remarked, then lowering her tone. "What if we get a photo of you and Adrien standing in the same row together? That would be a great photo." She remarked.

"At least you guys are going to be in the photo." Juleka remarked from behind them, standing next to Rose.

"Juleka, I'm telling you, you're not jinxed! This time it's gonna work out, I can feel it, right here!"

Alya looked down at Marin. "What's this about being jinxed?"

"Oh, Juleka thinks that she's jinxed to only take bad photos," Marin said.

Juleka sighed heavily. "Ever since I was little, every time someone takes a photo of me, something always goes very wrong," she said, but Rose then hugged her waist.

"You're wrong Juleka, you'll see!" Rose said reassuringly.

"Well being jinxed can be pretty powerful stuff-" Marin started to say but he then stopped talking as he recited glares from Alya and Rose as Juleka sighed heavily. "- which is why- we'll do everything we can to make sure it goes right this time. Prepare for the best photo you've ever taken!" Marin said covering up his previous negativity, just in time for the class photo.

" Ok, time to flash your pearly whites, guys! You kids take a seat in the front bench." The photographer said as he pointed to Max, Alix, Rose, Sabrina, and Mylène. "Quickly please, I've got sixteen other classes to shoot."

"Look, Adrien, they're upfront in the baby seats! Go on rugrats, don't forget to take your thumbs out of your mouths!" Chloé Laughed as Adrien looked visibly uncomfortable, rolling his eyes at his childhood friend.

Vincent scanned the crowd of students. "Well, next row! Hmmm...You, you, you and you go stand on the rear bench, please." He said pointing to Nathaniel, Alya, and Chloé and Nino. Stunning Chloé for a moment.

"Wait just one minute! I'm supposed to be in the middle row, right next to Adrien. Preferably the center. Look, we're the same size!" She said, trying to compare heights, but Adrien very clearly towered over her.

"Nah, go stand in the back row, behind the rest." The photographer shrugged

"How dare you, put me behind the rest? Do you know who my father is?!"

"Is he a photographer?

Chloé looked taken aback. "NO! He's-"

"Bummer, I could really use an assistant. Now hurry up and take your place, or I'll put you up front with the babies!" He threatened as Chloé growled at the photographer.

"The rest of you boys, go stand in the middle row." Vincent directed as he smiled in satisfaction. "Perfect! You guys are awesome! Now stop squirming and let's get this photo shot!"

Marin stood a the end of a row next to Adrien near the center. It took all of his will not to smile from ear to ear but noticed that Juleka was still standing by. "Uh, excuse me sir, you forgot Juleka." He spoke up pointing to her.

"Huh? Ah sorry, my bad! Go stand in the middle row, next to that one." He said pointing to Adrien. Marin smiled towards her as she stood at the center of the photograph in between himself and Nino. But the photographer hesitated.

"No, this isn't right! Something's not working here!"

"Uhh, course it's not working! I'm in the wrong spot!" Chloé snapped at she tried pushing Juleka aside, but she wasn't' budging.

"You, move over there will you? Lets see... ah perfect!"Vincent said rearranging the entire class so that now Juleka was standing at the end, while Marin was in the center next to Adrien.

Marin placed his hand on Juleka's shoulder, "You can take my place," he whispered, stepping aside so she could pass him.

"But-" she tried to say, but he shook his head.

"No one's gonna care." He reassured as she then stood between him and Adrien in the center of the photo. But he was proved to be wrong as Chole then yelled out.

"Seriously?!My spot is unacceptable, and little Miss cyclops gets to stand in the center?!" Chloé said as she tried to stand in front of her, but Juleka shot her an annoyed expression.

"Leave her alone Chloe." Marin tried to defend, but she ignored him.

"Ms. Bourgeois, behave yourself!" The teacher called out, quelling Chloe for at least a little while.

"Say spaghetti!"

"Spaghetti!"

As the photographer went to click the photo but realized that the camera was out of battery. "Ah, wait one moment please, I have to go and fetch another battery. Nobody move!" Everyone sighed, wanting this to be over already.

"Excuse me," Juleka remarked as she walked past Marin towards the teacher. He didn't hear what she said but walked off towards the other end of the school. However he did notice Sabrina following after her, making him uneasy as Chloé was smiling evilly.

"I want you to flash your best smiles! Because it's the last time we are doing this! Ready, say Spaghetti!" Vincent said setting up the camera once more as Chloé all of a sudden jumped in the center, knocking over Marin while hugging Adrien's arm tightly, "Perfect, Thanks kids!" He said as the lunch bell rang.

Kim helped Marin up as he immediately called out to the photographer. "Wait! Please sir, we have to redo the photo!"

"Why's that?" Principal Damocles asked, suddenly speaking up.

"Because Juleka's not in it! Tall with the purple streaks?" Marin explained.

"Didn't she go to the bathroom-" Adrien recalled as Chloé cut in.

"Uh, Mr. Damocles, aren't we meant to be heading off to lunch? And aren't you paying the photographer by the hour?"

"Why yes! No time to retake, class move along, now!" The principal ordered as Marin glanced towards Sabrina just evaded his gaze.

"Rose." Marin called out as the smaller girl came over, "Could you check and see if Juleka's still in the restroom?"

She simply nodded as he followed her towards the locker room, waiting outside as he heard something being moved. The next thing he knew Juleka was running out of the restroom crying her eyes out as Rose tried to follow. The two managed to catch her just as she was about to leave campus.

"Juleka!" Marin called out, grasping her hand. "What happened?"

His friend pulled her hand back, her eyes red, "I told you didn't I, I'm jinxed! Why should I expect it to be any different? Nobody ever hears me. Or sees me. I'm invisible. Even in photos!" She remarked running off-campus as he and Rose looked on in concern.

"What do we do?"

Marin hummed for a moment. "We already tried convincing her..."

"She really does have the class photo jinx, we have to do something for her." Rose remarked, her eyes lighting up with determination.

"To be fair, I think she was, jerked, more than anything. But you're right. If we can't convince her, then we'll have to show her." He said as they walked back into the school.

"We can ask the photographer," Rose suggested.

"The school pictures are permenant...but I think I have an idea," Marin remarked. "Think you could bring Jukela to the park after school today? And the entire class?"

"No problem!" Rose reassured as Marin ran towards the second floor of the building.

As Adrien walked out of the restroom he overheard screams within the courtyard, slowly opening the door he saw a new villain blasting other students, making them into reflections of her.

"Chloé Bourgeois?! Where is Chloé Bourgeois?!" She demanded as Adrien ran back into the bathroom stalls. He opened his shirt, as Plagg flew out.

"Is it time for my close up?" He asked.

"No chance of that, Plagg, Claws out!"

* * *

"Here it is," Marin remarked opening a locker within the art classroom. Just had just placed the item in his bag as he overheard screams from outside. Looking through the window he saw that there was a new villain blasting students, making them into reflections of herself.

"Juleka?!" Marin gasped as he recognized the bracelet on the copies, the same one that Juleka always had on her wrist. He narrowed his eyes as he noticed that the entire form was changed. Nothing that his classmates were previously wearing could be retrieved after the transformation. He thought for a moment as he then opened his messenger bag. "Tikki." He called out as the red Kwami hovered before him, who then grew worried as Marin began to remove his earrings.

"What are you doing?" Tikki asked as Marin nuzzled her with the back of his hand.

"I’m asking you to trust me, my little sugar cube."

Tikki nodded, giving her consent as Marin then removed his earrings. His precious friend disappearing in the process as he placed the earrings in a small box sitting nearby, all inside of a tote bag that was used to hold art supplies.

* * *

"It's blocked!" Chat Noir remarked as he tried to remove the barricades preventing the students from leaving.

"Check it! Cat Noir is gonna save us!" One of the students called out as Chat Noir then turned to see who he thought was the original holding her bracelet towards him. Just as she was about to blast him, her arm was suddenly grabbed and they both turned in both shock and surprise when Marin was the one who stopped her. 

“Juleka you have to stop this!” Marin pleaded, but his grip was reversed as he wasn’t anticipating her strength. 

“I'm not the Juleka nobody notices anymore! Now, I'm the unmistakable Reflekta!” She remarked with a smile. 

“NO!!” Chat Noir called out as Marin was blasted point-blank into a reflection and then kicked to side by the villainess. 

Chat Noir growled as he held his arm towards the air. "Cataclysm!" He called out, activating his power. Just ask he was about to touch the bracelet, he was blasted with her ray, tripping over his own feet as he could hear her laugh at him.

"Much better! I hate cats!" The villain laughed as Chat Noir gasped in shock.

"My ring, my Miraculous, it's gone!" She then turned her attention towards the growing crowd. "Where is Chloé Bourgeois!?" She demanded, jumping onto the stairs and then to the second floor where Chloé was running for her life. 

Chat Noir tripped atop the staircase as he tried to scale it, but didn’t account for the newly added weight of his heels. He was helped to his feet by one of the reflections. 

“Ladybug!” Reflekta called out, “Soon, like everyone else you will look just like me! But first, I'll take your Miraculous as a trophy!” She remarked, then jumping onto the rooftops. 

Chat Noir grimaced as he felt powerless. “My powers might be gone but I can't just stand by and do nothing!” He said as he then heard the reflection who helped him up sigh, still holding his hand. 

“Haven’t you learned anything, Kitty cat?” He asked, winking playfully. 

“ Ladybug?” Chat Noir asked in shock, his eyes widening as his partner had gotten himself into the same situation as he. He allowed his partner to guide him towards the empty art room. Locking the door behind them as he then immediately began searching the room for something. 

“Why are you here? And how did you end up like that?” Chat Noir asked still stunned. 

“I believe the same answer applies to both questions.” Ladybug responded, taking out a tote bag. 

“But how are we supposed to fight Reflekta like this? Without our Miraculous?” 

Ladybug sighed, “I’m guessing you didn’t take special notice to Reflekta’s powers? The ability to mold others into her own reflection, down to the wedged heels.” Ladybug said as Chat Noir looked down at his shoes. “I made a backup plan just in case I couldn’t get her bracelet.” Ladybug then took out a small box from the bag. Opening it up, he revealed his own Miraculous still in one piece. 

Chat Noir looked at him in awe as he then put on the earrings, summoning a red orb of light that materialized into a familiar small red Kwami. She glanced towards Chat Noir in confusion. 

“Chat Noir, this is my Kwami, Tikki.” Ladybug introduced as the confusion cleared from Tikki’s eyes. 

“I’m pleased to make your acquaintance.” The small Kwami said, giggling as Chat Noir nuzzled her face as he would Plagg. 

“Mine’s not nearly this cute.” He admitted half-jokingly. “So what’s the plan?” He asked. 

“A game of cat and mouse.” Ladybug simply explained. “Your favorite.” 

Chat Noir couldn’t help but smile as Ladybug looked towards his KWami. 

“Tikki, spots on!” 

* * *

Ladybug carried Chat Noir across the city towards the TV station as he carefully landed, placing his partner on his feet. 

“Ugh- stupid shoes!” Chat Noir hissed as he almost tripped once more. So Ladybug gave him his hand to help balance as the two walked into the TV station together. “How can women wear these?” He asked under his breath. 

“Try putting more weight on your toes rather than your heels.” Ladybug recommended as they both entered the elevator of the abandoned building, everyone had evacuated due to the Akuma attack. 

“How would you know that?” Chat Noir asked curiously but sighed heavily as Ladybug shrugged his shoulders. 

“See? This is why we need to communicate more. How am I suppose to get to know you better if you keep avoiding personal topics?” Chat Noir asked half-joking. 

“Believe me, it’s not really a, distinguished story.” Ladybug said as he helped Chat Noir walk out of the elevator on their floor. 

“I’d really enjoy the silly ones. I’ll tell you one if you tell me yours.” He prompted, at least getting a small smile out of his partner before he said. 

“You know why we can’t do that.” 

“Yeah, but it’s nice to dream a little, Bugaboo.” Chat Noir said flirtatiously as they entered the studio. Already seeing a camera set up. 

* * *

“ People of Paris! Reflekta is not invincible! You can help, all you have to do is put on a disguise! Then I'll be able to spot the real Reflekta and bring her down! Remember, put on a disguise! I'm relying on you all!”

“And cut!” Chat Noir said as Ladybug stepped off the stage. “Got it, but isn't your plan a bit complicated?” 

Ladybug looked at him as Chat Noir caught on. “Right, patience. Can I assume that I am the key to one of your famous, marvelous plans?” He asked. 

Since you don’t have your night vision, it’ll be a little more tricky. But doable. All I need to be is bait.” He said handing him the yo-yo. “On my signal, we’ll wrap up this problem.” 

“...I like my jokes better.” 

* * *

About an hour in, Reflekta walked in as Ladybug stood in the center of the studio. His head lowered as his eyes were closed, holding his lucky charm behind his back. Chat Noir looked on in confusion as Ladybug didn’t send a signal, yet Reflekta was standing right there. 

He tensed Reflekta ran towards him, but Ladybug easily disarmed him, almost too easily as he broke the bracelet under his foot. No Akuma flew out, as Ladybug kept his eyes trained on the door. Chat Noir watched as the real Reflekta walked into the studio. 

“What gave me away?” She asked, holding up her bracelet. 

“You can’t not hear two pairs of heels in halls like these.” He responded pulling out Lucky charm, a camera with ladybug print., “Say Spaghetti.” winking as Chat Noir recognized his cue, blinding Reflekta for a moment as Chat Noir threw Ladybug’s yo-yo, wrapping it around her as she then fell to the ground. 

“My Lady.” Chat Noir called out as he tossed the bracelet towards him, then smashed it under his foot as the Akuma flew out. Then tossing him his yo-yo as Juleka turned back to normal. 

"No more mischief from you little Akuma. Time to purify!" Ladybug said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion. Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. "Bye-bye, little butterfly. Miraculous Ladybug!" Ladybug called out, throwing up the lucky charm as everything turned back to normal.

“I was getting used to the heels, but those things should be illegal.” Chat Noir remarked as he turned back to normal, along with the other reflection that turned out to be the Mayor. 

“Where am I?” Juleka asked Ladybug helped his friend to her feet. 

“Could you take this girl back to her school please, Mayor Bourgeois?”

“Yes, of course, Ladybug.” He said as Ladybug earring began to beep. 

“Thank you sir.” He nodded, then quickly pounded fists with Chat Noir as he ran past. Feeling his partner’s smile in his chest as a smile drew onto his lips. 

* * *

Marin placed the battery in the camera as Alya called out to him. 

“We all good over there?” Alya asked as the rest of the class gathered around the bench. 

“Yup.” Marin smiled, holding up a digital camera he borrowed from the school. As all his classmates gathered together, save for Chloé and Sabrina who both refused the invitation. Marin couldn't help but smile as Juleka was fiercely blushing under all the attention she was receiving. “Okay ready? Say, Juleka!” He giggled as she saw Juleka blush even further as everyone played along. 

They spent the entire evening taking photos with Marin manning the camera the entire time. He sat on the bench sitting between Rose and Juleka who were jubilant with the results. 

“The photo curse is broken!” Rose proclaimed happily as she hugged her friend. 

Juleka nodded, resting her head on his other shoulder. “Thank you, Marin.” 

”This photo shoot was a good idea,” Marin froze as Adrien stood before them, feeling his face heating up. “You know I’ve been around cameras a while, maybe I should take one of you?” 

“Uh-” Marin was about to name hundreds of reasons why he couldn’t, wouldn’t, and shouldn’t but faltered as Adrien took out his phone while Juleka and Rose made room for him. 

“I did promise a while ago that we’d take a few photos together,” Adrien said with a smile that could only match the sun’s radiance. Which made Marin plant his face in his hands as he sincerely hoped that his ears weren’t red. 

“I was kind of hoping that you forgot…” He said lifting his head, now noticing Adrien sitting next to him. 

“Do you not want to?” Adrien asked now concerned. 

“No no!” Marin immediately said, holding up the camera to hide his flushed face. “I want to…” He admitted as Adrien’s smile came back in full force, scooting closer and resting his arm over his shoulders, holding his phone up in selfie mode. Secretly engraving this precious memory in his mind forever, at least until he could ask for the photo.


	22. Pixelator-ing Mr.Stone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's a career day. Both Marin and Adrien get pixelated. Someone finds out Marin's secret identity. 
> 
> End of Summary.

"Thanks to the generosity of Mr. Bourgeois, we're able to have our work experience field trip today at the Grand Paris luxury hotel. Each of you will get hands-on experience with one of the many jobs here at the hotel. You'll be graded on your effort, which will affect whether you pass or fail the class." Miss Bustier explained as she passed out class assignments. She checked over her clipboard again as Marin snuck a glance at Chloe cozying up to Adrien behind the front desk.

"Do you have Marin and Alya on your list, Mr. Bourgeois?" Miss Bustier asked.

"It doesn't look like it." The mayor and his teacher looked over the clipboard again

"Daddy!" Chloé called over her father, handing him a piece of paper with an uncharacteristically happy smile drawn on her face.

"Thank you, sweetie. Oh yes! Alya, you're going to be... sorting trash at the main dumpster."

Marin immediately glanced at his friend who crossed her arms in displeasure.

"I bet I know who helped Daddy make the assignment." She said under her breath.

Marin gave her a reassuring smile, despite the fact that he believed his day would be worse than his friends'...somehow.

"And, Marin will be a Gopher."

"Gopher?" Alya confirmed as he glanced at her friend.

"Yup, send the physically inept on to run all across the city, seems about right." Marin groaned, lowering his head in defeat as Alya patted his back, giving him a reassuring smile.

* * *

Marin walked into a suite along with Mr. Bourgeois, being greeted by Jagged Stone's manager of all people. "Mr. Stone is going to need a new pair of shades for tonight's gig. Red, white and blue with two large Eiffel Towers on them. Can you get that for him?"

He was just about to ask where exactly he was supposed to get said glasses, but Mr. Bourgeois cut in, placing his hands on his shoulders.

"Of course we can! Marin here is our gopher for the day. He'll take care of that for you."

Marin could only fold his hands together, nodding. "I'll do my best. But if I could maybe get a reference to any sto-" He was about to say, but then Mr. Bourgeois hid behind him.

"Hiya." Marin said with a smile, completely unafraid as he waved to he reptile trying to nuzzle through Penny to get to the person who previously gave him snacks. 

"A-Anyway, I'm sure Marin will be up to the task! Very good, come along now son." Mr. Bourgeois said quickly, dragging Marin out of the room as he overheard Fang whimpering behind. 

* * *

Making his way across the city was a chore. Marin was forced to take off his blazer, due to the heat of the sun and all the walking, placing it over his arm. He thanked the vendor for the sunglasses, pulling them out of the bag. "These should do the trick...right?" He asked Tikki, looking at a pair of sunglasses with grey frames and tiny yellow sunglasses.

Tikki looked out of his messenger bag. You know these aren't even close to what Mr. Stone wants.

Marin grumbled for a moment, "How is this the closest thing to what I was requested for..."

"Just saying, it's better in a long run to do it right the first time," Tikki said munching on one of the remaining macaroons. "Those sunglasses exist somewhere... Get creative!"

He chuckled at his Kwami. "You want something done right, you gotta do it yourself," Marin said, putting on the sunglasses himself, grimacing as he realized that he couldn't return them at all, as well as the fact that he had to walk all the way back to his house.

* * *

Adrien tried to ignore Chloé who had been having a one-sided conversation. He was looking down at his phone, completely envious of his best friend working in the kitchen, having access to all the cookies. Which he made sure to let Adrien know, as he scrolled down on all the selfies of Nino eating cookies with his group. He only lifted his head as he heard someone walk in.

"Hey Kim."

Adrien looked up to see Marin walking in with a paper bag in hand, no longer wearing his blazer. His hands had bandages on it, and were covered in paint, but somehow the strangest thing was the pair of tourist sunglasses on his head. He greeted Kim who giggled at his friend's appearance, then walked into the lobby.

"Hi Mar-" He was about to greet but Chloé beat him to the greeting.

"Failed as a gopher already? Not surprised. Don't let the door hit you on the way out!" She laughed as Marin gave her an unamused expression, making eye contact with Adrien for a moment as he then walked towards the elevators.

"Why are you always so mean to him?" Adrien suddenly asked as Chloé laughed at the question.

"Why not? He's so pathetic it's hilarious." She laughed as Adrien sighed resting his head on his hand.

"Is that how you think of the rest of our class too?"

"Oh Adrikins," Chloé sighed, grasping his arm. "still native to how school politics work." She remarked the conversation was them dropped as someone else walked into the lobby. He was dressed up weird, in what looked to be some kind of futuristic suit. "Oh, look what the cat dragged in. Watch and learn Adrikins." Chloé said walking up to the man. "Excuse me... Excuse me! You can't be a guest at this hotel! My father only allows the most important celebrities. Like me."

Adrien slapped his forehead in embarrassment.

"Well then, I am Pixelator. Your number one fan."

All of Adrien's red flags went up, as Chloé only smiled.

"Me? Oh, my, you're flattering me. Keep going."

"A photo of you, sweet miss.." He asked just as he was about to press a button on his face lens.

"Chloé!" Adrien called out, grabbing her arm, but wasn't fast enough as the two were zapped by the lens, and then transported to an endless empty plane.

"What the..." Adrien murmured as Chloé clung to his arm.

"What just happened?!" Chloé then sighed, "Well, I can fix this. Leave it to me." She said pressing one of the speed dial buttons. "Hello Daddy?... Daddy... Daddy?!" She checked and gasped in horror.

"I think we've been like... digitized or something." Adrien reasoned as he looked around.

"What do you mean, digitized?!" Chloé grasped his arm tighter, looking around in worry.

Adrien shrugged his shoulders, allowing Chloé to cling to him. "I don't really know, but I don't think it's a good thing."

Especially since I can't transform with Chloé here. Adrien thought to himself, realizing that he truly was trapped so long that Chloé was with him.

He sighed, looking up at the endless white sky, sincerely hoping that Ladybug would be able to get him out of this situation as soon as possible.

* * *

Marin knocked on the door to the Jagged Stone suite and was greeted by Jagged Stone's manager. "Please, come in." She said as Marin lowered his head reflexively, trying to keep himself together as he saw THE Jagged Stone sitting before him, playing his guitar as Fang's eyes lit up at the sight of his treat giver.

"I think I, uh, found the glasses you wanted, sir." Marin said sheepishly, handing over the bag, hiding his hands as he saw Penny glance at them. He tried to suppress his smile as he saw Jagged Stone's eyes widen in surprise at the glasses that were in the bag.

"Woah! These are perfect! Exactly what I wanted!" He exclaimed in excitement immediately putting them on, just as someone knocked on the door.

Marin knelt down, petting Fang as his tail wagging happily, sniffing his bag for more snacks. "Who are you?!" Penny called out in shock moments before she suddenly disappeared. Then walked in a person who was clearly Akumatized, smiling as he had a lens on his face. Smiling as he pressed a button towards Marin.

Next thing he knew, he was standing in an endless white plane. "Where am I?" He murmured in confusion, rubbing the back of his head. But snapped to attention as he felt something nuzzle his leg, seeing that Fang was dragged along with him into this...alternate dimension? He wasn't completely sure. But one thing he was sure of, was that he couldn't stay here. There was no one around him, save for the crocodile, so he opened up his bag. "Tikki." He called out as the Kwami flew out. "I need some input here." He asked as Tikki looked around.

But the Kwami shrugged her shoulders. "Transform?" She recommended.

"What?" Marin asked, unable to believe what he was hearing. "I can't transform here, what if someone finds out who I really am? I don't even know where we are." He said gesturing to the area they were in.

"It doesn't seem like you have any other option. Unless you want to rely on Chat Noir." Tikki informed.

Marin hummed for a moment, then sighed as he realized he had to take matters into his own hands. "I can't rely on him when I don't even know where he is." He admitted. Both he and his Kwami glanced at Fang who was wagging his tail happily, looking between the two, no idea what was happening but just happy to be there.

"Tikki, Spots on!"

Marin transformed into Ladybug. Still being watched by the crocodile who now rolled onto it's back, exposing his belly, asking to be petted.

"In a second," Ladybug promised as he threw up his yo-yo in the air. "Lucky Charm!" He called out, and almost fell over as a jackhammer landed in his hands. "Huh. How practical."

* * *

"Ugh! I still can't get through to Daddy! How can there be no cell reception here? Ridiculous!" Chloé complained as Adrien sighed, both had been walking for about an hour.

"It just goes on forever. No doors, no walls, no nothing..." He observed.

"You mean we're stuck here? Just... just the two of us?" Chloé suddenly said, grasping onto his arm.

"Uh, no. No." Adrien said pushing her away. "I'm, gonna see if there's a way out down there. Don't go anywhere. It could be dangerous." He said immediately turning around and opening his coat. "Plagg, I gotta find some way to transform." He harshly whispered.

"Come on, what's the rush?" Plagg remarked, staring at his partner who was glaring down at him. Plagg then sighed heavily, "Fine. If you insist, at least find me some cheese."

Adrien groaned as he remembered that the only camembert he brought was in his backpack.

"Ladybug, please get us out of here..." He groaned as Chloé grasped onto his arm again.

* * *

Ladybug landed in the exact spot he was shot in alongside Fang. Ending up watching as Pixelator was harassing Jagged Stone pleading for his life.

"NOO!" THe rockstar yelled out on his bed.

"Please, I want to immortalize you, Jagged! I'll be your one and only fan! You will belong to me for eternity! Now, look into the lens..."Pixelator requested but turned around as he heard a shrill whistle. And then promptly had a jackhammer thrown at him, breaking his lens to release the Akuma inside.

"No more mischief from you little Akuma. Time to purify!" Ladybug said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion. Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. "Bye-bye, little butterfly. Miraculous Ladybug!" Ladybug called out, throwing up the lucky charm as everything turned back to normal.

The man who was Akumatized previously turned back to normal, looking around in confusion, before he picked up his camera.

"Stop harassing ." Ladybug bluntly said with a cold expression on his face, as Penny walked up next to him. "If you are actually an admirer of his, then you'd know better not to impose yourself on his personal life."

"But..."The man began to say but held his head as it was clear he wasn't in the right within this situation. Penny escorted him out as Jagged Stone quickly shook Ladybug's hands.

"Thank you so much! I thought I was a goner there for sure." The rockstar admitted as he then spotted his beloved crocodile. "Fang!" He called out, then quickly hugged his happy gator as Ladybug was just about to jump out the window. "Hey wait a sec. Where's that kid?"

Ladybug froze for a moment as the Rockstar looked around for his alter ego. With the only witness's back to him, he quickly transformed back to his other self behind the curtains. Stepping out, he noticed that Fang was already wagging his tail. As he had seen everything.

"Uh, I'm back here," Marin called out sheepishly, as Jagged Stone turned around in relief.

"Phew, for a second there I thought that you were a goner kid." He said as Fang walked towards him, rolling onto his back as he wagged his tail.

Marin chuckled as he knelt down. "I did promise didn't I?" He murmured under his breath as he petted the gator.

* * *

Adrien ended up back in the lobby, noticing a horde of magical flying ladybugs returning everything back to normal.

"Dudes! You just scared me!" Nino called out as he had fallen from behind the desk with an annoyed expression.

"What happened?! Did we miss Ladybug?!" Adrien practically demanded as ran towards his friend.

"I don't know, probably? Magic ladybugs don't just fly around on their own." Nino remarked as Adrien sighed. "Hey but don't worry about it, why do you think I've been standing here?" He held up his fist as Adrien returned the gesture, with a smile.

* * *

At the end of the day, Adrien waited outside the hotel for Nino as he saw Alya squeal, hugging Marin tightly. Alya then glanced towards him, whispering something in Marin's ear. It was probably something terrible as all the color on Marin's face drained almost immediately, then proceeded to try and leave. But was unable to escape Alya's grasp.

"Okay, I took all the cookies, let's go." Nino said walking out of the hotel, gesturing to his now swollen backpack.

"Hello, boys." Alya greeted as she held onto Marin's hand, though it was clearly against his will as he hid his face in his free hand. "Any plans this evening?"

Nino and Adrien exchanged a curious glance as Adrien spoke up. "No, I was just going to go over to Nino's place to play video games."

"Hmmm, how interesting." She said, then jabbing Marin's side, prompting him forward. "Maybe we could do something, together?"

"So uh, um." Marin stumbled for a moment before just simply holding out two tickets that made Adrien's and Nino's eyes light up.

"These are-" Adrien said as Nino immediately caught Marin in a half hug, taking his ticket with a huge smile on his face.

"Duddddee! Where did you get these?! The show's been sold out for weeks!" Nino exclaimed.

Marin smiled inwardly, lowered his head in embarrassment. "I helped out Mr. Stone today, and I guess I must have done a good job because he gave me these tickets." He glanced at Adrien for a moment, "Oh but, it's alright if you don't want to go-"

"It'll be my first live concert. Thanks for the ticket, I'm sure it'll be amazing!" Adrien said with a bright smile. Not noticing how red Marin's face became.

"Yeah, amazing..." Marin mumbled under his breath, hiding his smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Chapter is shorter. Mostly because of the lucky charm.  
-I like writing the Fang fluff. He is cute croc.  
-Being Ladybug gives Marin slightly enhanced strength and endurance, but not to the same extent as any of the Villains or Chat Noir


	23. I'm holding out for a Guitar Villain till the end of the night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marin is hired to create Jagged Stone's next album cover, unluckily for him, his client as some...specifications.

Marin stood stunned for a moment as there in his parents' bakery was a real music producer. The day had been normal, well, relatively normal as he wasn't allowed to work in the bakery until all the cuts on his hand were healed up. So he was working behind the register.

"So, are you interested?" The producer, Bob, asked with slight annoyance.

"Uh...wait, wait, wait. Let me get this straight. You want...me to design the album cover for Jagged Stone?! THE, Jagged Stone?"

He nodded eagerly, "That's right! Requested by Jagged Stone himself." Bob said handing over an XY CD. "I brought a few visuals so you can get a sense of what we're going for."

Marin made a sour expression, looking over the cd. "This is just XY." He said in confusion.

"Exactly, This is the direction of his new image. More modern, current!" Bob explained.

Marin tilted his head slightly, "...really? These two don't even perform the same genre-"

"Don't think!" Bob suddenly cut in. "This is what is selling these days, and this is what is going to get Jagged Stone's sales up. You do want to help, don't you?" He asked, giving off a slimy aura that made Marin want to get as far away from this man as possible. But he simply sighed.

"Yessir." He nodded as Bob was about to leave the shop, taking a croissant on his way.

"And one last thing, Marin. We're in a hurry! So we need your proposal by the end of the day. You up to it?"

"End of the day?!" Marin exclaimed, about to lecture this man on if he knew how much time it would take to properly prepare for something like this. But he sucked it up, and sighed once more. He glanced at his parents who nodded to him encouragingly. "Yessir."

"See you later, then!"

Suddenly, Marin felt his father's arms wrap around him in a tight hug, lifting him up to his height with a proud smile on his face. "My precious son, famous album cover designer. You're going to kill it! Marin style. Boo-yah!" He exclaimed, hugging his son once more and then placing him back down as his mother walked up to him with a worried expression.

"Are you sure you can do this? It's so sudden." She asked in concern.

But Marin smiled, "I know, but I get to help out Jagged Stone. What could be better than that mama?" He said kissing her cheek as he then walked towards the stairs and up to his room. But not before grabbing the cookie jar of reject cookies that sat in the bakery.

* * *

Marin grumbled to himself, throwing his headphones across the room. "Ugh, what kind of sick person actually markets this kinda stuff?!" He growled in annoyance, standing up from his desk. "Oh, why does Jagged Stone want to change his style? XY's music is so cold and lifeless, repetitive, mundane, the total opposite of Jagged. And what I've just done here is...ugh..."He grimaced looking at his work on his tablet.

"So why are you doing it, then?" Tikki asked, holding a deformed cookie in her hands.

"Because that's what I was asked to do." Marin sighed, slouching back down in his chair.

"Maybe you should follow your gut feeling. Do something that's really you!" Tikki suggested.

Marin sighed, "Tikki, when you're requested to do something, you have to follow in the client's orders." Marin held up the cd. "But Mr. Roth says that this is what wants, then my hands are tied..."

"Yeah, but...Jagged Stone wanted you because of your style!" Tikki argued.

"Augh, the pressure! I can't deal!" Marin suddenly exclaimed, slamming his head on his desk.

"Here, Here." Tikki said petting Marin's head, as he suddenly laughed, lifting his head.

He smiled at his Kwami for a few moments, pulling her into a gentle hug as she nuzzled his cheek affectionately. He took a deep breath before picking up his headphones, "Tikki, if I turn into a Zombie from listening to this music...try not to eat all of my parent's wares." He asked playing the music once more as he continued his work.

* * *

Jagged Stone looked between the art and Marin a few times in confusion. He sighed as Fang curled around Marin's feet, wagging his tail as the boy was tense. "What happened to the raw, impulsive artistry that made this?"

"Yeah, about that, I was told to–" Marin was about to explain but was stopped as Bob clasped his hand on his shoulder.

"Marin's part of our demographic, Jag! He represents our target audience. Clearly his input is exactly the direction that we should take with your new album." Bob said.

Jagged smirked, "And I guess it's a coincidence that his "input" looks exactly what you wanted the original design to be? Looks an awful lot like the cover of that YZ guy? Marin, don't listen to Bob. Could you do another one? You know, Jagged style?"

Marin hesitantly nodded, "Of course." But backtracked as Bob tightened his grip on his shoulder. "But I don't know if I can..." Marin said just before Fang started growling at him, making the older man back away.

"You're my boy, Marin. Remember: raw, impulsive artistry." Jagged Stone prompted grasping his hands, as he spoke sincerely. But it immediately faded as he glanced towards his producer. "I think we're all done here, Bob."

"No! We are not!" Bob snapped but backed away again as Fang growled louder. There was no glee in his eyes as he stared at the older man.

"Come with me, Marin." Penny said guiding Marin towards the door, "Don't worry! Just do your best, okay?"

"We aren't-"Bob called out, but this time he was almost bitten by Fang. "Aah!"

* * *

Adrien stepped onto the lobby as he suddenly bumped into someone.

"I'm sorry!" He heard then looked up to see Marin who looked equally as surprised to see him.

Adrien couldn't help but smile at his classmate. "Hey. Marin! What's up?" he asked helping Marin to his feet then noticing the CD on the ground. "Hey, is this Jagged Stone's new album?" He asked curiously.

"What? No! I mean, yes, but-" Marin rambled as Adrien handed his CD back. "It's complicated," he mumbled under his breath, rubbing the back of his head as Adrien tilted his head curiously.

"Anything you wanna talk about?" Adrien offered with a warm smile.

Unluckily for Marin, Adrien's smiles were always contagious as his expression softened. "It's kinda like this-" He was about to say but was then knocked aside as Chloé immediately hugged her childhood friend.

"Hi, Adrikins! There you are. Amazing Chloé has got a surprise for you! She knows you're a fan of Jagged Stone's."

Adrien pushed her away gently. "Uh, yeah I am." He said confirmed.

"Sooo, guess who gets a private meeting with your favorite star. He's staying right here in Daddy's hotel! Is Chloé the best, or is Chloé the best?" Chloé remarked with a confident smile.

Adrien gasped slightly as he saw Marin leave the hotel with his head lowered, wanting to go after him. But unfortunately for him, Chloé pulled him away towards the elevators.

"You and I both like the same kind of music. Isn't that awesome?" Chloé asked pushing the up button, having a giddy aura surrounding her.

"I… thought you liked XY." Adrien recalled as Chloé then placed a hand on her hip.

"Of course I do! Don't you?"

Adrien shook his head, placing his hands in his pockets. "Not really, no."

"Uh… well, neither do I. See?" Chloé remarked, grabbing his arm. "We have the same great taste!"

Suddenly a giant roar caught their attention as a newly Akumatized villain appeared with a giant dragon at his side.

"From now on, you can call me Guitar Villain, and he'll never do a duet with XY! In fact, soon, there won't even be a XY! Rockin' Riff, baby!" Guitar Villain announced, firing purple energy from his guitar at Bob and the interviewer sitting nearby, causing them to start dancing endlessly. "Soon, there'll be nothing but Guitar Villain fans, the one and only rocker on Earth!"

Chloé hid behind her childhood friend, watching the scene unfold. "Hurry, Adrien, get me out of here!" She said as Adrien then pushed her into the elevator, pressing a button as he ran into a nearby closet

"Well, you always did want to meet Jagged Stone." Plagg remarked as he flew out of Adrien's shirt.

"Meet him, not beat him up." Adrien clarified. "Plagg, claws out!"

The nearby civilians were banging their heads, as Guitar Villain placed more people under his spell.

"Rockin' Riff, baby!" He called out, sending out more attacks.

"Hey, Jagged!" Chat Noir called outstanding nearby. "C'mon! Why don't you try to rock my world?"

Guitar Villain curled his lip into a snarl. The name's Guitar Villain, pussycat. Riffing' Shock!"

Chat Noir evaded most of his attacks but was caught off guard by the dragon breathing fire. Meaning he had double trouble, but he was one partner short of a pair. Instead, he took out of bow staff, starting to attack Guitar Villan, but was taken off guard as the dragon blew more fire at him, followed up by one of Guitar Villain's attacks that repeatedly slammed him into a wall.

Guitar Villain laughed like a maniac as he kept up the repeating attack. But was stopped as he was suddenly sent flying, and Chat Noir fell into his partner's arms.

He looked up to see that Ladybug had cautioned his fall, but kept his eyes on the Dragon. "Cat Noir, you okay?" Ladybug asked as he evaded another one of the dragon's fire attacks.

Cat Noir smiled, "Good to see you, my lady. My apologies I couldn't assist you last time you were in need of my assistance." He half-joked, but blushed as Ladybug smiled at him for a moment.

"It was lonely fighting alone." Ladybug said easily, but Chat Noir's ears soon flattened as he saw a sly smirk on his partner's face. "Ready for a little Cat-ching up?" He tried to joke. As Chat Noir couldn't help but cringe.

"Leave the jokes to me bugaboo." He said just before ladybug tossed him towards a light pole holding Ladybug's yo-yo, giving him the momentum to leap on the dragon's mouth. As the animal struggled, Chat Noir quickly used his partner's weapon to tie up the dragon's mouth. "I think he's down-" Chat Noir was about to call out but was shaken off as Guitar Villain slammed his guitar into him. Chat Noir hit a nearby traffic lightly, holding his face now in pain.

"You're wasting my time. I've got a concert to get to!" Guitar Villain called out removing Ladybug's yo-yo from his dragon's mouth.

"Come on, we gotta follow them!" Ladybug said, picking up his yo-yo, then grabbed his partner who was still holding his face. Chat Noir yelped in surprise as Ladybug wrapped his arm around his waist, pulling the two onto the roofs. "His power comes from playing his guitar. We've got to keep him from performing or else all of Paris will be under his control."

Cat Noir smirked in amusement as he ran alongside his partner. "Well, I won't let you do this solo." He said with a smile. "See? That's how you do a joke!"

* * *

Atop the Eiffel Tower. Guitar Villain is flying on Fang towards the top of the tower. Chat Noir and Ladybug used their weapons to scale the tower, but Ladybug got there first, acting quickly as he pulled Théo out of the away from an attack.

Guitar Villain glared at them as his dragon circled around the tower. "You again?!" He called out, then retreating as he jumped off the tower onto his dragon, quickly flying away.

Ladybug turned towards Théo, "Where's he going?" He asked.

"The Tv Station." The artist replied as the two heroes then jumped off the tower. "Uh, Ladybug!" He called out, then sighed as he saw that they were already long gone. But something caught his attention as he saw his photo of Ladybug falling before him. He caught it, smiling brightly as it was now signed with his favorite heroes autograph.

* * *

"So where are we gonna take this guy?" Chat Noir began to ask as they stood before the TV station, crossing his arms as the sun began to set. But then XY walked out of the building looking annoyed as his hands were shoved in his pockets.

"We have to get you to safety." Ladybug said, but XY brushed him off.

"So what this Guitar Villain going to do? Blow me away with his evil guitar solo?"

"Yes!" Chat Noir said, "Once we catch Guitar Villain, we'll get you to the Eiffel Tower just in time for your live performance. Chat's word." He promised as his ears started to twitch.

XY shrugged his shoulders. "Pff. Who even cares? My roadie can just project my image on stage. Live concerts are so ten minutes ago-AHH!" XY screamed out as he was grabbed by the giant dragon and Guitar Villain.

Both heroes watched as the dragon flew off, trailed by screams of fear.

"...Please tell me he's not going back to the Eiffel Tower." Chat Noir asked as he got confirmation from Ladybug, who pointed towards the tower in the distance, and Guitar Villain heading towards that same spot. Chat Noir put his face in his hands as Ladybug then took his hand guiding him back towards the tower. 

* * *

Nightfall came as the two heroes ran up the Eiffel Tower while below them was a large crowd of people cheering for XY. Ladybug had to jump his way onto the wedges of the tower as Chat Noir could easily dig his claws into the steel, bounding up the side. But both had to stop as soundwaves started to ripple off the tower, shaking the entire thing.

"Ladybug!" Chat Noir called out in worry. While he was fine, his partner had lost his footing. Only barely handing on as the tower shook.

"XY's going to fall!" Ladybug yelled out through the sound. "Go on I'll be fi-" He said as the dragon flew by, opening his mouth for a bit as Ladybug was forced off the tower, using his yo-yo to hand onto his mouth, now hanging by a thread. As he climbed up, atop the dragon Ladybug petted his head. "Easy, easy. You're a good boy aren't you Fang?" Ladybug heard Fang whimper as he seemed to recognize him. "There's my buddy." He praised, pulling up the reins so that Fang would fly upward.

* * *

Cat Noir felt a swell of pride as he saw his partner tame Guitar Villain's dragon. Taking out his staff as he faced the villain head-on who was threatening XY standing at the edge of a plank.

"No! Please, don't!" XY begged as he looked down at the ground far below.

Guitar Villain flashed him a toothy grin just as he was about to strum.

"Not so fast!" Chat Noir called out, catching Guitar Villains' attention as his dragon flew by, charging towards him.

"My dragon!" He exclaimed as he dodged out of the way, now face to face with Chat Noir. The two clashed weapons atop the very unstable plank.

"Lucky Charm!" Ladybug called out, throwing his yo-yo into the air. In his hands, he received extra strength gorilla glue. Quickly, he smirked as he got an idea, first saving XY by tossing him to safety using his yo-yo, then removing the cap of the glue as he jumped off of fang. Easily, sprayed the glue onto Guitar Villain's face, trapping him as he could no longer hold his guitar.

Chat Noir then threw the guitar to Ladybug as he as well threw Guitar Villain to safety, just in time as Ladybug broke the guitar.

"Concert's over, little Akuma. Time to purify!" Ladybug said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion. Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. "Bye-bye, little butterfly. Miraculous Ladybug!" Ladybug called out, throwing up the lucky charm as everything turned back to normal.

He handed atop the tower as Jagged Stone and Fang turned back to normal.

Ladybug and Cat Noir pounded fists victoriously as XY yelled out. "What is he doing here?!" He demanded

"Maybe he came to tell you not underestimate the power of his music!" Chat Noir suggested.

"But this guy's crazy!" XY retorted, but no one paid him any mind.

"How about an autograph, Jagged?" Chat Noir then asked, handing him a CD, unable to hold back his glee as he held his favorite rock star's autograph.

Ladybug nodded respectfully as he couldn't help but evade Fang's glowing eyes, recognizing his treat buddy under the mask.

"Later." He simply said as he then jumped off the tower, escaping into the night as Chat Noir waved.

* * *

In the dead of night, just after dealing with almost an entire day of running across the city. Just as dawn broke, Marin jumped up in glee just as dawn broke.

"Done!" He exclaimed holding up his tablet.

Tikki opened her eyes, not even lifting her head from the pile of scrapped fabric that Marin kept lying on his desk just for her. "Hmmm...Jagged Stone will love it..." She mumbled, falling back to sleep.

Marin smiled, nuzzling his Kwamis face as he immediately saved his work.

* * *

The next day at the hotel, Marin handed Jagged Stone his second design as Fang curled up around his legs within the rock star's hotel suite.

"Oh, yeah. This is perfect!" Jagged exclaimed tactically. I can almost smell the leather and sweat just radiating off this design!

"Uh, you actually are smelling it. I concocted a special scent sticker for your album." Marin explained as he knelt down to pet Fang's head.

" I want it. I got to have it. It's authentic. It's original. It's... so Jagged." Jagged praised hugging the Cd.

"No, you can't! It's not what the public-" Bob began to say, but was then cut off almost immediately.

"Fine, then I'm outta here! I'm sure another record company will be perfectly happy with the #2 chart topper." Jagged remarked with a sly smile. Bob then growled at him, stomping out of the room angrily.

"Now then," Penny remarked as she pulled Marin away. "I think that 10% of the sals would be sufficient enough, wouldn't you say?"

"Huh?" Marin tilted his head in confusion, then it dawned on him. "Oh, I don't - I wasn't doing this for any kind of money. I just wanted to be of use..."

Penny nodded, "And I understand that but what you have to understand that you should be compensated for your work."

"But Mr.Roth-" Marin tried to backtrack, but Penny wouldn't be deterred.

" Is a cheapskate, so trust me. It's in everyone's best interest that you accept."

"Yes ma'am." Marin nodded obediently.

"Excellent, I'll talk about it further with your parents." She said walking him out of the room as Jagged showed his new album cover to Fang who was wagging his tail happily at his owner's glee.

* * *

"In today's headlines, Jagged Stone's new album hit the charts at #1, hitting XY off his throne. Welcome back, king of Rock 'n' Roll!" Nadja said on the news as Marin kept his face covered sitting next to Alya who stopped the video on her phone.

"This is so embarrassing..." He murmured, hiding away his face as Alya smiled, full of pride for her friend.

"What's wrong you should be excited!" She shook him playfully. ", "My Best Friend Created Jagged Stone's New Album Cover." is totally trending on my blog! You're kinda a mini-celebrity now." She said cheerfully.

Marin only groaned in response, resting his head on her lap as he curled up into a ball.

"Um... hey there, Marin." He overhead as Alya shook him.

Oh no.

He sat up immediately, seeing Adrien smiling sheepishly at him, holding Jagged Stone's new album. "So, uh, I'm actually I'm a huge fan of Jagged Stone and I saw you designed his new album cover on Alya's blog."

"I...I did!" He chuckled, "Crazy, huh?"

"I wanted to ask if I could get it...autographed?" Adrien asked with a shy smile, handing over the CD and pen.

"Um, okay, sure... uh, I'll ask him..."He looked down at the CD, "This already has 's signature on it." Marin said looked at Adrien with a confused expression.

"Actually I meant you."

"Me? Are you sure?" Marin asked as his face suddenly reddened.

"If you wouldn't mind, I think this is my favorite album cover yet, even this sticker is amazing." Adrien remarked, smiling as he saw Marin signing it. "Awesome! Thanks, Marin!"

As soon as Adrien had his back turned Marin sat down, resting his head on Alya's lap.

"Did I just imagine it, or did you just sign an autograph for Adrien?" Alya asked playfully as she played around with his bangs. Smiling as Marin had a broad smile planted on his face, from end of to end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- I think my favorite part of this chapter was giving Theo is autograph


	24. I'm the Number One, Princess Fragrance in the Whole Wide World

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chat Noir is worried his and Ladybug's relationship has regressed after his partner has been more distant lately. But he has more important things to worry about when he has to crash Princess Fragrance's wedding. 
> 
> Meanwhile, Marin's cold gets worse as Tikki catches it as well.

Chat Noir held up his hand for a pound it just after he and his partner had freed the Akumatized villain, both of them standing atop the roofs as a horde of news cameras were pointed towards them. His ears twitching as he could overhead Ladybug coughing against the falling rain.

"You okay?" Chat Noir asked still holding up his hand. But received no answer as Ladybug only spared him a glance before using his yo-yo to jump back into the city. He sighed, feeling a striking similarity to how they started off. It was sudden, but if he had done something wrong, Ladybug would have told him if he did something wrong...right?

* * *

"Ladybug and Cat Noir have saved Paris once again. Jean Duparc was akumatized into the very menacing Magician of Misfortune, threatening to make the Eiffel Tower vanish in a puff of smoke." Nadja said on the news as Adrien snuck into class, overhearing Alya's phone he sat next to Nino. She quickly put away her phone as the teacher passed by, Rose, on the other hand, was not so lucky.

"Combustion is a high-temperature exothermic redox chemical reaction between a fuel and an oxidant. Usually atmospheric oxygen..."Ms. Mendeleiev lectured as something caught her eye, scowling as she had her eyes trained on the back row. "Thank you, Rose. But I don't think our classroom needs extra refreshing." She said walking towards her.

Chloé laughed, "I thought someone packed a tuna fish sandwich, but it turns out it's Rose's perfume." she chastised as Adrien rolled his eyes.

"Furthermore, using your smartphone during school hours is strictly forbidden." Ms. Mendeleiev said, taking Rose's phone. "Take the rest of your things and go to the principal's office." She walked towards the front of the room, followed by Rose who hung her head as she walked out of the room.

Ms. Mendeleiev began to set up some chemistry equipment, setting down Rose's perfume bottle. "Watch what happens when you play about with flammable substances in a chemistry lab." She spritzed some perfume inside a glass container with an open bottom placing it upright, trapping the air inside. Then she pushed a button and a small flame cames out of a tube creating a small explosion just as the bell rang. "Just to make sure you all remember that I'll be quizzing you tomorrow on lab safety. Again!"

Adrien turned back to see Alya trying to wake up Marin, but he was in a deep slumber, much more than usual.

* * *

Marin coughed harshly, just after he placed his face mask on leaning on Alya as she helped him walk out of the building, followed by Nino and Adrien.

"You'd better go home directly cutie pie." Alya said checking his temperature by placing her hand on his forehead. "You're burning up."

"Caught in the rain the morning?" Nino asked, handing Marin back his backpack as the taller boy nodded.

"Didn't have an umbrella." Marin hoarsely said.

"But you live the closest to the school," Adrien pointed out, "Plus it didn't rain that heavily, how did you get sick so quickly?"

Marin shrugged as he coughed again.

"He's always been like this." Nino explained, "Although, you have gotten better since this year started." He recalled thoughtfully.

"It's probably because I have a good luck charm." Marin joked as he playfully punched Alya's shoulder before harshly coughing once more.

"Go home dude." Nino said bluntly.

"Right." Marin nodded as she pushed him towards the direction of his home.

"Hope ya feel better," Adrien called out, as Nino walked with him towards the street.

"You know..." Nino hummed, folding his hands behind his back. "Marin was asleep for almost the entire class."

"Yeah, he seemed pretty out of it. " Adrien commented in a concerned tone, watching as Alya walked Marin home.

"So he probably needs the notes from today for that next quiz coming up. It would be nice if someone smart were to let him borrow his notes..." He said jabbing Adrien's side playfully.

"Mh-hm." Adrien nodded, then noticed as Nino was staring at him with a dumbfounded expression before he sighed.

"Okay." Nino said defeated, lowering his hand.

* * *

"You better not get even more sick." Alya said as she waved at him, walking towards the bus stop as she dropped off Marin at his front door.

He could only nod as he closed the door behind him. Marin sighed as he walked into the space between the stairs and the wall that separated his family apartment from the bakery, opening his messenger bag to see his Tikki curled up in his handkerchief.

"Sorry, you caught my cold sugar cube." He apologized as he then sneezed into his sleeve, resting back down onto his back.

"I need you to take me to a doctor..." She murmured sneezing again as she curled into a ball.

"You and me both." Marin said sneezing once more."But where am I gonna find a doctor for Kwamis?"

"I know a healer. I'll tell you where to go..."Tikki murmured. Marin sighed, he felt terrible, but chances were that Tikki felt even worse. Plus, it wasn't like there was anyone else whom she could turn to for help, it was all on him to take care of his Kwami. He snuck past the bakery where his parents were manning the shop, carefully opening the door and closed it silently behind him. Trying to gather all his strength he tried not to use the wall as a crutch but felt a hit of vertigo that made him stumble into the wall.

"This is fine."

* * *

Adrien sighed heavily, working on his mandrin homework, then turned to the breaking news announcement. He saw a new villain entering the Grand Hotel with some kind of perfume weapon.

"What or who is that? Plagg?" He questioned walking up to the sofa then started looking around the room for his Kwami. "Plagg, let's go! There's trouble" He said as he finally found Plagg in his wastebasket among tossed paper and camembert cheese.

"I'm still chewing!" Plagg informed as Adrien sighed.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to eat in the trash can?" He then shook his head, "Whatever it's dine. Plagg, claws out!" He said as he transformed into Chat Noir.

* * *

Marin stumbled through the city, trying not to attract attention but noticed the breaking news report about the new Akumatized villain terrorizing Prince Ali's visit. But he made it to where he needed to be, despite having to talk into his bag almost the entire time. He entered into what appeared to be a massage therapy place, seeing a familiar old man sitting on a futon.

"Welcome, what can I do for you?" He asked with a smile.

"Uh, hullo sir." Marin said bowing his head slightly. He coughed before taking Tikki put of his bag. "My, hamster, needs help sir, I think she's sick." He said holding out Tikki towards him. Poor Kwami was cold, shivering as the old man took her.

"Hmm...I know just the thing." He said placing her on a pillow as he retrieved something from a stand nearby.

Marin sat down, trying not to fall asleep, as his head ached from all the walking and he was cold for some reason yet drenched in sweat.

The old man hit a gong while Marin could only watch Tikki in concern.

"Is...is she going to be okay?" He had to ask, his eyes starting to droop.

"One who is burning with impatience can never eat hot porridge."

"Porridge sound nice..." He murmured as his head grew fuzzy.

"Young man, are you sure that you're the one that doesn't need treatment?" The old man asked curiously as he held his hands before Tikki.

"Uh, what?" Marin snapped to attention hearing the old man's voice. "No, no sir, I'm fine...just..." He blacked out for a second as he started to shiver, "Fine."

The old man nodded as he stood up for a moment, putting on a record of soothing music as he then sat down. Silence, please." he requested.

They sat there for a little while as Tikki stopped shivering when the old man hit the gong once more. "What kind of hamster did you say this was again?" He asked.

Marin nodded off for a moment before lifting his head. "Cat? Um, right." He murmured before he blacked out.

* * *

Cat Noir landed on a window sill as the villainess pointed a spritzer bottle towards the prince. "Can we get a little fresh air in here?" He asked taking out his staff and jumping in front of the prince, his secretary, and Chloe...apparently.

"No one will take Princess Fragrance's prince away!" She remarked shooting a cloud of pink perfume towards him, but Chat Noir knocked away her bottle by extending his staff, then kicking her into the kitchen.

"Emergency evacuation, everybody down!" He then called out, extending his pole down to the streets.

"It's much too dangerous for the prince." The Prince's chaperone said,

Cat Noir then noticed a cart nearby with a few bowls that he smirked at. "You're right." He agreed, placing the bowls onto everyone's head. "Safety first!"

"I'm not going down there, it's mess up my clothes!" Chloé complained, removing the bowl on her head.

Chat Noir shrugged his shoulder, "Stay here then." He said as he slid down the staff first. But was followed by Chloé; who gave in, Prince Ali, and his chaperone. Once everyone was outside, he spotted Princess Fragrance glaring out at them from the window.

"I left my license in my other hero suit, you mind taking the wheel?" He asked the chaperone who nodded, immediately unlocking the car so they all could climb in.

Driving away, Chat Noir noticed Princess Fragrance following them using her perfume gun. As soon as he stepped into the car he grimaced as something offensively smelling was with them, reminding him of rotting fish. He pinched his nose as he looked back at Chloé's who glared at him defensively.

Chat Noir dialed Ladybug, but the call wouldn't go through. "Can we open the windows? This fish smell is even too much for a cat." As he gasped for fresh air he glanced at the prince who did the same. "So, any idea what her highness wants?"

"No idea." The prince said.

"We have precisely nine minutes to get to the hospital. The prince is on a very strict schedule."

"What?!" Chat Noir exclaimed. "No way we can go to the hospital now! We have to get Prince Ali out of Paris ASAP-" He warned as they all heard a thud on the roof.

Chat Noir undid his seat belt so he could jump on the roof, seeing Princess Fragrance smiling down at Prince Ali. "My prince! Fancy seeing you here, what a stroke of luck!"

"Bad Luck you mean." Chat Noir remarked. "Keep driving!"

Princess Fragrance sneered as she held up her perfume gun. "My prince, I'll take you to the Pont des Arts, and there, we'll seal our love!" She exclaimed in glee as she tried spritzing Chat Noir, but the speed of the car only made the attack disperse behind them.

"Sorry to take the wind out of your plan, but the prince is on a tight schedule." Chat Noir said attacking Princess Fragrance with his staff but was too late to realize that it was a trap. Princess Fragrance grabbed his staff pulling him towards her point-blank.

"You're right, the prince and I shall be wed, and then together we'll destroy you and Ladybug." She threatened using her gun on everyone in the car as Chat Noir pushed himself away, losing his balance as he fell off the car, rolling onto the sidewalk. He was only able to watch as Princess Fragrance laughed like a maniac driving away with her prince.

Chat Noir stood up, dialing Ladybug once more, leaving a message for his partner. "Heeeey there Bugaboo, so funny story. Princess Fragrance here kidnapped herself a prince, his chaperone and Chloe. They're heading to Pont des Arts, and I was hoping that you'd be my plus one for their wedding."

* * *

Marin opened his eyes as he felt something cold on his forehead. His nose was stuffy and he still had his headache, but the fuzziness cleared up. He was covered in a few blankets on the futon that was in the massage parlor. He first saw the old man sitting next to him with his blazer, messenger bag, and face mask folded neatly next to him.

"It's good to see you-"

"Oh no! Where's Tikki?!" Marin suddenly sat up, but his headache returned, but there was no time for that. "Tikki? Tikki?!"

"Calm down." The old man said, placing a hand on his back. "Your hamster is fine." He said reassuringly as Tikki hovered before him with a bright smile on his face.

"Tikki, I was so worried!" Marin sighed in relief, tears welling up as Tikki nuzzled his face, hugging him happily. "Thank you, thank you so much! You're a real magician, sir! "don't know what I do without you." Marin nodded as he tried to stand up.

"It's no problem.

Marin's eyes suddenly widened, "Oh no, how long was I out for?!" He asked urgently.

"Just a few hours-Hey!" The old man snapped as Marin grabbed his things, Tikki hovered nearby, but stopped as the old man spoke up again. "You should go get some rest yourself."

"Yes sir, but I can't right now. I have to go help a friend."

"Is this friend more important than your own health?" The old man scolded, but it went over Marin's head as he immediately headed for the door, ignoring his headache and sore throat.

"Yes sir! Thank you so much for your help, I'll come back to pay you!" He quickly said running out of the building and into a nearby alley as Tikki hovered before him.

" He's right you know." Tikki said as Marin nuzzled her face with his hand.

"I know sugar cube. But sick or not, Paris needs Ladybug. Tikki, Spots on!"

* * *

Chat Noir handed on a building overlooking the ceremony as Princess Fragrance walked toward Prince Ali, escorted by mayor Bourgeois like a bride; While Prince Ali stood next to his chaperone, and Chloé who was holding a pink box in her hand.

Princess Fragrance was handed off, grasping Prince Ali's hands as a twisted smile formed on her face. "I can't wait for us to be together. Forever! Servant, love padlock, please." Chloé opened a box to reveal a padlock with Princess Fragrance's pink perfume coming off of it, "This will lock our love forever, my prince!"

"At your service, Princess Fragrance!" Prince Ali sang. Sang?

"Weird." Chat Noir commented, but being possessed by an Akuma wasn't normal, then again who was he, a magical cat, to judge. "He took out his staff, jumping down on top of a nearby lamp. "I object!" He announced drawing all the attention towards himself with a smirk, "Always wanted to say that."

Princess Fragrance pointed her perfume gun towards him until a yo-yo grabbed the lock, tossing it into the river.

"Ladybug!" Chat Noir called out with a smile as his partner landed on the lamp post before him.

Princess Fragrance gasped, "My padlock!" then angrily pointed her perfume gun towards the hero, firing a pink cloud around him with no escape.

"Watch out!" Chat Noir warned, jumping off of the lamp, with his staff in hand. He froze for a moment as he saw Ladybug hold his head as Princess Fragrance grinned evilly.

Princess Fragrance then turned towards Chat Noir, holding up her gun over her head. "Servants, attack! And take Chat Noir's ring!"

Ladybug then threw something at Chat Noir which he caught, "Cataclysm!" he called out, using his power to destroy part of the bridge, making Princess's Fragrance's servants, save for Prince Ali fall down into a boat passing by so they couldn't reach him. He looked up in surprise as Ladybug used his yo-yo to grab her perfume bottle.

"How?! How did you evade my mind control perfume?!" She demanded as the perfumed bottle still was releasing gas until Ladybug turned it off. Chat Noir looked down in his land at Ladybug's lucky charm, quickly putting two and two together. He lit it, throwing it up at the gas, destroying it as the charm fell into Ladybugs' hand. He quickly destroyed the bottle, caught the akuma, released the magical ladybugs, and as soon as Rose turned back to normal, he handed her personal item back. Then promptly left as she walked over to Prince Ali with bright eyes. 

"Hey! Wait!!" Chat Noir called out, chasing after him. 

Luckily, Ladybug stopped for him, having his back turned as Chat Noir caught up. 

"Something up?" He immediately asked, "You've been distant." 

Did I do something?

He almost asked, but held himself back as he didn't want to project any of his negative personal feelings into him. He tensed as he saw Ladybug sigh, turning around he saw that his partner's complexion was a more sickly pale, and his nose was red. 

"No, my Kwami got sick, and I guess I caught it." Ladybug explained in an incredibly hoarse voice. "I didn't want you or your Kwami to catch it." He explained, "Sorry I was distant the past few days..." Ladybug then murmured as he stumbled for a second. 

Chat Noir stepped froward towards him but stopped as Ladybug held up his hand. Then his eyes widened with realization, his worry not turning to full-on shock. "Wait a sec, are you telling me for the past few missions you were sick the entire time?!" 

Ladybug immediately averted his gaze.

"Bugaboo!" Chat Noir snapped all of a sudden, surprising his partner. "You cannot be running around like this, what if you get worse?! Go home and get sleep and do whatever you need to or else I'm not going to let you be Ladybug. You think I won't do it? I know I'm much stronger than you." Chat Noir threatened with an annoyed look on his face, not backing down even when Ladybug laughed. 

"What's so funny?" Chat Noir asked, crossing his arms as both of their Miraculous beeped. 

"Nothing, just that," Ladybug shook his head, smiling slightly as he turned away. "it's kind of you to think of my wellbeing." 

"What do you mean? I'm always thinking about you!" Chat Noir reflexively said, then immediately his face turned bright red, as he covered his mouth. But Ladybug didn't notice, throwing his yo-yo into the city. 

"Thank you kindly Chat Noir." He said sincerely, jumping into the town as Chat Noir screamed internally, running towards his own home. 

* * *

Back in his room, Marin's entire body feet heavy, hardly able to move as he was stuck on his bed wrapped up in three blankets and somehow still cold, completely taken out of commission after the day's events. He wore his pajamas and the new hoodie he had sewn together, all of it was cozy enough for Tikki to snuggled into. His Kwami slept alongside him as her friend was in a deep slumber. More at ease now that for the moment, he wasn't worried about being Ladybug, just focusing on his sleep as night fell. 

* * *

Meanwhile, Adrien looked through his chemistry notes while Plagg was eating his cheese happily. Suddenly, Adrien lifted his head, his eyes widening with realization and his face reddened with embarrassment. "I should have lent Marin my notes!" He said with realization as he recalled the day's earlier evens, then rested his head on his desk in defeat. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- Ladybug slightly lied about who got who caught whose cold when Chat Noir confronted him. He got sick first, and had the sniffles for a few days, but only did something about it when Tikki caught his cold.  
\- if it wasn’t clear, Ladybug wasn’t effected by the perfume because he had a stuffy nose.  
-One more chapter before Lila joins the cast, ohhhh the plans I have for her >:3


	25. Simon Sayings: With Simon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nino enters a contest, Gabriel is a terrible father, Adrien falls even harder, and Ladybug just does his own thing (making people fall for him unintentionally while he does his one job)

Adrien smiled in reassurance as he helped Nino set up his DJ stand at the TV station for the upcoming show. "Thanks for doing this last-minute dude." Nino thanked as he placed his records down. "Marin had to bail last minute."

"No problem, is he okay?" Adrien asked curiously.

Nino nodded. "Yeah, he's just grounded."

"Grounded? Marin?" Adrien asked in surprise. "I thought he was sick for the past week what did he do?"

"Funny story," Nino remarked, leaning against the stand. "He snuck out, and his parents weren't happy at all once they found out. They don't look like it, but they're super protective over him. They almost even homeschooled him once." Nino explained as Adrien nodded in surprise. "But we can still stop by later to drop by some school notes since Alya is babysitting her sisters," Nino said playfully jabbing Adrien's side.

Adrien couldn't hold back his laughter, "Come on, we both know you're just friends with Marin for the cookies." He said as Nino wrapped his arm around his best friend's shoulder.

"Hey- no need to call me out Agreste."

* * *

"Welcome back to everyone's #1 live game show: The Challenge! Let's give it up for our awesome contestant, Nino!" Alec announced as Nino entered the screen with a shy smile. "So Nino, you're a student and a DJ. That's pretty awesome! Check out the decks we got for you!"

"Grounded? For what?!" Alya asked in surprise as Marin rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. He had her on webcam as he streamed the show to her live.

"...sneaking out while I was sick"

"What?" Alya tilted her head in confusion. "Why would you do that?"

Because I am a superhero who needs to protect the city.

"Because I wanted to get some ice-cream." Marin bluntly spat out, not thinking about what he was saying. "Please don't look at me like that Alya." He then begged as Alya was clearly judging him some kind of fierce.

"So what's Cookie think of this development?"

"Well at first he was upset, and then he yelled at me when I told him why I was grounded," Marin said averting his gaze.

"And you deserve to be yelled, despite being a cutie pie."

"Aw. You think I'm cute." Marin smiled as the two watched a live steam of the show together.

"So, the challenge the viewers have chosen for you is... To get the mayor of Paris, André Bourgeois, to dance!" The announced, Alec announced as Nino approached his decks.

* * *

Adrien's chest swelled with pride as Nino performed for thousands of people and the mayor. Another man, another competitor walked up to him, he held out his hand with a friendly smile but was met with his bodyguard standing between them with a gruff expression. Adrien shot the man an apologetic smile as he backed away slowly, clearly intimidated.

"Victory!" Alex announced. "Challenge conquered by Nino. You moved your head to the beat, Mayor Bourgeois! That counts as dancing!"

"What?!" Mayor Bourgeois snapped, "That's not true! My neck was... itching, that's all."

"Relieving an itch to the beat counts as dancing, too!" Alec said as he placed a hand on Nino's shoulder, "Nino, congratulations. You'll return in one week to meet your next challenge! And now, for our next contestant, welcome Simon Grimault!"

As Nino walked off the stage, giving a high five to Adrien as the two then hugged. "Awesome, dude!" Adrien said as his chest swelled with pride."

For the next round, a hypnotist walked into the stage, the one that Adrien came across earlier holding a pack of cards in his hand.

"Mr. Grimault, you are a hypnotist. You use cards to hypnotize people to get what you want from them!" Alec explained.

"Well, yes, I'm a hypnotist. But, uh, I don't use my skills to get anything." Simon mumbled.

"So, your challenge today, Simon, is to use your talents to bring a very elusive celebrity to this very TV set! Give it up for the king of fashion, Gabriel Agreste!" Alec announced as Adrien couldn't help but feel intimidated by even the image of his father behind a webcam.

"What is this show? I was told this was an interview." His father said sternly, clearly in a bad mood already, which didn't

"Dude, your dad!" Nino pointed out, as Adrien flashed him a forced smile, even though he was clearly worried for Simon.

"Do your thing, Grimault, let's see if you can bring Mr. Agreste here with your hypnotic persuasion!" Alec said as he left the stage.

"I told you, I don't make people-" Simon was about to say before he was interrupted.

"Hilarious," Gabriel grumbled. "This is a waste of my time." He only said as the image of him disappeared.

"Huh?" Alec questioned as he was stunned by this turn of events.

Adrien sighed, "That's my dad, all right." he said as Nino placed a hand on his shoulder, grinning at him with reassurance.

"Tough luck, looks like Mr. Agreste has turned on your challenge. Game over!" Alec announced as Simon looked to him in dismay.

"But... that's not fair! I didn't even get time to-" He pleaded before he was guided off the stage by security and then thrown out of the studio.

Adrien watched as Simon walked away, feeling sympathy as he knew that feeling all too well. He hesitated for a moment as he tried to walk after him, but was caught by his bodyguard who shook his head.

"Don't worry about him dude," Nino said. "These guys should've realized there's no making your dad bend to anyone's will. Uh, no offense."

"No, you're right." Adrien agreed.

Suddenly, the doors opened behind them as a newly akumatized villain stepped out.

"Simon says, the show isn't over!" The man said as he walked forward towards the camera. Adrien's bodyguard tried to stop up from getting any closer but the Simon Says only smiled. "Simon says, pause!" He then threw a card at the guard, who froze at contact. Simon Says then walked to the stage, smiling brightly as Nino then grabbed Adrien's hand.

"We gotta get outta here!" He said as Adrien nodded, the two spitting up as everyone was stunned.

"Gabriel Agreste turned down my challenge and he will pay for it! By midnight tonight, he will entertain us in this very TV studio. Gabriel Agrete, Simon says, I'm coming to get you!"

Adrien's eyes widened slightly just before the door closed. "Dad?" If this villain was after this father, then there was no way he could let him leave the studio.

He ran towards the bathroom where he opened his shirt. "Plagg." He called out as his Kwami appeared.

"Simon Says seems little touchy to me." He remarked.

"Yeah, well it tends to happen when you come across my dad." Adrien said. "Plagg, claws out!"

* * *

Chat Noir hid among the scaffolding atop the studio, spotting Nino hiding among the equipment. Chat Noir held a finger to his lips, signally for Nino to remain quiet as he looked over at Simon Says. He had to be careful proceeding forward, one wrong move and he'd could be on the receiving end of Simon Says's commands...

"GIMMIE THOSE CARDS!"

Chat Noir pinned Simon Says to the ground, about to reach other the deck when the villain smirked, scattering all the cards on the ground. The hero scrambled to gather all of the cards, not seeing Simon Says throw two cards towards his previously frozen bodyguard.

"My gorilla will take care of you. Simon says.. knock him out!" He called out.

Chat Noir turned back to see his bodyguard for a moment just before he was slammed out into the hall. He took out his staff, spinning it as he had to face down a literal brick wall.

"I may not always land on my feet, but I always bounce back!" He tried to deflect his bodyguard's attacks, but it wasn't doing much against the heightened strength of his bodyguard due to Simon Says's spell. He grabbed Chat Noir's staff, flinging it aside.

Chat Noir smirked, holding up his dukes. "Better watch out. My sensei taught me that-" His bodyguard grabbed him, squeezing him tightly as Chat Noir rasped out his words, "size doesn't matter!" He struggled to escape. Spotting the elevator open nearby. "Oh, hey there Ladybug." He said as his bodyguard was distracted for a moment, using those precious moments to escape, then kicked him into the elevator.

"Cataclysm!" Chat Noir called out, trapping his bodyguard in the elevator as he just narrowly escaped being crushed. "I quit karate." He sighed in relief as he heard a set of footsteps from behind. He jumped off the wall, picking up his staff as he was ready to defend himself against any enemy. Unintentionally putting threatening his partner with his weapon, and Nino who was standing behind him.

"Nice seeing you too, Chat Noir." Ladybug said moving the staff out of his face.

"Oh, sorry. I thought you were Simon Says." Chat Noir said, trying not to blush at the memory of what he said last time they met.

"We need to get out of here, that Simon guy is gathering a whole army together dudes!" Nino said in a panic.

"He's looking for Gabriel Agreste." Chat Noir informed as his ring started to beep. "We better get to him faster then they can!"

"Chat Noir, I think you have more pressing concerns." Ladybug said pointing to his ring. "Besides, Nino has a friend here that we need to find."

Chat Noir's eyes widened, "Uh... Forget it! He's probably hypnotized."

Nino looked between the two heroes with worried eyes, "But...he's my buddy!"

"You heard him, "Ladybug gestured towards Nino, "he's his buddy." Ladybug said as though that ended the discussion. "I'll take one last look around for Nino's friend, then we'll meet up at the Agreste house."

Chat Noir smiled for a moment, at the attention his alter ego was getting, then backtracked. "Uh...maybe you're right. Maybe he's hiding. I'll leave you to look for him!" He said then running towards the fire escape. As soon as ran down the first flight of stairs he detransformed, catching a weakened Plagg in his hands. Out of his pocket he took out a piece of cheese, and almost immediately Plagg dug into it. Adrien smiled softly, placing his Kwami into his shirt pocket, "Thanks for your help." He said gratefully as he moved to the first-floor entrance.

"Adrien!" Nino called out as he spotted his best friend immediately hugging him "Dude, you okay?" He asked in concern.

"I'm fine," Adrien reassured, then he glanced towards Ladybug who averted his glance, crossing his arms as he was on guard. "...Hello." Adrien said timidly.

"I'm going to take you and Nino home. Your father is a target for Simon Says." Ladybug informed as he guided the two out of the building.

"What? Why?" Adrien asked, even though he knew the answers.

"I'll explain on the way," Ladybug said, "Chat Noir will meet us there."

* * *

Adrien ran into the house first, closely followed by Ladybug and Nino who walked in. "Nathalie, where's my father? He's in danger!" He exclaimed as Natalie placed a hand before him, gesturing for him to calm down.

"He knows already," Natalie informed as Gabriel Agreste stood atop the stairs, his hands folded behind him.

"Good evening, Ladybug." Adrien's father greeted.

"Father, you've gotta get outta here. The hypnotist Simon Says is coming after you!" Adrien pleaded.

Gabriel scoffed. "And have my actions be dictated by a clown? Certainly not."

Adrien twitched slightly, wondering if his father was referring to the Akumatized villain, or him. Either way, it probably wouldn't have made a difference. "But father, he's dangerous! Who knows what he'll do?"

Gabriel retained his stern expression. "Go to your room now. You've had enough excitement for today. Nathalie, make sure they stay there." He ordered as the two boys exchanged a glance, following Natalie to Adrien's room. " I apologize for my son, Ladybug. He's like his mother, overly dramatic."

"He's right, you know."Ladybug remarked. "Simon Says is a real threat. Are you certain you don't want to listen to your son?" the hero asked, narrowing his eyes as Gabriel smirked.

"What could possibly happen with you here to protect me?" He said, placing a hand on the heroes' shoulder, while Ladybug was aware where his eyes lingered towards.

* * *

"You sure your old man isn't some robot or something?" Nino asked as he walked with Adrien to his room.

Adrien sighed, looking back at him with a smile. "When my father's concerned I'm never sure of anything." He said opening the door as the entered his room.

Nino's eyes widened, looking at the large room around them filled with a child's dream. "Hoho! Dude! I've seen stadiums tinier than your room!" He exclaimed in excitement.

Adrien smiled at his best friend as he immediately walked into the bathroom. "Make yourself at home. I'm gonna take a shower."

Nino glanced at him. "What? Now?!

Adrien shrugged his shoulders. "What can I say? It's the model in me!" He explained, shitting the door behind him before sighing. "Why doesn't my father ever listen to me?" He asked as Plagg flew out.

He nuzzled his Kwami's have before putting up his guard. "Plagg, claws out!"

* * *

Ladybug glanced at the array of modeling photo's on Gabriel's wall within his office, holding his composure as he folded his hands behind his back.

"Isn't he flawless?" Gabriel asked.

Ladybug glanced at him, not responding.

"Adrien, my son." Gabriel clarified as he stood next to Ladybug. "He's the image of perfection, don't you think?"

Ladybug averted his gaze, looking out to the windows instead. "I don't believe I'm qualified to comment."

"You are an idol for Paris are you not? Perhaps you

Gabriel smirked, I've never noticed your earrings before. They really are quite unique. May I?" Gabriel asked, already holding out his hand to touch them as Ladybug then took a step back.

"Forgive me Mister Agreste, but I'm sure you can understand the need to protect something important." Ladybug remarked curtly.

"Of course." Gabriel nodded as Ladybug's yo-yo beeped.

"Excuse me." Ladybug nodded as he took the call, noticing Gabriel's glare as he placed the call on speaker. "Chat Noir, where were you?"

"I-I was..." Chat Noir stammered, sounding stressed, "keeping Simon Says at bay! But I couldn't keep him away. He's coming. He's got company!" Chat Noir said as he then jumped through the window. "Close off all exits! They're coming from another direction! Do as I say! Engage the self-defense system, we need total lockdown!"

Gabriel nodded, shutting down the entire house behind steel walls. "How do you know about the system?"

"Uh... In a house like this... it's a given!" Chat Noir stuttered, with an embarrassed smile.

Gabriel gained his composure. "They won't get in. This house is built like a fortress."

"Announcer: Emergency power on." The defense system announced as the house was suddenly swarmed with people.

"There are too many of them." Chat Noir informed as he placed a hand on his staff.

Ladybug narrowed his eyes for a moment. "I need to secure get Adrien and Nino." he said.

Gabriel pressed a button before his desktop that opened a hidden compartment. "Here, Nathalie. Pick the controls in case you need to unlock an exit. She's coming with you." He said.

Chat Noir grabbed the other remote. "I'll reinforce the outer defenses. Go hide in the atrium. It's not safe in here."

"No one tells me what to do. Not even a superhero." Gabriel bluntly said.

Chat Noir then grew annoyed, "You're in as much danger as everyone else. So stop pretending you're above us all and do what I tell you to!" He demanded as Gabriel's eyes widened in surprise.

"Quite a temper. You remind me of someone." He remarked as Chat Noir stood on the window sill.

He glanced at the portrait of his mother for a moment before climbing up on the ceiling.

* * *

Ladybug and Nathalie entered Adrien's room.

"Ladybug! What's going down?" Nino asked walking up to the hero.

"We need to move to safer ground. Where is Adrien?" Ladybug asked.

"Taking a shower." Nino informed, pointing to where the restroom was.

"Now?" Ladybug asked, dumbfounded. But also a little impressed that Adrien felt secure enough to be vulnerable while his house was about to be overrun.

Nino shrugged his shoulders, "It's the model in him."

Ladybug sighed, looking towards Natalie. "Leave the remote control with me and take Nino to the atrium. I'll take care of Adrien." He requested as Natalie guided Nino out of the room. Ladybug knocked on the door, overhearing "Mister Agreste? Hello?!"

He didn't respond, and reflexively Ladybug's mind to the worst possible place. "Excuse me." Ladybug opened the door, noticing the steam as he then heard Adrien's voice.

"Yeah?" He questioned, and Ladybug immediately shut the door with a scarlet red face. "We need to leave. Cut your shower short." He ordered, slapping his cheeks to try and shock away the embarrassment.

"Uh, Can I put on my clothes first?" He heard Adrien ask.

Ladybug sighed, "Just hurry." Something else caught his attention on Adrien's desk. He admired the desktop of Adrien and his mother hugging each other. He couldn't help but feel pained at how happy Adrien looked, his expression brighter than he'd ever seen before. Emilie Agreste, a mystery in her own right, a well-known actress, wife to the fashion world's most well-known contributor, and above all; a woman who clearly loved her family. Well, that was all he heard of her second-hand.

"That's my mother." Adrien said walking up next to him with a towel around his shoulders.

"Emilie Agreste." Ladybug remarked as he already knew.

"Are you a fan?" Adrien asked with sudden interest his eyes lighting up at her mention. It made Ladybugs heart ache, thinking about how much Adrien must miss her.

Ladybug nodded, "I only know her work, and of how she was a delight to be around." He said slightly glancing towards Adrien who hung his head, but even so still smiled.

"Yeah, that was the kind of person she was. Always a hard worker, always smiling, never letting anyone feel sad on her account..." He murmured in melancholy, as though he were remembering memories long past.

"Forgive me if I'm out of line," Ladybug suddenly said as Adrien snapped to attention. "I never met her, but if she was anything like you," He said placing a hand on Adrien's shoulder. A soft, sincere smile drew on the hero's face. "then she probably was an amazing person."

For a moment, Adrien was mesmerized, strangely feeling a warm, familiar feeling in his chest. "Yeah...she was."

Suddenly, the windows started to bang as Simon Says's army swarmed over the house. Ladybug narrowed his eyes, quickly shoving Adrien into the bathroom as he fell over. "Stay here." He ordered, closing the door behind him.

Plagg then flew out when they were along. "Oh my! What was that all about? Sweet love?"

Adrien blushed furiously for a moment before shaking his head. "He can't do this alone." He said, then stood up. "Plagg, claws out!" He said as Plagg tried to fly away.

"Oh, not again!"

* * *

"Welcome to another exciting hour of "The Challenge"! Good evening again from Simon Says. Viewers, I've kept my promise. Here's Gabriel Agreste!"Simon Says announced as he entered the house with his army of minions, having already captured Gabriel.

Simon Says pulled a card out of his deck. "Simon says... you are a butterfly!-" He said, but before he could complete the spell, his deck was knocked away, by a pole.

"Sorry, but the show's over!" Chat Noir remarked as he sent Simon Says flying across the room, his minions then turned their attention towards Chat Noir who smirked in amusement.

"Chat Noir, you can save him by giving me your Miraculouses. Do the right thing..." Simons Says said, picking himself up. He took out his deck to get another card but was taken off guard but a loud sound.

"OW- WHAT THE F-" Simon Says snapped as his deck of cards was taken from his hand and thrown to Chat Noir.

"Cataclysm!" Chat Noir exclaimed, activating his power and destroying the deck, releasing the Akuma. He glanced at Ladybug who has a ladybug printed bullhorn in his hand.

"No more mischief from you little Akuma. Time to purify!" Ladybug said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion. Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. "Bye-bye, little butterfly. Miraculous Ladybug!" Ladybug called out, throwing up the lucky charm as everything turned back to normal. The house was now empty, save for Simon who was looking around in confusion. Ladybug handed his deck back, guiding him to the front door of the house.

"Don't be deterred by this one set back, you have a lot of promise." Ladybug said.

"Yeah, don't worry about back there, all things considered, you got off easy." Chat Noir remarked as Simon nodded, thanking the two as he left the house. The two heroes then glanced at each other victoriously, bumping their fists together as Chat Noir's ring started to beep.

"I'm afraid your kidnapping's been canceled, sir." Chat Noir commented as Gabriel walked up to the two of them at the entrance.

"Pardon?" Gabriel asked, narrowing his eyes in displeasure, but then relaxed his shoulder. "I...appreciate your service today." He rasped out, holding out his hand towards Ladybug.

"Prefer my partner? Can't say I blame you." Chat Noir remarked, accepting Gabriel's gesture, shaking his hand, but noticed as his father was looking at his ring with curious intent.

"Uh, Gotta spit" Chat Noir took a step back, "Ladybug, always a pleasure." bowing slightly as he used his staff to scale the roof of the house. Disappearing from sight.

"I hope you realize, you should've listened to your son earlier." Ladybug commented, crossing his arms. He wasn't expecting Gabriel to dawn a smile of amusement.

"If I didn't then that there would've been no telling where Simon would have ended up"He informed as Ladybug narrowed his eyes. "I believe the word you're looking for is, thank you."

"Even so," Ladybug said taking out his yo-yo. "I hope you realize you're very fortunate." He remarked before jumping onto the rooftops, feeling Gabriel's gaze on his back.

* * *

Adrien looked out his window with his phone in hand. Looking at the pictures of his mother as Plagg sat on his shoulder, looking at him in concern, then swiftly disappeared as he heard the door open. Adrien turned around in surprise as his father walked in. He panicked for a moment, he didn't know if he did anything wrong if he did it was probably by accident, then again-

"Father-" Adrien flinched slightly as his father was hugging him. As soon as the surprise faded, Adrien leaned into the gesture, smiling as for a moment he felt at ease.

As his father pulled back he narrowed his eyes at his ring, holding his hand to observe it closer. " I've never noticed your ring before."

Adrien's ease was then promptly replaced with annoyance, "Is that the only thing you've never noticed about me?"

Gabriel glanced away, returning to his former stoic persona. "I'm glad everything worked out for the best." He commented then walked out of the room, leaving his son alone. Adrien glanced down at his Miraculous rubbing it as he could feel Plagg uncharacteristically nuzzling his cheek. A smile broke out as he returned the gesture.

"Thanks Plagg.

* * *

The next day Adrien watched as Marin helped Nino set up his equipment, the two had some tension between them as Nino lectured Marin, but it soon broke as Marin laughed him off. Nodding his head in appreciation, as the two then hugged, cementing forgiveness. Then Marin quickly jumped off the stage as Alec approached his friend.

"Welcome back to everyone's #1 game show, The Challenge! Last week, our cool DJ friend Nino won the challenge. So, let's welcome him back again!" He announced placing his hand on Nino's shoulder who shyly waved to the cameras.

"Hey." Adrien greeted as Marin stood nearby. "So...Nino, huh?" Adrien said trying to start a conversation.

"Yeah, I think he could win this round." Marin simply said as he gripped his messenger bag.

There was a silence between them before Adrien handed Marin a blue folder from his bag. "This, uh, these are the notes from last class, there's a quiz coming up, so I thought you might..."

Marin's eyes widened as he took the folder. "Wow thanks, everyone else was really evasive about letting me borrow them." He said looking through the papers.

Adrien grimaced as he could see Nino and Alya's influence a mile away, but retained his smile. "Hey, so maybe we all could-"

"So we upped the challenge for you tonight, Nino. You're gonna have to get two celebrities dancing instead of one! However, this time, you can choose your opponents." Alec announced.

"Oh, I've got this one in the bag. I'm gonna pick two buds I know won't let me down." Nino announced with a bright smile, "Ladybug and Chat Noir!"

Both Adrien and Marin snapped to attention, staring at their friend in shock as then exchanged a glance.

"I uh, have to use the restroom!" Adrien quickly said as his bodyguard nodded at him.

"Yeah, I uh, have to find...a thing!" Marin rambled as the two ran in different directions.

* * *

In the restroom, Adrien opened his shirt to release Plagg with a smile on his face. "Time to shake a leg little buddy," Adrien remarked as Plagg smiled. 

"Good, I've been meaning to show off my moves." He said then started dancing in the air as Adrien couldn't help but laugh. 

"Plagg, claws out!" 

* * *

While in a storage closet, Tikki flew out of Marin's messenger back. He hung his head in embarrassment, "Nino, the things I do for you." He sighed heavily as Tikki giggled happily.

"Tikki, spots on." He groaned. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- Gabe is not a good dad, that is my personal belief that is shared by many people. He gives his son anxiety  
-Idk if I can write Adrien being more in love than he already is, because he's fallen pretty hard  
-Marin can't dance, at all, but he'd do almost anything for his friends 
> 
> -Next time. Lila arrives >:3


	26. A Volpina is a Wolf Who Sends Flowers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien steals a book from his father and comes across a new girl at school. Meanwhile, Marin becomes an accomplice for a crime...and gets away with it.
> 
> Fan Art link:   
https://aminoapps.com/c/miraculous/page/blog/i-finished-season-one-of-my-fic-so-i-drew-some-fan-art/15ED_3Xh6un7mW8XjwV1w8EE1KJwL8q8Z

Adrien ran down the stairs planning on running out the door but overhead something from his father's office. He slowly walked overlooking in through the door. is spying on his father. He was yelling at someone over fashion matters, holding something in his hand as he then revealed a safe behind the portrait of his mother that hung in his office. Adrien gasped slightly as it was then closed, his father then left in a huff. Probably going back to his bedroom to catch up with sleep.

"He hides stuff behind the painting of Mom?" Adrien asked himself as Plagg flew out. He moved the painting of his mother and saw the safe within. He hesitated for a moment, pulling back as he knew he'd already be in trouble for even walking into the study without his father's permission.

"Ooh! I love dirty secrets!" Plagg remarked flying out. "Go on, go on!" He insisted.

Adrien shook his head, "I can't do it. My dad wouldn't like me going through his stuff. Besides, I don't even know the code." He remarked as Plagg sighed.

"You're such a party pooper." He said as he phased through the safe.

"Plagg no!" Adrien called out.

"My, my, what have we got here? A book on Tibet, an old flyer from a hotel, a load of junk, come on, where's the good stuff? I'm famished! I need Camembert!" Plagg unlocked the safe, opening the door. The book that was in there fell on the ground, opening up to a page that showed someone that was familiar to him.

Adrien's eyes widened. "Ladybug?" He asked as he saw an old drawing of the hero, probably someone else who held the Miraculous at one point. "Why is my dad keeping this locked in a safe?" He asked as he turned to another page. "Hawkmoth? What's this monster doing in a book about superheroes?"

"Cheese! Didn't you hear me?" Plagg complained as Adrien ignored him. He closed the safe, placing the book in his bag as he heard someone approach.

"Adrien? You're going to be late." Natalie called out, standing at the door.

Adrien laughed nervously, "I was...looking for my fencing gear, silly me."

* * *

Marin caught his breath as he ran onto the campus of the school, just barely making it on time as he overslept. He was surprised as everyone seemed more lively. Almost everyone was grouped off, talking amongst themselves in a cheery tone.

Marin walked towards Alya looking at something on her phone. "What's going on?" Marin asked in confusion,

"It's the new girl, Lila. She just started at our school and she's totally amazing!" She pointed to Lila, who's on the second floor of the, talking to Adrien."She even gave me an exclusive interview for the Ladyblog, 'cause Ladybug saved her life once!"

Marin tilted his head. "Didn't Ladybug also save you multiple times, and didn't you get a photo of you, him, and Adrien?" he recalled.

"Yeah, but Adrien didn't want the photo on the blog so I had to crop him out. But with this," Alya held up the newest interview on her blog, "I can probably make up those clicks. Lila's got the most incredible life, and now she's going here. She's totally awesome!"

Marin stared at his friend's newfound passion but chuckled, "I'm glad for you." He then took a folder out of his bag, "Have you seen Adrien by the way? I need to return something." Alya pointed towards the stairs before she gave Marin a quick hug, running over to Nino to show him the new video. Marin observed Lila guiding Adrien along by the hand towards the library. Marin hummed for a moment, if Adrien was showing the new girl around he didn't want to disturb them...but this was just one thing. Maybe he could just drop it off and be done with it.

Walking up the stairs he turned into the library as he saw Adrien sitting down, pulling out a book as the new girl sat down with a smile on her face.

"Marin!" Tikki harshly whispered as Marin reflexively hid behind a bookcase.

"Tikki! You need to hide when I'm at school-" He whispered, as he opened his jacket for her to hide within.

"Adrien's book! I need to get a closer look at it!" The Kwami insisted as she flew out of his reach, on top of the bookshelf.

"Why are you so concerned about his book?!" He whispered but Tikki ignored him, flying out of sight as the bit his own hand trying not to scream in frustration at his little friend, fiercely concerned for her safety.

Marin saw the new girl sitting next to Adrien with a smile on her face, sitting down with a textbook in her hands. "Now we can get going on our history homework. It's so much more fun doing it together, don't you think?" He saw her take notice of the same book that Tikki it. "What's that?" She asked taking it from him.

Adrien immediately tried to get it back, "Uh nothing! Just a book about superheroes." He explained, slightly flinching as Lila placed her hand over his.

"I adore superheroes!" She remarked smiling flirtatiously at him as Adrien nervously chuckled.

Marin, on the other hand, moved to the other side, keeping his eyes on his Kwami freely flying around like she couldn't be exposed at any moment.

"Ladybug!" He overheard Lila saying in surprise.

"Yeah, he's amazing isn't he?" Adrien said, sighing as he looked at the photo almost lovingly.

Lila glared at him for a moment, quickly turning the page, as she scooted closer to him. "You know, one doesn't need to wear a costume to be amazing."

"Uh, I don't know—I mean, I—" He stammered, not wanting his personal space invaded. 

Lila's eyes widened playfully, resting her head on her hands trying to make eye contact. "So you've got a little soft spot for the bug, huh?" She asked, smiling as Adrien immediately blushed, averting his eyes.

"Me? Oh, no! Not at all!" Adrien insisted, about to scoot away but Lila placed her hand over his once more.

"Honestly though, you'd be wasting your time if you think that Ladybug is worth your time." She boldly said as Marin sneakily left the Library, taking out his earings so that Tikki disappeared.

"After all, he and I are like this." She said crossing her fingers with a sly smile on her face.

Adrien felt his heart almost break right then and there. "What?" He asked, standing up immediately as he accidentally knocked over their books. He and Lila picked them up, not noticing her sweep up his superhero book, placing it in her back as she then placed her hand on his shoulder.

Lila smiled as she leaned down to whisper in his ear. "We can chat about it if you want, not here though. Why don't we meet at the park after school and I'll tell you everything."

Adrien suddenly snapped to attention as he got an alert from his phone. "On no, I gotta go! I've got a lesson in 58 seconds." He said picking up his bag, but then accidentally dropped it after Lila surprised him by standing far too close.

"So, the park?" She asked as she moved Adrien's book out of the way with her foot.

"Uh, sure!" Adrien stammered, quickly picking up his bag and running out of the library. He then promptly crashed again as he ran into Marin, knocking him over. "Oh!" Adrien immediately felt guilty as he helped his classmate to his feet. "I'm in a hurr..." Adrien explained but then noticed something off. "Hey, you're not wearing your earrings today?"

Suddenly Marin's eyes widened in a panic. "What!?" He immediately looked around touching his ears to check before falling to his knees as one of his earrings was knocked out at the impact, making Adrien feel even more guilty.

"I uh, I'm sorry- I..."Adrien tried to explain but then stopped as Marin spoke.

"You have fencing practice don't you?" His tone sounded curt, like he was mad. "Go on I'll be fine."

Adrien wanted to help him, but couldn't be late for his practice again. He'd apologize later running down the stairs, but stopped for a moment as he noticed Lila walking up to Marin. He frowned for a moment as she knelt down nearby, saying something with a smile on her face, but he couldn't afford to linger. Making a mental note to ask his classmate about the interaction later on...as well as profusely apologize for not looking where he was going.

* * *

"This is what you're looking for isn't it?" Lila asked as she held his other black earring in her hand as she picked it up in the library apparently.

Marin sighed in relief as he took his Miraculous back. Pocketing it so he could summon Tikki later on when there wasn't someone standing right in front of him. "Thanks, you saved my life."

"Oh?" Lila asked curiously as she tilted her head, walking up to him until his back was to the stone railing. "Those earrings are that important to you? Kinda weird, they seem so plain." She observed as Marin chuckled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Yeah, they're kinda important to me. You're the new girl, right? Lila?" Marin asked as she took a step back.

"That's right." She confirmed, folding her hands behind her. "I just started today."

Marin nodded, "Well it's nice that Adrien's already helping you out. I think we're in the same class so if you need anything just let me know, I'm the class rep." He informed.

"Oh really?" Lila asked, now peaked with interest. "Then maybe you could tell me where the stores are around here?"

"Uh sure, is there anything you're looking for in particular?" Marin asked, surprised as she then took out her cell phone and pulled up a picture of a fox tail necklace.

"Something exactly like this maybe?" She requested.

Marin hummed for a moment. "They do custom jewelry on Main street, just a few blocks from here." He explained. "Actually, I think it's just near the park-"

"Thanks." Lila quickly cut him off. Her back was open so he noticed Adiren's book that was sitting inside her bag, which he thought was strange as she walked off.

"Huh, Adrien must have forgotten his book, maybe she's bringing it back?" Marin reasoned as he walked back into the library, shutting the door behind him as he put his Miraculous back on. A red orb of light appeared before him as Tikki took shape, with an annoyed look on her face.

"Marin!" She complained as her partner crossed his arms in disapproval.

"Don't "Marin" me Tikki, that was reckless, and all for what? A book?" He scolded.

"It's not just any book!" She explained. "It's very important that we get it!" She insisted, her eyes filled with determination as Marin sighed.

"Alright, I'll try to talk to Lila or Adrien." He said not sure who'd have the book by now.

"No!" Tikki insisted, "You can't say anything to them yet. I need a chance to check out the book first. If it's the one I think it is we have to get our hands on it!"

"The one you think?" Marin asked, "I don't get it? Exactly why would we need it?"

"I'll explain to you once I know for sure." Tikki insisted. "Please, we mustn't let Lila out of our sight!"

Marin hesitated for a moment but knew exactly where she would be.

* * *

"This can't be happening," Adrien muttered to himself as he was finished for the day. He was alone in the locker room as Plagg then flew out.

"What wrong, jealous?" He teased with a sly smile on his face.

"No!" Adrien immediately retorted, but then hesitated. He didn't own Ladybug, in fact, he hardly knew what kind of person he was outside of their partnership. If he had a girlfriend...if he wasn't interested in boys...

Adrien yelled into his bag, his screams muffled by the cloth as Plagg looked on. "So, what now?"

"Huh?" Adrien asked looking up at his Kwami.

"Are you going to fight this, or just roll over?" Plagg asked.

"I can't just- I mean, shes...and he's...ugh." Adrien groaned. "I can't fight what I don't know, and even if I could. Ladybug doesn't know Adrien Agreste, and Adrien Agrest doesn't know Ladybug. Plus, if he's had a girlfriend this entire time and has just been hiding her, then that means I've just been making a fool of myself this entire time!" Adrien said as his face ran red with embarrassment.

"And you're thinking that Ladybug led you on?" Plagg asked trying to keep up with what his partner was saying but honestly wouldn't care less if it was anyone other than his partner.

"What? No, of course not." Adrien immediately said as he began pacing. "I just assumed everything when it came to him. He's done a lot more superhero-ing than I ever have the chance to, there's a chance that he could have found someone who he loves, and who am I to stand in the way of their happiness?" Adrien sighed putting his head on his locker in defeat.

"Uh..." Plagg stuttered out, then sat on his partner's head, petting him. "Here, here?"

* * *

"There! She's coming out!" Tikki exclaimed as she and Marin hid nearby the jewelry store, spotting Lila leave. They followed her to the park, watching as Lila placed her new necklace around her neck.

"We're too far away," Tikki complained about to fly closer.

"Tikki, no." Marin said sternly, placing his hand near his Miraculous again as Tikki pouted.

"I'll try to get closer." He said as a smile broke out on Tikki's face. They snuck closer using the trees for cover as Marin was close enough to overhear, but was surprised as he saw someone else approaching.

"Oh hi!" Lila called out.

"Hey."

Marin's eyes widened slightly. "Adrien?" he asked in surprise as he and Tikki exchanged a glance turning towards his Kwami.

"What's he doing here?" Tikki asked as Marin thought for a moment.

"She's probably returning his book," Marin said, "So if you need that book, now's the time." he said, glancing at their bags on the ground. "I'll go around and try to grab their attention while you take the book from her bag, then it goes back right after." He said sternly to which Tikki nodded.

* * *

"So you do know Ladybug, for real?" Adrien asked suspiciously as Lila nodded.

"Not only did Ladybug save my life, but I was in his sights because we have something very special in common-" Adrien wanted to retort that he did as well, but it was futile as Lila directed his attention towards his knife. "it's what I wanted to tell you about. I'm the descendant of a vixen superheroine myself, Volpina."

"Volpina?" Adrien questioned recalling something, "Wait a minute! I think I read about her in my book." Just as he was about to take his book out of his bag, Lila placed her hand on his arm.

"Oh hey!"

Both of them turned to see Marin walking over with an anxious look on his face. "Hey Adrien."

Adrien's curiosity was immediately replaced with guilt as his classmate walked over.

"Hi, you." Lila greeted with a smile, retracting her hand. Both of them didn't notice the Kwami committing theft behind them.

"Sorry, if I'm interrupting anything." Marin stammered the setting of an aura of awkwardness as he pulled out a folder from his bag, handing it to Adrien. "I just wanted to return this. Okay, bye."

"Wait!" Adrien suddenly said standing up as Marin turned back towards him. "I'm sorry about earlier."

"Hm?" Marin tilted his head in confusion before he recalled. "Oh, don't worry about it, it was an accident."

"Even so, I still feel bad. Could I make it up to you later?" He asked.

"What? There's no need for that, honest. I'll just catch you later." He said as he saw Tikki had grabbed the book.

"Why don't you sit with us for a moment?" Lila then spoke up with a smile on her face.

"I couldn't I've imposed enough-" Marin said as he tried to escape.

"We were talking about Superheroes. Do you like them?" Lila asked.

"No, not really," Marin said and instantly regretted it as both of them looked to him in surprise.

"Really?" Lila asked as her smile grew larger. "Not even Ladybug?"

"Uh..." Marin rubbed the back of his neck, "Yeah, I'm not really a fan...please don't tell Alya." He sighed feeling Adrien's gaze on him, looking at him as though he said something sacrilegious.

Lila then giggled, "Of course not, it's not like he's Volpina."

"Volpina?" He asked, now curious, but snapped back to attention. "No, no. I have to go, see you guys." He said now running away as Lila then grabbed Adrien's hand, pulling him back to her.

"She's one of the most important superheroes. More powerful and more celebrated than Ladybug. Between you and me, Ladybug doesn't even make the top ten. See, this necklace?" Lila said as she gestured to her necklace. "My grandma passed this necklace down to me, it contains her power."

"How is that possible?" Adrien asked. "There's only Hawkmoth, Ladybug, and Chat Noir who've had the Miraculous. I've never even heard of this Volpina."

Lila nodded, "Makes sense, she was a hero from the village I was raised in, within the heart of Italy. If you've never heard of her, then it means that's she done well to keep her identity hidden from the outside world. And now that power is mine." She said with a smile.

"But...why are you telling me this? Superhero identities are supposed to be kept hidden."

"Who says?" Lila asked placing a hand on Adrien's thigh.

"Uh...it's a given isn't it?" Adrien said shrugged his shoulders.

"But isn't it better for their identities to be made public? Then people would be more reassured that superheroes are people like then, rather than just super-powered freaks behind masks."

"Freaks?" Adrien questioned. "I thought you liked heroes."

"Oh, I do!" Lila said backtracking. "But don't you think heroes should be completely honest with the people they're supposed to protect? Like your hero Ladybug?"

Adrien hesitated for a moment, that exactly what he wanted, probably ever since the day he met his partner. "Yeah..."

Lila immediately smiled, taking his hand in hers."Then you and I-"

Adrien didn't waver, scooting back. "But I'll always believe in Ladybug, no matter what." He said standing up. "I'll see you later Lila." Adrien then walked away not noticing the anger take over Lila's face.

* * *

"We stole a book! Adrien's book!" Marin said guiltily holding it up before Tikki.

"I know, and I'm sorry I made you do that, but this is the most important thing in the world!" The Kwami insisted as Marin sighed, opening up the book. His eyes widened as he saw the images of what he assumed were past Miraculous holders, including a past Ladybug and Chat Noir. "Tikki...what is this book?" Marin asked.

"The grimoire." She said, "And we need to get it to The Guardian." She explained as Marin's eyes widened in surprise.

"The Guardian?"

Tikki nodded, "Yes, the keeper of the Miraculous."

Suddenly both overheard the screams of the crowd as apparently a meteor was heading towards the city. Marin stared in confusion for a few moments before he glanced at his Kwami.

"Tikki, spots on!"

* * *

Adrien was laying on his bed as he heard screams from outside. He ran towards the window as he saw a meteor appears in the sky, hurtling down toward the city. He gasped as he then turned towards his Kwami.

"Plagg, claws out!"

* * *

Ladybug narrowed his eyes as he saw an orange ball of light heading towards the meteor, dispelling it just before it hit the Louvre, hurling it back into the sky where it disappeared. It didn't even make it to the atmosphere, it just disappeared, which set off a red flag in Ladybug's mind.

"Citizen of Paris! I am Volpina, the only superhero Paris needs!" She called out the crowd started chanting her name in relief as the hero seemingly destroyed the meteor.

"Looks like we have a new partner." Chat Noir remarked as he landed next to his partner with a smile on his face. But it faded as he saw Ladybug's focused expression. "What's on your mind?" he asked curiously.

"Don't you think it's weird, this superhero just appearing out of nowhere?" He asked.

Cat Noir shrugged his shoulders. "Well, at least she got the job done. If she hadn't been here we'd all be goners."

Ladybug was deep in thought, thinking hard about himself.

"So, a new partner huh?" Chat Noir remarked, twirling his staff in hand. "Girls...are nice aren't they?"

"Huh?" Ladybug looked at him in confusion, not knowing what he was getting at.

"You know, girls. Nice to have one as a new partner?" Chat Noir seemed like he was trying to imply something, but whatever it was went right over his head. The entire conversation was dropped as Volpina jumped before them.

"Hey guys! Glad you dropped in, I need a hand. Come on!" She said abruptly as she then transformed into a ball of light, then flew off. Chat Noir and Ladybug exchanged a glance as they both eventually followed, all of them landed on a roof as they spotted someone in the distance.

Cat Noir's eyes widened in surprise. "I can't believe it! It's Hawk Moth in the flesh!" He exclaimed as Ladybug narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"We can take him down, but it's gonna take all three of us. We better make the most of our individual talents." Volpina remarked with a smile on her face.

Cat Noir nodded, "You can count on us." He said trying to grab Ladybug's attention, but his partner was in deep thought once more, unintentionally ignoring him.

Volpina turned towards Ladybug, "Very nice to meet you by the way Ladybug, I adore your ensemble." She said holding out her hand, which surprised Chat Noir slightly. Lila said that she knew Ladybug, maybe he didn't know who she was in her hero form.

Ladybug hummed for a moment, but accepted her gesture, shaking her hand.

"Good, now," Volpina remarked standing up. "Ladybug, go to his left, Cat Noir, you take the right and I'll come from behind." She ordered she then turned into a ball of light.

"First the meteorite, now Hawk Moth appearing both on the same day. Don't you think that's a little bit unusual?" Ladybug remarked just as Chat Noir was about to jump away.

"Anything involving Miraculous holders are always unusual. This is no weirder than a sun god trying to sacrifice civilians to revive his dead wife." Chat Noir commented, "We have to give her a chance don't we?" Chat Noir asked as Ladybug sighed.

"You're right." Ladybug conceded as he followed Chat Noir's lead.

Just as they approached Hawkmoth he disappeared once more, now towards a different roof.

"I'll get him!" Chat Noir called out as he passed Ladybug and Volpina. Just as Ladybug was about to chase after his partner, he saw that the closer Chat Noir got to Hawkmoth, the farther he reappeared, almost as though...

His eyes widened. "Chat Noir-" He was about to call out but then he heard a flute, and next thing he knew, a hoard of missiles appeared before him.

"I wouldn't move an inch if I were you." Volpina remarked as she walked past him, touching his arm as she then gripped his chin to force him to look at her in the eye. She was smiling victoriously, "Don't worry Ladybug, I don't wanna be your friend. I just want to use you to prove a point." She remarked as Ladybug glared at her. "Now that everyone thinks I'm a superhero, including Cat Noir. So you won't be able to make a fool out of me anymore." She said. "But first, you're going to give me your Miraculous."

But Ladybug had no idea what she was talking about, he didn't even know her. He certainly wasn't a fan of how "affectionate" she was. Volpina was surprised as he whistled suddenly, not understanding what he was doing until he kicked her back, far from himself.

"What do you think you're doing?!" She demanded as she realized her illusions were gone. Watching as a pigeon landed on Ladybug's hand, accepting the hero's touch as Ladybug nuzzled his belly with his hand.

"You're an extravagant person, that's for sure, but you're clearly no hero." He commented as the pigeon then flew off, then took out his yo-yo texting someone.

"What do you think you're doing?!" She demanded as the hero was clearly underwhelmed by her, but was even more insulted as he didn't respond. She was taken off guard by Ladybug then binding her with his yo-yo, making her fall to the ground. She struggled against the bindings as Ladybug made quick work of her necklace, recognizing it's design. Breaking it to release the Akuma.

"No more mischief from you little Akuma. Time to purify!" Ladybug said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion. Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. "Bye-bye, little butterfly." He said as Volpina transformed back into Lila.

"Uh, where am I?" She questioned looking around in confusion, even more so now that Ladybug appeared before her handing back her necklace.

"Do you want to talk-" He was about to ask but was cut off.

"Get away from me!" Lila snapped angrily. "It's because of you that everything was ruined!" She growled angrily as she clutched the necklace closely.

"What are you talking about?" Ladybug said, but that only seemed to enrage her further as she walked off the roof, leaving him confused.

* * *

* * *

Ladybug sat on the edge of the tv station. He hadn't used his Lucky charm so he could afford to be in this form for a while.

"Ladybug!"

The hero glanced back to see Chat Noir walking up to him in concern. "I got your text, what's up? Where's Volpina?" He asked.

"She transformed back to normal. The meteor, the Hawkmoth we saw wasn't real."

"What are you trying to say?" Chat Noir asked in confusion.

"She wasn't a real superhero, she was akumatized by Hawk Moth." He said bluntly. "Her power was illusions."

"I don't get it," Chat Noir said, "But if that's true why aren't we going after her?"

"Because she's already been dealt with."

"Yeesh, that was fast." Chat Noir remarked as he sat down next to his partner looking over the city. "Did you use your Lucky charm?" He asked as Ladybug shook his head.

"Didn't need to." He responded, "I thought it'd be nice to sit for a little while."

Chat Noir hummed for a moment.

"What were you trying to say earlier?" Ladybug asked.

"Huh? Oh." Chat Noir's face reddened, "Uh, I was asking...if maybe, you liked...girls?"

Ladybug glanced at him in confusion, "Yes?"

"No, I mean, are you attracted to girls, or boys maybe?" He asked, pretty sure his face was entirely red and steam was coming out of his ears.

"Ah." Ladybug nodded. "It doesn't matter to me. You?"

"Uh, I think both." Chat Noir said as he averted his gaze holding his face as he could feel a weight lifted off his shoulders.

"What brought this up?" Ladybug asked.

"Oh, you see, there's this girl, who said that you and she were..." Chat Noir crossed his fingers, smiling sheepishly.

"Chat, I wouldn't instigate a relationship with anyone in this form." Ladybug said sincerely. "Protecting people-"

"Should be our number one priority, I know, I know." Chat Noir said, finishing the sentence, leaning back as he sighed. He felt Ladybug's hand on his shoulder as his partner stood up.

"I have to go now." He said, "It was nice talking to you." He remarked throwing his yo-yo towards the city but was stopped as Chat Noir grasped his hand for a moment. "Hm?" Ladybug glanced at his partner questioningly. Chat Noir looked like he wanted to say something, but averted his gaze.

"Would...would you mind if we stayed like this for a moment?" He asked sincerely as Ladybug smiled at him. Retracting his yo-yo as he sat back down, allowing Chat Noir to rest his head on his shoulder as they both looked out at the city.

* * *

Back home Adrien panicked looking everywhere. "Did you take my father's book, Plagg?"

Plagg glanced at him, shoving a piece of cheese in his mouth. "Of course not!"

Adrien grimaced as he could feel his head start to hurt. "If he finds out it's missing, I'll have something worse than Hawkmoth to deal with."

* * *

Marin glanced at the book in his hand. "Why did Adrien have this book?" he questioned glancing at Tikki as they stood outside of the place where he once took her to.

"I'm really sorry Marin, but its information is invaluable, we can't give it back."She said bowing her head.

"Information?" He questioned. "Like on the Miraculous?"

Tikki nodded. " I know someone who's been looking for this for a long time. It contains all the secrets of the Miraculous powers. Something so sacred and extremely dangerous in the wrong hands, so it needs to be returned to its rightful owner."

Marin nodded. "I don't get it, Tikki. But I trust you sugar cube." He smiled as he entered the room. The old man he came across before was there sitting, as though he was waiting for someone. Tikki flew towards him, smiling as she introduced him.

"Marin, this is The Great Guardian."

The old man opened his eyes with a smile on his face as a green Kwami hovered nearby. "Hello, Ladybug." The old man greeted as the door closed behind them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- Season 1 is done, Season 2; I'm coming after you.  
\- Lila in my story was more envious towards what she believed was Adrien's admiration towards heroes, (not realizing that he was just head over heads for bug boy)  
\- Marin is more pan while Adrien is bi.  
\- Things I like in a story; Continuity, Angst, Fluff, and Parallels. hint. hint.  
\- Each season things will change one way or another. This season, it's Marin getting a grandpa.


	27. The Collector...of awards for being a bad parent.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marin starts getting suspicious as he comes into new information, pursuing a lead. Meanwhile, Adrien pays for Marin and Tikki's crimes but reaches a milestone.

"Master, are you okay?" Wayzz asked in concern as his best friend had been deep in meditation all morning. But he received an answer as the door then knocked, and he immediately went to hide inside the phonograph.

"He's here." The master said, smiling as the door opened to reveal Tikki and her partner looking in curiously. "Hello, Ladybug." The master said with a smile as the young boy nodded his head as he entered. Clearly shaken by how he knew of his alter ego, but not forgetting his manners as he removed his shoes.

"Master I know you never wanted me to bring him here again but you must see what he's discovered! Show him, Marin!" Tikki said hovering over the old man as Marin looked at him in surprise.

"I'm guessing you're not really a vet?" Marin asked sitting down. "You helped me before." He recalled.

The old man nodded with a smile on his face. "The first day was no chance encounter. Marinus, you're always ready to help others. I knew that day, that very moment, that you'd make a fantastic Ladybug."

Marin chuckled dryly as he recalled the first time he became Ladybug, and how he gave up almost immediately. "But, who are you?"

The old man stood up, walking towards the phonograph as he gestured for Marin to follow. He pressed a few buttons on a secret compartment on the device, revealing a black box with a red inscription, one similar to the one he received his Miraculous within.

"Master Fu is the last known member of the Order of the Guardians!" Tikki explained as she hovered nearby.

"Guardian?" Marin questioned as he was surprised by another Kwami flying out towards him. A small green one with a turtle shell who smiled in greeting.

"Guardians of the Miraculous! Helly, I'm Wayzz, Master Fu's kwami. It's a pleasure to meet you, Marinus." He greeted.

Marin looked at Tikki for a moment before a smile broke out on his face. "You as well. Marin is fine."

"We guardians are responsible for protecting and distributing the Miraculous, for the good of all humanity." Master Fu explained. "We are chosen in childhood and trained for many years, specially for this mission. When I made a terrible mistake, and all was lost of the guardians' temple save for the remaining Miraculous within this box." The Master sighed heavily locking away the Miraculous box once more.

"Wait, but what about Hawkmoth's Miraculous?" Ladybug questioned, "Were you the one who gave him his?"

The Master shook his head, "No, of course not. The Miraculous he holds was one of two that were originally were apart of this Miraculous box, but were lost centuries ago."

"But that's part of the reason we're here today master!" Tikki suddenly said then turning towards Marin who had all eyes on him as he nervously took out the grimoire out of his messenger bag.

Both Master Fu and Wayzz were in shock as Marin handed the book over to him. "This is..." The master murmured as he opened the book, placing his hand over the pages delicately, as though the entire thing was made from dust.

"It has pictures of previous Miraculous holders." Marin said. "Master, what exactly is this book?" He asked as the master sighed heavily.

"Something incredibly invaluable." Master Fu said as he gestured for Marin to sit down while the 2 Kwami began to play together, chasing each other around the room happily. "A book that contains the spells needed to unlock the secret powers of the Miraculous."

Marin's eyes widened in surprise at this news.

"I've always believed, hoped, that whoever possessed this spellbook must also have the Peacock and the Butterfly Miraculous. How did you discover this book, Marinus?" Master Fu asked with a serious expression on his face.

Marin hesitated for a moment. "When I first saw the book it was with...a classmate. But I know him, he's a good, kind person. There's no possible way that he'd be Hawkmoth, much less a thief." Marin insisted.

Master Fu hummed for a moment stroking his beard as a playful smile broke out. "You're afraid that the one you care for could turn out to be a stranger."

Marin lowered his head, "I don't know that for certain Master. I can't jump to any conclusions" He then lifted it with a determined expression. "But if I can find a way to track down Hawkmoth and take away his Miraculous, I won't hesitate."

Master Fu closed the book, looking at Marin with a grave expression."You must be very careful, Marin. If you succeed, you may well find yourself face to face with Hawk Moth."

Marin smiled reassuringly, noticing Tikki sharing her precious macaroons with Wayzz happily. "I'll be very careful, I promise. Tikki." Marin called out as he put on his shoes, then leaving the shop with a conflicted expression as soon as he was out of sight of the master.

* * *

"Why did you take the book?"

Adrien hung his head fearfully as Nathalie showed images of him stealing the Miraculous book from his father's safe. His father had his back turned towards him as he looked out the window, radiating a quiet anger.

"I... I just wanted to know what you were hiding behind that portrait that was so important." Adrien hesitantly explained, trying not to make his voice shake. "You.. you never told me about those things. I was intending to give it back to you, I swear! But then... I lost it."

Adrien flinched slightly as he heard his father sigh heavily.

"I'm sorry... I'll get you another copy-"

"It's one of a kind!" Gabriel suddenly snapped as Adrien gripped his chair, keeping his head lowered.

His father changed lowered his tone as he then faced the door. The book's the source of my inspiration."You will be home-schooled again with Nathalie."

Adrien suddenly lifted his head, wanting to say something, but faltered as he watched his father and Natalie leave the room. Not even lifting his head as Plagg hovered nearby, nuzzling his face affectionately to try and improve his mood.

* * *

"I need to talk to Adrien..." Marin murmured as he stood just outside the school with Tikki looking up from his messenger bag.

"But Marin, what are you going to do if Adrien turns out to be Hawkmoth?" Tikki asked.

Marin looked away for a moment before he lifted his head with a determined expression. "I'll do what I have to Tikki." He said as he then walked into the school.

He looked around for a good while, getting slightly alarmed as he couldn't find Adrien anywhere. Nearby the classroom he heard crying, seeing Chloe bawl her eyes out over something. But he didn't have time for that now. He grabbed Nino as soon as he spotted him, dragging him outside the classroom.

"Hey-what gives?" Nino asked crossing his arms.

"Have you seen Adrien?" Marin asked, noticing Nino's somber expression.

"His dad grounded him over losing a book."

"A book?" Marin asked with great interest.

"Yup, it's really dumb, how much of a sticker can his dad be to imprison his son?" Nino sighed heavily, clearly missing his best friend.

Marin held out his arms as a smile broke out on Nino's face.

"You give the best hugs." Nino sighed as the two broke away.

"Don't let Alya hear you saying that, she'll get jealous." Marin chuckled.

"Nah, she'd totally agree with me."

"At least now we know what to do," Marin said as Nino tilted his head in confusion.

"Huh?"

"We need to find the book, we do that, and Adrien's dad won't have a reason to keep him at home anymore.

"Ohh, nice idea dude, I'll let everyone else know." Nino smiled as he walked back into the classroom, waving as Marin ran over to a nearby empty classroom.

Tikki flew out as Marin grinned, "So it wasn't Adrien's book. It belongs to his father!" Marin remarked sighing in relief as a wave of shock washed over him, his smile quickly fading."Oh no the book belongs to his father."

His Kwami gasped as she knew exactly who Gabriel Agreste was, knowing how much Marin admired the man's career.

"Gabriel Agreste." Marin murmured to himself. "A man who isolated himself after the disappearance of his wife. Mysterious, very intelligent, but cold, even with his own son. But if he's angry enough to lock his son away," Marin's eyes widened. "Then Adrien could be in danger!"

" You realize if your intuition is correct, then Adrien's father could be Hawkmoth." Tikki warned as Marin nuzzled her face.

"Don't worry about me sugar cube. I'll be careful. Tikki, Spots on!"

* * *

Adrien played around with the Foosball table with Plagg as the sound of piano music echoed through the background, deceiving anyone who would pass by into thinking that he was actually practicing the piano.

"Look on the bright side. Your father could've found out about me! It's a good thing we kwamis can never be filmed or photographed. Ah, those photographers have no idea what they're missing!" Plagg joked as he cheated, picking up the ball and throwing it for his point. He cheered happily, but it soon faded as he noticed Adrien's sadness.

"Come on," Plagg remarked as he flew before Adrien's face. "Return to school?! Are you crazy?! No more homework, no more alarm clocks! We should be celebrating! Hey, I know," He said picking up a jar out of the cabinet, "I named this piece El Plaggo. It's been maturing for nine hundred and ninety-nine days! I've been meaning to break it out for something special!"

Adrien was repulsed as he covered his nose. "Oh gross!"

"Jealous!" Plagg accused, smiling as he saw a smile catch on Adrien's face. But it disappeared as there was crashing heard outside the door. "What was that?!" Plagg asked placing the jar on the table.

"Nothing." Adrien said, moving towards the window. "It'll stop soon enough." He sighed, hugging himself as he rested his head on the window. He snapped out of his as he heard a scream, running towards the door. He tried to open it but it was locked from the other side. "Hey!" He called out, but only heard grunts as his bodyguard. He concluded that there must be some kind of danger as his bodyguard was instructed to lock him down inside his room to keep him safe. "I can't stay here." Adrien concluded.

He turned around to face Plagg but saw that his Kwami had retreated, replaced now with Ladybug jumping through the window, landing in his room.

Under different circumstances, he would've probably fainted on the spot.

"Ladybug?" Adrien asked in shock as the hero walked up to him.

"We need to go Mister Agreste." Ladybug said as he placed a hand on his shoulder.

Adrien looked up to him in confusion. "I don't understand, what's going on?" He asked as he heard laughing outside his door, followed up by someone calling his name.

"I'm sorry, I'll explain later. Excuse me." Ladybug said as he wrapped his arm around his waist, jumping onto the window as he used his yo-yo to jump into the city.

Adrien reflexively wrapped his arms around Ladybug's neck, holding on tightly until Ladybug then placed him on top of a nearby roof. "What's going on?" He asked as Ladybug glanced back towards his house.

"Your father's been akumatized." Ladybug said was Adrien was shaken.

"My father?!" Adrien asked in shock until Ladybug rested his hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry, Chat Noir and I will definitely save him, but I need you to stay safe while we do so."

Adrien nodded, placing his hand over Ladybugs. "Don't worry about me."

Ladybug smiled reassuringly but hesitated for a moment. "Forgive me if I'm out of line, but your father...he doesn't seem like the most, kindly person." 

Adrien looked away from a moment, "He's my father, even if he's overly strict sometimes. I know it's just because he's he doesn't want to lose anyone else." 

Ladybug glanced at him for a moment before he then jumped back towards the house. As soon as the hero was out of sight, Plagg flew out of Adrien's shirt.

"Looks like you really got on your father's bad side." Plagg remarked.

"Yeah, we'd go help him out." Adrien said. "Plagg, claw's out!"

* * *

Ladybug walked through the mansion on guard as he looked around hesitantly among with upturned furniture and broken statues. He checked the study, which was the most trashed compared to the rest of the rooms. There were various idols broken as well as thrown pictures of Adrien. Ladybug knelt as he picked up a photo that Adrien seemed to have drawn when he was a child. Noticing that it had his mother with him and his father. For a moment, Ladybug felt immense sympathy for his classmate, then grew angry as to what kind of person his father was turning out to be.

"Whoa, what happened here? Looks like somebody had a little tantrum."

Ladybug heard as Chat Noir approached him, looking over his shoulder. "Gabriel Agreste has been akumatized." He could see Chat Noir's frown as Ladybug placed the photo frame back on the shelf. He hoped that this would all be fixed soon. He noticed Chat Noir glancing at the same photo looking sad. "Are you okay?" He asked.

Chat Noir nodded, "Yeah... Yeah, let's find this guy."

The two walked into the main hall where Chat Noir immediately pulled Ladybug back. "Look out!" He shouted as he grabbed Ladybug's arm, his partner then falling into his arms as the two toppled back.

"What-" Ladybug questioned for a moment as he noticed his scarf was now gone. The two heard laughing in the main hall as they now carefully entered the main hall. Both of them spotted the akumatized villain.

"Not sure I like the new look, Gabriel Agreste!" Chat Noir remarked taking out his staff.

But the villain grinned. "There is no more Gabriel Agreste. There is only...the Collector!" He informed as he threw a book towards Ladybug, which boomeranged back to its owner as soon as Ladybug evaded it.

"You won't be able to escape!" The Collector remarked as he threw the book again. This time Ladybug pushed Chat Noir out of the way as it almost hit his head, then he grabbed his partner's hand dragging him into the dining room.

"Any ideas?!" Chat Noir asked as the two pulled out their weapons.

"He has a notebook, books that are 60 to 100 pages, give or take." Ladybug informed as the two were backed into a corner. "We need to find a way to incapacitate him, or fill up that book."

The Collector smiled evilly as he entered the dining room, evading as Chat Noir threw a few chairs at him. All of which got caught within the notebook as Ladybug and Chat Noir ran towards the main hall.

"The Akuma's gotta be in that book!" Chat Noir reasoned as they hid on the second floor. "Except that if we touch it, we'll disappear!"

Ladybug hummed for a moment as he then threw his yo-yo into the air. "Lucky Charm!" He called out, then received a corkscrew opener. The two heroes exchanged a glance of confusion as The Collector walked into the main hall.

"Ladybug and Chat Noir, you shall be the masterpieces in my new book of inspiration!" He called out wandering through the mansion. Ladybug tilted his head, signaling to hide in the nearby room, in Adrien's room.

* * *

They barricaded the door entrance using the furniture in Adrien's room to delay The Collector for a little while.

"Gabriel Agreste's son isn't at home?" Chat Noir asked as Ladybug shook his head.

"I already got him to safety, couldn't take any chances." Ladybug said as he started looking around the room for something.

"You think he'd take it out on his own son?" Chat Noir asked.

"...I don't know, but I saw Adrien before, he looked miserable stuck in this room alone." Ladybug remarked he observed the second floor.

"Well, parents can be strict sometimes." Chat Noir defended.

"There's strict, and then there's Gabriel Agreste...ah ha." Ladybug said as he picked up the El Plaggo, just in time as The Collecteur was at the door.

"You cannot escape from me!" He called out as he started to make the furniture disappear. Chat Noir stood before the door as Ladybug hopped to the second floor.

"Chat Noir, we need to feed him some inspiration." Ladybug instructed trying to open the jar, but was having a little trouble.

"Should I write him a sonnet?" Chat Noir asked, taking out his staff just as The Collector entered, he threw his book at Chat Noir who evaded the attacks narrowly. He slipped up a few times, getting his belt, and his staff caught, now on the floor just as The Collector approached him with the book in hand.

"My greatest masterpiece is at my fingertips."

"You mean your greatest plagiarism!" Chat Noir retorted. "I'll have you know I'm copyrighted!"

"Chat!" Ladybug called out as he threw the opened jar towards him. Chat Noir swiftly kicked it up, then just as fast slammed it down on The Collectors head as he writhed in agony due t the smell, leaving him wide open as Chat Noir activated his power.

"Cataclysm!" Chat Noir then grabbed the book on the cover as it disintegrated, releasing the Akuma.

"No more mischief from you little Akuma. Time to purify!" Ladybug said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion. Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. "Bye-bye, little butterfly. Miraculous Ladybug!" Ladybug called out, throwing up the lucky charm as everything turned back to normal.

Ladybug helped Gabriel to his feet as he noticed that Chat Noir had disappeared. "Hm." He hummed as he turned his attention towards Gabriel.

"Ladybug, what happened to me?" He asked in confusion.

"You were akumatized by Hawkmoth, but it's over now." Ladybug informed, handing his book back in one piece.

"Thank you, to you both-" He suddenly gasped, "Adrien...where is my son?!"

"Your son is safe." Ladybug reassured, but then heard footsteps as Adrien appeared at the door to his room, looking timid.

"Father!" He said as he approached. "You're okay-" He said as his father immediately hugged him on sight.

"Are you alright?" His father asked as Adrien nodded, looking away.

"Father...I really am sorry about earlier." Adrien apologized lowering his head.

Gabriel sighed, "It appears that I allowed my temper to get the better of me. However, this doesn't change the fact that you disobeyed me."

"I know." Adrien nodded as he hugged his father again.

Ladybug felt a warm feeling in his chest but turned away as his Miraculous began to beep, escaping the room.

* * *

Back at Fu's massage shop. Tikki and Wayzz are played around with the phonograph while Master Fu poured tea for the four of them while Marin set out some cookies he brought from his family's bakery.

"Gabriel Agreste was akumatized..." Marin said after he explained the situation. "What does this mean?"

"It means that perhaps the trail has gone cold." Master Fu said as Marin narrowed his eyes.

"If I were a villain who lost something important, I'd want to cover my trail." Marin reasoned as he crossed his arms. "My lucky charm disappears if I transform back without using it, would the same apply to Hawkmoth's butterflies if he tried to detransform?"

Master Fu hummed for a moment, "It would be difficult to say. When the Miraculous are used for evil, it is possible for their powers to warp according to the user."

Marin hung his head for a moment as he then folded his hands together. "Master, I know I may be asking for a lot, but if I don't return that book then my classmate won't be able to go back to school."

Master Fu nodded with a smile, "I understand Marinus." He said handing back the grimoire and holding up his tablet. "Luckily, I've already ensured that I would never lose this book again."

A smile broke out on Marin's face as Master Fu smiled cheekily, both of them turned towards their Kwami scarfing down cookies. Laughing as two had a contest of who could shove the most mini-macaroons into their mouths.

* * *

Marin sighed heavily as he held his hands together standing before Gabriel Agreste who stood towering before him atop the stairs, as though he were facing judgment.

"I'm really sorry sir, I didn't realize the book was Adrien's when I was shelving them. When I saw it fallen on the ground in the library and I just assumed it was just one of the encyclopedias."

Gabriel stared at him. "And what, if I may ask, is your relationship with my son? It was quite forward of you to personally hand me the book."

Marin evaded eye contact, sighing heavily as he then lifted his head with determined eyes. "Sir, with all due respect, I'd like you to allow Adrien to return to school."

"Oh?" Gabriel inquired with an amused expression, "And why should I heed advice from a child about how I raise my son?"

Marin didn't waver. "Because it was my fault that Adrien lost the book. Even if he did take it from you, we both know he's not the type to be irresponsible with something that is clearly very important. If you have a problem with anyone, it should be with me."

The older man scoffed, tucking the book away under his arm. "You would do well to know your place." Gabriel remarked as he then turned away, retreating to his study. "Natalie will show you out."

Marin was escorted, nodding towards Gabriel's secretary as he was effectively, kicked out of Adrien's home.

"It was really brave what you just did for Adrien." Tikki said poking her head out of Marin's jacket pocket. "But aren't you worried about getting on that man's bad side?"

"All that matters is for Adrien to be allowed out of the house again, it doesn't matter what Gabriel Agreste thinks of me."

* * *

Adrien's attention was grabbed as he noticed someone familiar walking out of his house just as he was returning from fencing practice. He wanted to get a better look of this person, but Natalie was already waiting for him at the top of the stairs. Walking in, she gestured towards his father's study.

Adrien suddenly felt anxious as he walked in. His father was already working on new designs at his desktop when he walked in.

"I'm sorry I became so furious over a book." His father suddenly said, glancing towards him from across the room. "Tomorrow you may return to school."

Adrien's eyes widened in surprise. "Do you mean it father?" He asked hopefully as he watched his father open up the safe behind the portrait of his mother. Seeing that he had the book back. "That's..."

"The book was the very last gift your mother gave to me before...before she disappeared," Gabriel said closing the portrait. "All I have left of her is this book...and you, and I hope that in the future, you'll take care to remember that everything I do is for your best interests."

Adrien nodded, smiling, "I will, thank you, father." But just before he left the room he turned back. "Where did you find the book?"

"One of your classmates dropped it off, apparently you had dropped it in the school library." He said simply. As Adrien's eye widened in surprise, closing the door on his way out.

* * *

The next day at school Adrien was surrounded by his classmates and hugs as they were all glad to see him. Marin smiled to himself, isolated from the rest as he needed to see Master Fu. He waved to a few of his classmates and friends as he stood at the entrance of the building, smiling up at the clear sky.

"Marin."

Marin turned around in surprise to see Adrien standing behind him.

"Hey." Marin murmured as he averted his gaze as usual.

"You got a sec?" Adrien asked sitting down on the stairs as Marin mirrored him, placing his messenger bag in his lap.

They sat there in silence for a little while until Adrien spoke up again. "I'm not really good at stuff like this." He said as though he were admitting something serious, smiling sheepishly.

"Stuff like what?" Marin inquired.

"This, sitting in one place, talking about my feelings." He said looking up towards the sky as he rested his hands behind him.

"I know the feeling." Marin admitted as well, sighing, noticing Adrien had turned towards him.

"Marin, I-"

"Hey guys, Cutie pie. " Nino greeted sitting down between them with a cheeky grin. "What'cha talkin' about?" He asked as Marin chuckled as Adrien looked like he might snap.

"Hi Cookie." Marin greeted as Nino gave him a tight hug, to which Marin returned with the same strength. Nino then turned to Alya who sat on Marin's other side.

"See, this is what I'm talking about, firm, warm, plus he smells like bakery stuff."

Alya hummed for a moment as she too hugged Marin, who was trying to hold back his laughter while hugging his two friends. "Yup, I see what you mean. This is a hug I could get into."

"Right? Hey Adrien, you want in on this-" Nino asked.

"OH, MY GOODNESS CAN YOU GUYS NOT? PLEASE." Adrien pleaded as Marin was surprised, while Alya quickly grabbed Nino's hand. The two clearly had planned this from the start as now they were laughing like maniacs.

"They're so cute together," Marin commented with a smile. "I'm sorry, did you want a hug to-"

"Please be my friend."

"Huh?"

"I really like you, I know Nino and Alya do as well..." Adrien said then chuckled to himself, "I've actually been trying to ask you for a while...but stuff just kept coming up." He murmured as he saw Marin's stunned face. "Okay wow, I probably shouldn't have asked. Have a nice life I will...leave...now." He said standing up, but was surprised as Marin grabbed onto his hand.

"No wait, I- I mean...I'd really like that!" As soon as he realized what he was doing he let go, now standing himself gripping the sash of his messenger bag with a red face that he was trying to hide behind his hands.

"I'd uh, I think I'd like that hug?" Adrien asked smiling brightly, unable to stop himself from teasing his new friend. Marin peaked out from behind his fingers, holding out his arms as Adrien stepped into a comfortable embrace. Wrapping his arms around his new friend as he noticed all of those that his best friend pointed out earlier. He couldn't resist resting his head on Marin's shoulder, sighing. "Nino's right, do you give good hugs."

* * *

Marin sat on the porch of his room wearing his pajamas under a black hoodie, resting against the railing as night fell.

“What are you thinking?” Tikki asked hovering nearby.

"I’m a Miraculous holder, it’s up to me and Chat Noir to make sure that no one gets hurt because of Hawkmoth. The grimoire was in Gabriel Agreste's possession, probably for years. But the master lost track of it and the other Miraculous a long time before that. Which brings up the question, why would one of the most powerful men in the world want our Miraculous?" Marin sighed, "...maybe this is just a coincidence?" Marin rested his head on his hand sighing heavily as he bit the bottom of his lip, "But most important of all if Gabriel Agreste is Hawkmoth...it would crush Adrien. I know, I shouldn’t be thinking about him in all this, his father is...seems unkindly but even so Adrien still cares about him. Even if I could take the Miraculous from Gabriel Agreste, what would become of the relationship with his son?"

"I thought you were a think with your head hero." Tikki lightly teased sitting on Marin's shoulder.

"I am. If I'm thinking that Gabriel is Hawkmoth then it'll involve Adrien no matter what. He's his father after all."

“It a lot to process, you'd need to be absolutely certain that Gabriel is Hawkmoth if you ever decide to pursue him. Maybe you should talk to Chat Noir?" Tikki suggested. 

Marin shook his head, "My head is just scrambled from everything that happened today, but even I realize that almost everything I have is circumstantial. If I could get something solid, then maybe... But for now," He said turning towards his room. "I think it's time for bed." He said as Tikki nodded. "Maybe we'll go see Master Fu tomorrow and bring by some cookies."

"Oooo, yes. I want Wayzz to try the chocolate ones!" Tikki remarked as she nuzzled her partner.

"Anything for you and Wayzz, sugar cube."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Alya and Nino are Wingmen.


	28. I can't handle the Dis-Bear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone’s friends now. Chloe plans a party and nothing shippy happens...at all.

Everyone was gathered in the Chemistry lab observing Marin's father mixing chocolate, while Marin stood next to him doing the prep work on the cookie batter, wearing a light pastel pink apron.

"I'll let you in on a little secret. I always add cream to the chocolate to make the ganache extra velvety. Then I let infuse for one minute." Tom said

"I love it when your dad comes to class and gives us pastry lessons," Alya said as she held her phone camera towards the ingredients that Marin was mixing. He looked up at her with an amused smile.

"So does he." He chuckled.

"It's all done with a flick of the wrist. But you mustn't go too fast or you might splash yourself!" Tom laughed as he glanced at his son, who rolled his eyes with a smile. He then noticed Chloe snapping at Rose before she then walked to the window, pulling out her phone in disinterest.

"Look at this lovely emulsion," Tom said as everyone looked at the chocolate in awe, the aroma spreading through the room.

"It's beautiful!" Rose said captivated by its shine.

"Now we need to chill it for half an hour. Marin? Could you put this in the school cafeteria fridge for me, please? In the meantime, I'm going to show your friends how to pipe the perfect sized cookie." He asked handing Marin the bowl.

"Sure," Marin said as Alya held the door for him.

As soon as the door closed behind him, Tikki peaked out of his apron pocket.

"Mmm, can I get a taste?" She asked widening her big blue eyes.

"Not yet, sugar cube. Control that sweet tooth of yours." Marin chuckled as he walked down the stairs, suddenly he was surprised at loud alarms going off. He accidentally tripped over his feet due to the shock, falling face-first into the chocolate.

Tikki laughed for a few moments until she had to disappear as everyone walked out of their classrooms. Marin lifted his head, sighing heavily as he now had a face full of chocolate.

* * *

Adrien was assembled among his peers as Principal Damocles had an angry expression on his face.

"So, some smart-aleck prankster decided it would be funny to call the fire department? Well, how's this for a joke, no one leaves until someone apologizes for wasting the fire captain's valuable time!"

" Mr. Damocles, sir?" Adrien noticed Chloé standing before him raising her hand.

"Yes, Miss Bourgeois?"

"I saw a student leaving the classroom right before the alarm went off. It must have been him."

"Really?" Mr. Damocles asked, "Who was it?"

Chloé smiled slyly. "Let's see if he'll come clean. What do you say, Marinus Dupain-Cheng?!" Chloé accused as everyone started murmuring among themselves.

"Marin, do you have something to tell the firefighter captain?" called out, but received no response. "Uh, where is he?

"See, I bet he called the fire department just to ditch class like he usually does." She laughed as Adrien frowned.

"Urgh, wait. Excuse me, sir!" He called out as a few eyes were on him. " It couldn't possibly be Marin. why would she disrupt her own father's cooking class?"

"Plus Marin doesn't even have a phone." Alya pointed out.

"Oh yeah, well where is he?" Chloé accused.

"In the bathroom cleaning off his face after he tripped in chocolate." Alya remarked, "Nino's with him right now."

"Well Mr. Damocles, I must be heading out." The Fire chief said trying to leave.

"Just one more second. We're very close to discovering the truth." Mr. Damocles said as the chief sighed heavily.

"Oh well, we all know it can't be me!" Chloé said with a smile, not noticing all the glares geared on her.

" I really have to leave now. Just call me if you find out who the prankster is-" The fireman tried to leave again but was stopped as Mr. Damocles spoke up once more.

" Fine. Since no one is owning up, the whole school will be punished." He said firmly as everyone started to complain and groan.

"What?! I'm not so sure my father will react kindly to me being punished without any proof! " Chloé threatened as she pulled out her phone.

Mr. Damocles suddenly grew panicked. "Oh, no! Please, don't disrupt the busy mayor." He then cleared his throat. "The whole school is punished except for Miss Bourgeois!" He announced as the unrest among the student body grew.

Chloé smiled, placing her phone away, "Now that's more like it."

"Now you know how we deal with anyone who misuses the fire department's time."

"Okay, great! Bye!" The fireman said as he finally was allowed to leave.

* * *

"It was totally her," Alya remarked as she and Adrien glanced at Chloe talking on her phone while they were cleaning windows. Everyone else around her was shooting her death glares.

"Now hang on, we don't know for sure it was her." Adrien defended.

"I know I know don't assume." Alya said, "But it was totally her."

"Yeah, probably," Adrien admitted under his breath.

"Hey." Nino greeted as he was rubbing a rag on his hands next to Marin who still had trace evidence of chocolate on his face still. "What's going on?"

"Long story short, we have to clean up the school while daddy's girl over there gets off scot-free," Alya remarked crossing her arms. "What's up with you two? What took so long?"

"Chocolate ganache is really hard to wash out with school soap." Marin sighed as he still had a lot of chocolate in his hair.

"Can't you see I'm trying to relax here? Go sweep somewhere else, Cinderella." Chloe snapped, as Rose whimpered away tears welling up in her eyes. Adrien frowned at that, walking up to his childhood friend.

"Adrikins!" Chloé greeted as she hugged him immediately.

"Chloé...were you the one who called the firemen?" Adrien asked, really hoping that she would at least deny it.

"Of course it was me who called the fire department. So what?" She said almost proudly.

Adrien slapped his forehead, "And it doesn't bother you that everyone's being punished because of you?"

"No. Why would it? They all seem to enjoy getting dirty making cookies. How's it any different than getting dirty, cleaning floors? They should be thanking me if anything."

Adrien sighed heavily, "Chloé. How long have you and I been friends?"

Chloé smiled up at him. "Since we were adorable little tots, Adrikins." She tried to grab his arm, but he stepped back out of her reach.

"Well, I'm sorry Chloé, but I can't be friends with someone who treats other people like this. You've gotta be nice to people."

"N-nice?" Chloé remarked as the concept was foreign to her.

"Yes, nice," Adrien remarked as he caught Marin consoling Rose nearby, somehow getting their classmate to laugh as her tears dried up. " It's not that hard."

* * *

Marin walked back up to his room, drying his newly cleaned hair with a towel as he sat down at his desk. Tikki was watching anime on his computer when he heard a notification.

"One sec sugar cube." He requested as she paused her video. She hovered near his head as he saw Alya was trying to call him. He clicked on her icon as Tikki hid behind the monitor.

"What up?" Marin asked.

"Did you get one of these too?" Alya asked as she held up her cell phone with an invitation.

"Uh, no?" Marin responded. "What is it?"

"Chloé's inviting me to a party, and apparently the entire school as well.

"Oh, that's so nice of her." He said simply as Alya stared at him.

"Chloé and nice in the same sentence? You don't think that's suspicious at all?" Alya asked. "Actually wait, hang on." She said as a few moments later Nino popped into the group chat.

"Hi!" He said.

"Cookie, you get one of these too?" Alya asked holding up her phone again.

"Yeah." He said, showing off his invitation as well. "Apparently everyone's getting one."

"I haven't gotten anything," Marin said as he looked through his email.

"Because hardly anyone uses email any more cutie pie," Nino remarked. "Hang on." He said as then Adrien joined the call.

"What's going on?" He asked curiously as all of his friends were in one place.

"Hey Adrikins, is Chloé planning some kind of elaborate prank?" Alya asked.

"I dunno, honest. Maybe she's just being nice?" He suggested as everyone else looked at him in disbelief. "But maybe Chloé just needs a chance? She can be cool sometimes."

"To you maybe." Nino said, "But everyone else probably is the equivalent of roaches."

"That's a little harsh," Adrien remarked.

"No...that sounds about right," Marin confirmed as he sighed.

"Okay, so she can be difficult. But I think if we go then you'll be able to see her better side?" Adrien suggested, but even he looked like he was trying to convince himself.

"Alright, I'll go if Adrirkin's is going," Nino said as Adrien smiled at him. "Alya?"

She groaned, "Fine. Marin?"

Her best friend shrugged his shoulders. "I don't have an invitation, so I guess I can't go. Oh well…" But he didn't sound disappointed.

"Oop, Chloé just texted me to bring you. Sorry cutie, looks like you're coming along as well." Alya smirked in amusement, as Marin laughed. But it sounded hollow.

* * *

Adrien greeted his friends as all four of them walked into the hotel where Chloé lived. Marin held Alya's hand as he was turned off by the massive crowd.

"I'm here can we go home and get in our pajamas and watch movies or something?" Marin suggested as Alya clasped his hand tighter.

"Afterwards cutie, promise," Alya reassured as they both saw Chloé tackle Adrien with a hug, kissing his cheeks in greeting. Then grimacing as she did the same with their classmates.

Then, she walked up to Marin, growling as she grabbed his collar, pulling him down as she kissed his cheeks as well. Gagging as she proceeded to do the same thing with Alya and Nino.

"I did not care for that." Alya spat as she rubbed the Chloé off of her cheeks.

Marin smiled supportively as he took her hand, guiding her into the party as they followed Adrien and Nino into the larger crowd.

* * *

Adrien took notice of Chloé trying to be a good hostess, looking utterly miserable, but he appreciated her trying to become better. He then noticed Kim requesting a slow song as he asked Chloé to dance. He looked around to everyone pairing up as he then looked around, spotting Alya resting on Marin's shoulder near the elevators.

"Hey, either of you wanna dance?" He asked as Alya immediately snapped to attention.

"Remind me, Adrien you have formal dance experience right?" She asked as Marin looked fearful of what was to come."

"Yeah, of course."

She clapped her hands together. "Then maybe you could help Marin out." She said pushing him forward. "No one's ever asked this poor cutie to dance in his life."

"For good reason." Marin reminded, turning his head away shyly, lacing his fingers together.

"It's easy." Adrien reassured, grasping his friend's hand as he guided him to the dance floor. He placed one of Marin's hands on his shoulder as he placed his hand on the lower dip of Marin's back. Noticing his friend's eyes were glued directly to the ground. "It's okay, I'm leading." He said, "All you have to do is keep your head up and try to mirror my movements."

"How am I supposed to do that?" Marin asked growing more anxious.

"By trusting me." Adrien said, "I'll help guide you, and don't worry about stepping on my feet. I've stepped on a few myself." He smiled as Marin's shoulder's seemed to relax, chuckling.

They took a few steps together, Adrien tried to keep Marin's attention, but his friend seemed too nervous by the crowd of people. That was, until Alua popped up, adjusting their hand positions so that Marin had both of his around Adrien's waist while his were around the taller boy's neck. Both of them looked towards their friends in surprise as Nino was dancing with Alya. But eventually broke into laughter.

"Sorry, would you mind if I rested my head?" Marin asked as his face grew red, their dancing slowing down along with the music.

"No problem," Adrien said as Marin placed his head on his shoulder like he usually did with Nino or Alya. This was probably a friend thing. "Chloé seems to be doing well." He suddenly said, not certain why he brought up Marin's bully, but this was the route he was taking...apparently.

Marin hummed for a moment. "Maybe you were right. She's probably trying." He said as Adrien couldn't help but feel a semblance of relief. He mirrored Marin, closing his eyes as the two leaned on each other, slowly dancing along with the music.

That was, until Chloé suddenly snapped. Everyone looked in her direction as her butler was holding a bear, playing a character.

"Oh, please Chloé, dear. You've been such a good little girl. Mr. Cuddly is so very proud-" He butler said as she immediately tried to hide him.

"Is that your teddy bear, Chloé?" Kim asked, laughing as everyone else followed. Chloé then growled as she grabbed her butler, dragging him to the kitchens as Marin and Adrien exchanged a glance.

"Should we go after her?" Marin asked with a concerned expression.

"How can you do that?" Adrien suddenly asked as Marin looked at him in surprise.

"Do what?"

"Still be nice to her after everything she's done to you." Adrien clarified as Marin looked away sheepishly.

"I mean…I'm not a fan of her, but if someone's upset, their feelings shouldn't be ignored." Marin reasoned. "It even people like Chloé need someone to lean on now and again." Marin chuckled as a smile broke out on Adrien's face.

"Yeah, you're right." Adrien agreed. "But this doesn't get you out of your dance lesson." He said as the two broke out of their dance. Seemingly, someone boo'ed that in the back of the crowd, but it wasn't important right now. "Come on, I think she went-" Adrien was about to say but then Chloé ran in between them followed by Sabrina holding a hairbrush.

Immediately, Marin assessed the situation as he saw a little black teddy bear hugging Sabrina's leg. Quickly, he slipped away, running towards the staircase as he then closed the door behind him.

"Tikki." He called out as his Kwami flew out of his jacket.

"You looked like you were on Cloud Nine." Tikki giggled as Marin blushed. But he then shook his head, regaining his focus.

"No time for reminiscing. Tikki, spots on!"

* * *

Ladybug used his yo-yo to try and grab the bear attached to Kim's leg but instead grabbed the boy, sending him flying as he then had to catch him.

"Sorry." Ladybug apologized as Kim looked at him in confusion, placing him back down as he lost sight of the bear.

People began running away in panic as chairs began flying.

"Max!" Kim called out in worry as his best friend was being possessed by the bear now.

"How about a game of musical chairs?!" The bear asked through Max as Ladybug had to knock away a few flying chairs to stop them from hitting people.

"Watch out!" Chat Noir called as he appeared, using his staff to knock away one that was just about to hit Ladybug. He then used his staff to try and hit the bear, but it was too fast. Max then fell over as Kim ran towards his friend.

Ladybug narrowed his eyes, looking around as he felt someone's presence behind him. Side-stepping as he pinned Alya to the ground. "Huh? Ladybug... What happened?" She asked in confusion as Ladybug took out his yo-yo once more.

Chat Noir narrowly evaded a coffee table being tossed at him, pointing his staff at Ivan who then looked around in confusion. "Huh, Cat Noir?" He questioned as Chat Noir grew frustrated.

"UGH! This guy is really getting on my nerves." He commented as he felt someone grab his shoulder. He turned in shock as he narrowly evaded a punch.

"My lady?!" He asked as he saw his partner's blue eyes were now turned green. "Hey, snap out of it!" Chat noir pleased as he noticed the bear was hugging his partner's back.

Ladybug glanced at him with a blank expression, swiftly attacking him a few more times as Chat Noir, eyed the elevator. He jumped towards it, quickly using his staff to press the up button as his partner attacked him once more. Chat Noir evaded, jumping in the elevator as he winked playfully.

He saw Ladybug glare at him as he then entered the elevator with him,

" I've always wanted to be closer to you my lady," Chat Noir remarked as they dueled within the elevator. As soon as it dinged. Chat Noir tried to dive out as Ladybug was blocking the entrance, but was caught, feeling his arm twisted behind him.

"This is the end, Chat Noir." His possessed partner said with a grin as Chat Noir could feel his ring being removed.

"It is, for you!" Chat Noir retorted as he easily escaped being pinned. Quickly hugging his partner and in turn, the small bear as he smiles cheekily. " Real shame you never realized how weak Ladybug is compared to me." He meant physically but really hoped that Ladybug wouldn't remember this as he pulled his partner into the pool.

* * *

Ladybug coughed as he slowly opened his eyes, feeling a headache come on as he suddenly coughed out some water as he sat up.

"Ugh, what happened?" He asked in confusion, as he was now wet and Chat Noir was sitting next to him, having a conflicted look on his face.

"Well, you were possessed, I saved you, I found out you couldn't swim, and now the bear is at the bottom of the pool." Chat Noir explained as he rubbed the back of his head nervously. There was a brief silence between the two as Chat Noir then hugged his partner tightly for a moment.

Ladybug wasn't entirely sure how to respond, simply allowing to happen as he tried to recollect his thoughts.

"You're sure you don't have a girlfriend?" Chat Noir suddenly asked as he was still hugging him.

" No?" Ladybug responded as Chat Noir pulled back with a reddened face.

"Good, because you kinda almost drowned, and I kinda didn't what that to happen…"

"Don't worry about it." Ladybug remarked simply as he suddenly sneezed. He stood up, helping Chat Noir to his feet. "It was a good plan. Besides, I'd do it for you."

"...Right." Chat Noir remarked, handing his head for a moment.

"Why don't we wrap this up." Ladybug remarked as he took out his yo-yo.

"Yeah." Chat Noir agreed holding up his hand. " Cataclysm!" He called out before jumping into the pool.

As soon as his partner disappeared under the surface, Ladybug's face ran crimson red. He didn't want to think about it, it wasn't a real kiss, it was just something Chat Noir had to do to save him. It didn't mean anything!

Ladybug immediately slapped his cheeks a few times as he saw an Akuma flying out of the pool. "No more mischief from you little Akuma. Time to purify!" Ladybug said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion. Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. "Bye-bye, little butterfly."

Ladybug then helped out Chloé's butler out of the pool as the hero then sneezed once more.

"If I may ask, what was I doing in the pool?" He asked curiously as Ladybug helped out Chat Noir as well, who handed him the wet teddy bear.

Just as they were about to answer Chloé stepped in with a frown on her face.

"Mademoiselle," Jean said in surprise, holding the bear in his hand.

She crossed her arms, turning her back towards him. " It appears…I was a little hasty, in my decisions." She admitted. "I think that thing of yours about being nice might actually make some sense. I've decided to keep you on, after all!." She said walking back downstairs as her butler couldn't help but chuckle. "Don't let the guests go away, Jean-Baptiste. They mustn't miss what's coming up next!"

"Of course, Mademoiselle is so kind," Jean said, nodding his thanks to both heroes who looked at each other in confusion before they turned away with blushing faces.

"Uh." Chat Noir coughed dryly. " Sorry again."

"It's fine, I kind of did the same to you..."Ladybug admitted as Chat Noir fully turned towards him.

"WHAT?! WHEN?!" His shocked tone mad Ladybug blush furiously, but even so he turned back to his partner.

"On Valentines Day..." He said shrugging his shoulders as Chat Noir then rested his head and hand on his staff as his ring beeped, calmly asking.

"Was it romantic?"

That triggered something that made him hide away his face. "Good-bye Chat Noir." He said, sneezing before he jumped off the building.

* * *

Marin sneezed a few times as Jean handed him a cup of hot tea.

"Thank you." He said sipping it.

Alya sat next to him as they both watched his father doing another cooking demonstration. Apparently Chloé had called his father for a redo and he happily accepted, despite almost having a heart attack after he found out his son caught a cold.

I guess I didn't dry my hair properly. He said with a laugh, just before everyone started scolding him. It was better than the alternative. Hey, I'm Ladybug and my partner threw me into a pool that I almost drowned in because I was possessed by a bear.

Yup, he could live with this.

Now he was with his best friend, sitting on a sofa now drowsy because of the tea, watching enviously as everyone else was baking, while he was stuck with a cold. But even so, he noticed Alya eyeing the crowd. She was good at hiding her feelings, but never with him.

"Cupcake, I'm feeling sluggish, I think imma take a nap." He said, his voice now hoarse.

She nodded, "Okay, you can sle-"

"Actually, I wanna be alone. Why don't you bake cookies with everyone else?"

She glanced at him in concern. "No way, I can't leave you here-"

"Right across the room? With Jean?" He asked with a smile as he gestured to the butler who nodded his head. "Okay, overprotective much." He scoffed as Alya smiled, quickly pecking his cheek as she walked toward the baking station. He sighed heavily, eyes getting heavier as his head became hazy.

* * *

"Hey, thought I'd keep you company," Adrien said, sitting down next to Marin as he saw Alya standing next to Nino, both of them were laughing over something as they kept putting icing on each other's faces.

Marin nodded in appreciation, placing down his mug so he wouldn't drop it.

"You know your dad keeps bragging about how your cookies are the best in all of Paris?" Adrien remarked trying to start a conversation. "I'm a little envious how he gets to have him anytime he wants."

Marin chuckled, gripping the blanket tighter as his skin turned paler than it already was, probably due to the fever setting in. "Yeah, baking is one of the skills I'm confident in, I'd say I'm even better than my dad's." He murmured.

"I'd like to see you live up to your word," Adrien remarked with a competitive tone.

"You're on, what's your favorite fruit?" Marin chuckled.

"Passion Fruit. But it's a little difficult to be baked into a desert besides-" Adrien said but then felt a weight on his shoulder as Marin had passed out. He was probably pushing himself to talk. He couldn't help but sigh in exasperation at his friend but softened as he saw how soundly he was sleeping. The day was already filled with highs and lows, Adrien crossed his arms, resting his head on Marin's as slumbered off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :P  
They're just friends y'all. Calm down.
> 
> \- but yeah, Marin will sink like a stone if he goes into water due to his body type. Also he never got around to learning how to swim in general, He’ll get sick in cold, so that all that probably didn’t help.


	29. Prime Queened and Ready

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ladybug and Chat Noir go for an interview and end up disappointing one person in particular.

"Tonight, for our first edition of Face To Face, you'll have the opportunity of a lifetime. The chance to talk live with Ladybug and Chat Noir. Along with me, Nadja Chamack. We'll be revealing some sizzling hot information, no holds barred about your favorite superheroes. Don't be bemused, it's just the news." Nadja announced as Tikki suddenly gasped looking up at news broadcast on Marin's desktop.

"Sizzling hot revelations? No holds barred?!" She immediately flew to her partner who was sewing something "Marin, you're a superhero, not a star. You have to remain a mystery to protect yourself from Hawkmoth and his super villains!"

Marin bit through the thread, smiling as he fixed his Ladybug doll. Then turned towards his Kwami, holding out his hands as Tikki sat on his palm. " Don't worry, I only accepted this because I want the people of Paris to know that Chat Noir and I will always do whatever it takes to keep them safe." He said reassuringly.

"Just be careful tonight, okay?" Tikki requested as Marin nuzzled her cheek.

"I will sugar cube. Don't worry."

* * *

"Marin!" Manon called out from downstairs as she then ran up, her eyes lighting up as she immediately hugged him. "Marin!"

Marin lifted her up in his arms as he smiled at her mother, "Hello Mrs. Chamack." He smiled.

Nadja nodded to him in greeting. "Sorry, I'm running late. Thanks again for watching Manon." She handed him Manon's backpack, "I've put a bunch of things for her in her bag and she's already had dinner. Oh, I'm so glad you were free tonight."

Marin chuckled nervously. "Uh, yeah. No plans at all."

"I better get going. I've got a lot riding on this interview. I need all of Paris in front of the screen tonight." She kissed her daughter, "Sweetie, just for tonight, you're allowed to watch some television with Marin."

"Yay!" Marin cheered, climbing up onto Marin's shoulders as she hugged his head. " Mommy's gonna be on TV with Ladybug and Chat Noir." She informed.

Marin smiled, looking up at the small child. "Oh yeah? "

"Yeah!" Manon said as Marin glanced back at her mother.

"You'll do great, Mrs. Chamack, me and Manon will be right here cheering for her."

Nadja nodded. "I appreciate it. Manon, be good for Marin."

"I will!" Manon said as she waved at her mother leaving.

Marin placed the small child down, "So, what would you like to do?"

"Watch mommy!" Manon responded as Marin chuckled.

"Of course, but would you like a buddy to watch with you?" Marin asked as Manon looked up at him curiously.

* * *

Nadja sighed to herself, looking up at the empty couch before her before checking her tablet once more. Then she was surprised as Chat Noir seemingly appeared before her out of thin air. "Uh, how did you get in here?" She asked as he took a water bottle off the snack tray.

"Secret celebrity door." He said taking a sip. "I see my Lady isn't here yet."

Nadja sighed. "I thought you and Ladybug would be arriving together."

"Wanna hear a secret?" Nadja nodded as Chat Noir popped a pastry in his mouth. "I love chouquettes." He said as the woman couldn't help but giggle. But her smile faded as she apparently got a call from someone. Anxiety riddled her face as she responded to the other caller.

"No, of course not ma'am." She then hung up the call, sighing heavily.

"We're on the air in 5." An intern called out as Chat Noir noticed the woman's frantic looking expression.

* * *

"Super Manon to the rescue, woohoo!" Alya said as she held Manon over her head.

"To the Eiffel Tower and beyond!" Manon cheered.

"Sorry for troubling you with this Alya." Marin apologized as he placed down a bowl of popped corn on the blankets they laid out.

Alya brushed him off, placing Manon on her lap. "Don't even trip, it's way more fun watching your favorite superhero on TV with my favorite cuties."

"Don't let your sisters hear you say that." Marin remarked as he then turned towards the new report promotion.

"When we return from commercial, Nadja Chamack will be joined by Ladybug and Chat Noir for an incredible, exclusive interview."

Manon pointed to the screen. "Mommy, there's mommy!" She said happily as Alya sighed.

"Why can't I get an exclusive interview like that for my Ladyblog?"

Marin smiled at his friend for a moment. "Oh, I forgot, it's my turn to prep the ingredients for tomorrow's baking. Do you mind keeping an eye on Manon while I'm not here?"

"And you're coming right back, yeah?" Alya asked with a sly smile on her face.

"Course, anything for you, cupcake." Marin said hesitantly as he knew he was lying through his teeth. "Okay bye, love you." He immediately jumped down the stairs and into the living room, opening up a window. "Luck it's date night, or this would be much harder. He remarked as his Kwami flew out of his jacket.

"Tikki, spots on!"

* * *

"Going live in ten, nine..."

Nadja sighed heavily, biting her nails as soon her career would be over.

"Hey no worries, there's no way my bugaboo would leave his fans hanging." Chat remarked trying to reassure her.

"Five, four, three, two, one-"

Nadja looked up seeing, Ladybug sitting beside Chat Noir, poised professionally as he crossed his legs.

"I thought you decided to stand me up, bugaboo." He remarked playfully.

" I would hate it if everyone tuning in were disappointed. I'm sorry I'm so late, Nadja." Ladybug apologized as the reported recovered from her stunned expression. Nodding in appreciation as she then turned towards the camera.

"Good evening. I'm Nadja Chamack and this is Face To Face. For our first edition, I welcome the beloved guardians of Paris - Ladybug and Chat Noir. Hello, thanks so much for accepting this exclusive live interview." Chat Noir waved while Ladybug nodded his head.

"Hello to all my fans!"Chat Noir remarked as he blew a kiss to them, winking with a charming smile glued to his face.

"I'm sure thousands have tuned in to watch you both, how does it feel to be so admired?"

"Hear that Bugaboo, thousands of people want to spend an evening with us." Chat Noir joked as Ladybug retained his composure.

"Of course we always appreciate the feelings of our fans, it shows the amount of faith they have in us." Ladybug responded ignoring his partner, who was undeterred.

Ladybug simply keeps his composure as Chat glances towards him. "You know what would get you all the views? Getting our stoic Ladybug to smile. I can't even get him to crack a joke when we're on duty."

"I can joke around."

"Good jokes Bugaboo." Chat Noir remarked as Ladybug smirked.

"I wouldn't want to encourage you." Ladybug said as he flicked Chat Noir's bell. "If I didn't hold back, then you wouldn't have half the number of fans you do now."

Chat Noir chuckled, "It's cute you think that. But come on bugaboo, you know I only have eyes for you." He half-joked as he noticed Nadjas eyes light up as she was glancing at something on her bracelet.

"It's obvious you two are very close." She remarked. "People know you but they don't really know the real you. We see you saving Paris all the time but we don't know much else."

"We won't be keeping anything from you, Nadja-" Chat Noir began to say until Ladybug placed his hand of his, stopping him from talking as his previous lighthearted tone faded.

"What my partner means is, we will try to be as open as possible. However, anything retaining to our identities or personal lives are off the table within reason."

Nadja nodded after checking her watch. "Absolutely! How about we start a few questions from your biggest fans?"

Ladybug nodded as Chat smiled eagerly. All of them turned towards the jumbo screen as Chloé appeared before them calling from her room.

"Hello caller. State your name and your question." Nadja instructed.

"Err, seriously Nadja? Surely, no one would be the first caller but me." Chloé remarked. "I'm only the most prestigious fan of Ladybug."

"Oh yes, of course. Hello there, Chloé Bourgeois. Daughter of the mayor of Paris-" Nadja introduced half-heartedly.

"And don't forget my daddy is the manager of the Grand Paris, the best luxury hotel in the entire city." Chloé interrupted as she waved to the camera.

"Err, thank you for reminding us. What is your question, Chloé?"

"Oh, I don't have a question. I just wanted to say hi, since as you all know, we're such very good friends - Ladybug, Chat Noir and I!" Chloé remarked, winking to the audience.

"Uh, thank you, Chloé Bourgeois - next caller!" Nadja quickly scrambled.

"Hey, I'm not finished, who gives you the right to-" Chloé was cut off as everyone seemed to sigh in relief. Nadja then pulled up another caller, one that made Ladybug scream internally.

"Hi there, Ladybug, Chat Noir!" Alya said with a smile. "I'm Alya and I was wondering if you can grab me an interview for the Ladyblog. You know, since I have way more viewers than Nadja! What do you say?" She asked with a confident smile.

Ladybug sighed, "My apologies, but we're on Nadja's time right now if there's something specific you want to ask."

Alya sighed in disappointment for a moment before getting her pep back, nodding excitedly, " Of course. Thank you, thank you!"

"I'm on TV?" Manon asked looking around, then waving frantically towards her mother. "Hi mommy!"

"Manon? But, where's Marin?" Nadja asked in concern.

"He's finishing up on some chores?" Alya said, covering for her best friend. "He's a hard worker.

"Hi Ladybug!" Manon yelled, waving.

Ladybug couldn't help but smile softly at the small child.

"Hello, Manon."

Manon turned toward Alya in awe, " Ladybug knows my name!"

"Of course, he's saves everyone after all." Alya remarked as she placed Manon on her lap.

" So you're smiling for the fans but not me?" Chat asked jokingly.

"What can I say, she's far more charming." Ladybug responded with a playful smirk on his face, one that was infectious.

"Okay yeah, I have to admit, she is cute." Chat Noir conceded. "So, do you have a question for us Manon?"

" Hmmmmm." She thought hard for a moment and then her eyes lit up. " Why are you called Ladybug?"

"The name is pretty obvious, isn't it?" Chat Noir remarked. "He dresses and has magic ladybugs, the name comes with the territory." He reasoned.

"Actually." Ladybug cut in, "I never gave myself that name."

" What, really?" Alya asked in surprise, "Where did it come from?! Are you even a Ladybug?! What do the spots mean?!"

"Sory, but I think it was one question per call." Ladybug reminded, glancing at Nadja who nodded.

"I think we've spent enough time here." Nadja said, cutting off the link as Alya tried to ask something else, making Ladybug try to stifle his giggles.

" Now you're laughing?" Chat Noir asked, " I'm starting to think you're actually enjoying yourself."

"It's just your imagination."

"Uh, Ladybug, Chat Noir, um, so a lot of fans think of you as a couple of superheroes. But also, and I quote-unquote, as a "couple". Period."

Ladybug smile quickly faded as one drew on Chat Noirs, bursting with anticipation of what was to come.

"Can you confirm that you're dating here, tonight?" She asked as electricity filled the air.

"We are not dating." he bluntly stated as Chat Noir sighed in agreement, nodding.

Nadja hummed for a moment. "Then how do you explain these photographs then?" she asked pulling up a photo, the photo, that showed them kissing. Ladybug recognized it all too well as Chat Noir's eyebrows shot up with surprise.

"Ohhhh, that's certainly not romantic at all. Yeesh, on the street like that?" He joked, noticing that Ladybug kept a stern expression despite the fact that Nadja kept throwing more photo's of them together.

" Still, why did you never tell me about this?!"

"Sorry, it must have slipped my mind."

"You kissing me slipped your mind?!"

Nadja smiled, looking down at her watch. "It's so obvious that you're both in love, why not play with the idea for a moment? After all, you two are extremely close."

Chat Noir leaned back, "She's not wrong you know." He said pointing to the reported.

Ladybug was about to say something as his yo-yo beeped. He opened it, narrowing his eyes as he then stood up. "All of these are just a bunch of photos taken out of context. We're not a couple, we're just here to protect the city until we can find a way to take down Hawkmoth. Anything more than that would breach the trust of the people we're sworn to protect."

Nadja scowled at him. "But it's clear there's a real chemistry between you two. Why not just tell the truth?"

"But it is the truth, Nadja. The safety of Paris always comes first, speaking of," Ladybug remarked, "We're needed elsewhere. Thank you for your time but this interview is over." He said as he walked out of the studio.

Chat Noir exchanged a glance with the reporter as he then shrugged his shoulder's "Sorry, duty calls." He remarked following after his partner.

"Wait for you two, the show is not over yet," Nadja remarked with an anxious expression. "Your fans will be disappointed if they don't get an answer."

"If they are true fans, they'll understand." Ladybug remarked as Chat Noir saluted everyone behind him, walking out alongside him.

* * *

"Woah, what's the rush? What's going on?" Chat Noir asked as he and Ladybug landed on a roof nearby the building.

"Nothing." Ladybug said pulling out his yo-yo. "I set up multiple alarms ahead of time if we needed to bail out of there earlier.

"Smart plan, but what was up back there? You seemed a little cold." Chat Noir asked.

"Nadja was willing to do anything to make sure her show would be a success, I understand she was probably under some pressure, but we did what we set out to do."

Chat Noir shrugged his shoulder. "That's the price of success my lady, the price of stardom."

Ladybug sighed heavily as Chat Noir then walked in front of him.

"Wait, I wasn't planning on getting home so early. Why don't we get some ice cream, I know the purr-fect place." He said winking, "We could have our own little interview with each other. He remarked as Ladybug conceded, he did indeed care for ice cream.

* * *

"Hmmm...Orange and Peppermint please." Chat Noir asked, standing next to his partner within an ice cream shop. He noticed Ladybug glancing at him like he was crazy, crossing his arms. "What wrong?"

"What lack in a pallet you make up for in charisma." Ladybug remarked as he took the ice cream from the vendor, who was happy to provide the two heroes with their tasty treats in exchange for a photo. He looked over the orange and light green ice cream Chat Noir chose for him, now regretting that decision wholeheartedly.

"Psh-" Chat Noir chided as held a pink and blue cone in his hand. "It's refreshing. Besides, like it's any worse than blue moon and strawberry?"

"Yeah." Ladybug responded, "What I chose is simple and sweet, not an attack of the tastebuds."

"Sounds kinda ironic coming from someone who's as complicated to figure out as you. What I chose is mature, you just handed me a whole mess of fluff."

"Yeah, that's what ice cream should be, complimentary. At least replace one of these flavors with chocolate." He remarked as the two sat within the outside seating across from each other.

"Maybe you should just try it then if you're complaining this much." Chat Noir recommended taking a lick of his cone then licking his lips.

"Ugh, you are so gross." Ladybug said seriously just as he was about to take a bite, but was then stopped by an announcement on the jumbotron they were sitting nearby towards.

"Welcome to a new show, hosted by me, Prime Queen!"

They both stared in surprise as Nadja, who was akumatized was now announcing "Tonight, Ladybug and Chat Noir disappointed all their loyal fans by refusing to admit their love for one another. I've prepared some trials just to see how far they're prepared to keep the truth hidden from us."

"Let's welcome our very first guest, Chloé Bourgeois, who's apparently a personal friend of our two superheroes."

"I certainly am." Chloé said quite calmly despite her situation.

* * *

"Just proves that you can't believe everything you see on TV." Chat Noir remarked as they both watched Chloé being thrown on a subway. "Guess this means out ice cream date is being put on hold?" He asked as the two heroes stood up.

"Welcome, to the subway of suspense! If it reaches seventy miles per hour, you can say goodbye to your precious little friend!"

"Well, well, look here, the ratings are rising! More and more of you want to know if our superhero friends will get here on time. The suspense is killing her! (laughs) Ladybug! Chat Noir! Are you willing to travel through the screen to save your darling Chloé?"

"Ladybug, Chat Noir! I beg you, save my jacket!" Chloé called out in a panic as she got gum on it.

Chat Noir took out his staff, extending it towards the screen as he noticed Ladybug was looking at something on his phone, narrowing his eyes.

"Ready to take the leap, my lady?" He asked as he confirmed that the screen was a portal.

Ladybug glanced towards him, "I may have a plan, but it may require some...unprofessional journalism." He sighed.

"Ooo, what does my bugaboo have in mind?" Chat Noir inquired with a playful smirk.

Ladybug dropped his microphone into his hand, fallen from his yo-yo did the same with his batton. "I'll keep all the attention on me while you track down Prime Queen. If I can say whatever I need to, to get her ratings up then it should keep her occupied long enough for you to break her bracelet."

"How do you know the Akuma is in the bracelet?" Chat Noir asked.

"She was staring at it all throughout the interview." Ladybug remarked. "Keep in constant communication." He said as the two nodded to each other. Abandoning their ice cream, Ladybug jumping into the TV while Chat Noir took to the rooftops.

* * *

Ladybug landed feet first as he noticed Chloé on the ground, helping the girl to her feet as he tried to untie the wires.

"Ugh, finally, what took you so long? Hurry up and get me out of this underground nightmare! Woah-" The whole train shook as Chloé fell over due to the sudden speed. Ladybug grabbed onto a pole as he glanced towards Prime Queen.

"You're about to be the stars of the highest-rated show in-" She stopped for a moment. "Where is Chat Noir?!" She demanded.

Ladybug silently apologized to his partner. "Chat Noir? That jokester?" He scoffed as Prime Queen stared at him stunned for a moment. "It's not as though we're attached to the hip or anything. Quite the opposite actually, I'm not much of a cat person."

Prime Queen stammered for a moment. "T-The rules for my show are simple, admit the truth live on TV that you're dating and in love and I'll stop the train!"

"Dating? Come on Prime Queen, even our best friend Chloé realizes that he's just a side-kick." Ladybug glanced at Chloé who nodded.

"That's what I've been saying from day one!" She remarked as the ratings rose.

"Wha...but- the photos! The interview!" Prime Queen remarked in shock.

"Like I said before, all of it was taken out of context." Ladybug sighed, "If you were an actual reporter, you'd have realized how much I actually hate his guts. Guess there's a reason modern news articles are just turning into tabloid fiascos." he said condescendingly, as Prime Queen grew more enraged while the ratings only rose.

Ladybug overheard his partner's voice through his earpiece. "Okay, I'm in front of the power box, and a little rude, bugaboo."

"Come on Prime Queen, you really were scraping the bottom of the barrel for that interview, you have to admit." Ladybug remarked as he smirked at Prime Queen's rage now growing despite her ratings.

"That's it!" She snapped, her rage blinding her as she put her hand through the tv, she was already halfway though as the screen as her arm was suddenly grabbed, "What-" Prime Queen gasped as she was suddenly thrown across the train car. Next thing she knew she was bound to the pole of the still-moving train. Looking up at Ladybug who was holding red duct tap with black spots, quickly breaking her bracelet.

"No more mischief from you little Akuma. Time to purify!" Ladybug said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion. Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. "Bye-bye, little butterfly. Miraculous Ladybug!" Ladybug called out, throwing up the lucky charm as everything turned back to normal.

Nadja turned back to normal, looking around as the train started to slow down, stopping at a station. "Huh, where am I?"

"On a train." Ladybug answered handing back her bracelet.

She looked guilty as it was handed to her. "I'm sorry about earlier, it was unprofessional of me to put you two on the spot like that."

Ladybug nodded towards her, appreciating her apology. "If you're open to it, I think I may have a compromise to what you and your viewers want." He said.

"Everything work out?" Chat Noir asked at the Louvre as Ladybug guided Nadja off the train.

"Yup, everything okay." Ladybug said as his earrings beeped, "Nice work partne-"

"Hey! What about me?!" Chloé yelled out as Ladybug realized he totally forgot about her. Watching just as the train moved onto the next station with her still tied up on it.

Nadja glanced towards Ladybug just stared as the train left the station, now running automatically with no conductor.

"Need some help?" Chat Noir asked.

"No, go on home, we're done here." Ladybug insisted.

"If you say so, let's take a rain check on that ice cream. Chat out." He said as Ladybug removed his earpiece, sighing heavily.

"This is fine." He said, sprinting to the next station.

* * *

"Don't be bemused, it's just the news! Hi, I'm Nadja Chamack, and this is Side by Side. Today, I'm joined by Alya Césiare, who created the Ladyblog! Together, we'll be looking back over Cat Noir and Ladybug's greatest feats." Nadja announced a few days later as she sat on set next to Alya within the studio set. 

"Hello Nadja! Hey fans! So, first of all, I gotta set the record straight. Chat Noir and Ladybug are not a couple! Well, not yet at least, sorry to break the news." She laughed on the recording as Alya glanced towards Marin with a smile who had Manon on his lap, both of them sitting within Marin's living room. 

"Hey, that's you with my mommy!" Manon said as she looked at Alya in awe. 

"That's right, monkey," Alya said booping her nose. 

Marin smiled proudly at his best friend, "Nice job, soon you'll be the celebrity."

"You want an autograph?" Alya joked as Manon then jumped into her lap. 

"Me first!" She said excitedly, then turning to her baby sitter. "Can I have a paper?" She asked as both Marin and Alya laughed together.

"Sure monkey." Marin said as he then stood up, downstairs towards the bakery, grabbing a paper pad he set there earlier. Just as he passed by the front door he noticed that the mail already came. He looked through a few letters, sighing heavily as he pushed back lingering hopes, there was nothing for him. Putting on a smiling face, he then ran back up the stairs towards his best friend, hoping his facade wouldn't break. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- I try to not make the shorter chapters filler. This ending leads up to the Befana episodes. One that I've been wanting to do for a while. :D


	30. Happy Befana-thday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Marin's birthday...which he's not exactly excited about, but makes do with the cards he's been dealt.

"Dudes, there is no way you can pull this off." Nino remarked, crossing his arms defensively as he stood before Adrien and Alya sitting on a bench before him on the school's campus.

"What's with the attitude?" Alya asked in confusion as she and Adrien were looking at commission cakes from the Dupain-Cheung bakery.

"Yeah, don't you want to help plan a party for our friend?" Adrien asked.

Nino sighed heavily at his two friends. "You two are new, so you don't know, but every time Marin's had a birthday, it's turned into a disaster." He explained much to his friend's surprise. "We've all tried, and we've all failed, so at this point, he either stays home or just walks around the city doing his own thing."

"That seems like a little bit of an exaggeration," Adrien remarked in disbelief.

"Yeah, well everyone thought Juleka's jinx wasn't a real thing too." He pointed out.

"Okay granted, but that was broken, so if that can be broken, then this string of bad birthdays will be broken," Alya remarked as she and Adrien bumped fists while Nino sighed.

"Yeah, Team surprise part is a go!" Alya and Adrien cheered together, filled with determination as they high-fived. Walking past Nino who looked at them in exasperation.

"Not like any of us haven't tried that before, but go off I guess." He sighed as he followed after his eager friends.

* * *

Marin walked up to Juleka, "Hey, here are those photos you-" He said holding out an envelope of printed photos as he noticed Juleka had a bicycle pump in her locker. "Oh, do you have a flat again?" He asked in concern. "Need some help?"

Juleka mumbled something under her breath shyly, stepping into her locker and closing it.

Marin tried to process what just happened. He knocked on the locker door, "Jules? Do you want me to get Rose?" He asked, only hearing mumbling. "Okay, I'm going to find Rose. He said walking into the courtyard.

He spotted Nino on a nearby bench, writing something down on a paper pad.

"Nino." Marin called, then noticed that he had a furrowed brow, deep in focus. He caught his attention by walking in front of him. Nino looked up to him in surprise, dropping his headphones on the ground.

Marin picked it up, hearing a familiar tune being played.

"Uh- wait!" Nino said in vain as Marin put on the headphones. After a few moments, Marin started to laugh, "What is this? Are you finally coming around to acoustic tracks?" He asked jokingly as Nino grabbed his headphones back with annoyance.

"We both know I leave and breath techno, don't insult me." He remarked turning off the music.

"Fair enough, have you seen Rose? Juleka locked herself in her locker."

"Again?" Nino questioned as he sighed, sitting back down." I don't know, check the classroom?" He recommended as he turned his music back on, looking visibly sickened.

* * *

"So, what do you think? The park?" Alya asked as she and Adrien were sitting together, writing ideas down on paper.

"Yeah," Adrien agreed as they both spotted Marin walking in. "Uh, uh... yes, Alya! I know a very good dentist and here's his number!" Adrien said tearing up the paper and handing a piece to Alya who kept up the facade.

"Hey guys have you seen Rose?" Marin asked, undeterred.

"Nope." Alya immediately responded as she and Adrien smile to deter any sort of suspicion.

Marin looked between the two, humming to himself as he slowly left the room. "Alright." He responded. As soon as he left the room both Adrien and Alya sighed. She uncrumpled the paper Adrien tore up, trying to smooth it out as she took out some tape from her bag.

"So what do you think he'd like?" Adrien asked as Alya shrugged her shoulders.

"He's the type to just be happy with whatever."

"Well, that's no help." Adrien grimaced as his guardians were exactly the same. Part of him grimaced, thinking about gifting one of his closest friends a pen. Even though he'd probably appreciate it.

"Then go old school, make him something," Alya advised as Adrien looked up thoughtfully. Then he took out the lucky charm from his bag, getting an idea.

* * *

Marin sighed heavily as he rested on the railing on his rooftop porch. He took out a worn-out envelope out of his back pocket, his gaze lingering on it for a few moments. Before Tikki flew up to him, hovering before him happily.

"Marin, this is quite a special day for you!" Tikki said with a smile as Marin's previous anxiety faded for a moment. He pocketed the letter as he allowed Tikki to rest on the palms of his hands.

Marin hummed for a moment. "Not really. Did you need anything?"

"There's a ritual we kwamis perform on a day like this!" Tikki announced with a smile as her expression turned sheepish, uncertain. "I don't know if you humans would like it. I'm uncertain if you guys even give each other presents on your birthday."

"It's a pretty common practice," Marin said factually, nuzzling his Kwami's cheek affectionately. "You didn't have to get me anything sugar cube. You remembering my birthday is enough." But Tikki shook her head.

"I didn't get you anything, I made you something!" She said proudly. "A kwami specialty."

Marin felt a pit in his stomach as he almost hated receiving gifts, but put on a smile. "Oh, that so awesome! What is it?"

Tikki hovered before him, doing an adorable little dance as she then spat something shining into his hands, which surprised him greatly. "Ta-Da! Miraculous birthday, Marin!"

Marin tilted his head slightly in confusion, slightly disgusted, his expressions didn't go unnoticed. "Oh no, you don't like it, do you?" Tikki said in disappointment.

He wanted to deny it outright but was still too confused to put up a facade."...Please tell me what you spit into my hands."

Tikki lifted her head. "A Kwagatama. A great symbol of friendship among us kwamis. We take the hair from our Miraculous holder and join it to the hairs of all the former Miraculous holders. And with them we grow a magic resin for a few months and... I know you don't wanna tell me because you don't want to hurt my feelings but it's obvious you don't like it."

"No-no sugar cube I love it. It's just...have you been eating my hair?" He had to ask after hearing her explanation but received one as she giggled nervously. "Oh that is so gross, but I appreciate the sentiment." He said hugging his Kwami close, he then went down to his room.

"So what are you going to do on your day?" Tikki asked with a smile.

"Well, I have to stop by somewhere, but then I'm going to help Alya take her sister to the dentist at four o'clock today."

Tikki tilted her head curiously at him. "Do you humans always celebrate your birthday by going to the dentist?"

Marin chuckled as he grabbed his messenger bag off his sofa. "No, of course not, Tikki. She just needs a favor, her sisters are a handful after all. Maybe I should stop by early..." He thought out loud to himself. "Wanna come with?" He asked with a smile as Tikki was already in his bag.

["Hello?"] Marin said peering into the bakery. His parents froze in place, in the middle of decorating a large cake. Tom immediately hides the cake in the garbage and sits on the lid while Sabine leans on the counter looking normal. "I'm heading out now."

"So early?"

"Yeah, any mail come for me?" Marin asked, looking at the pile on the table.

"No not today heart." Sabine said. "We'll be baking all day today. Why don't you go and play outside?" His mother said as Tom he sat atop the trash can.

Marin looked over the scene,"Did a catering order come in?" he asked.

"What? No!" Tom said immediately. "We don't even make cakes here!"

Sabine sighed, "Yes, it's quite a large one."

Marin nodded, "Alright, I'm going out, I'll be at Alya's if you need me." He then heard the doorbell ring.

Opening it up he saw a woman about his height standing before him with an Italian motorcycle parked behind her. She was holding her helmet at her side and was wearing a pair of aviator sunglasses. He stared at her for a moment before he called out.

"Dad, I think it's for you." He said as he walked past her and towards the bus stop. He overheard his parents yelling out as he walked down the streets. As soon as he left the vicinity whoever that person was, was now his parent's problem. While he was passing by the park he noticed a group of people were setting up what looked to be a party of sorts.

"Okay, we've has a few hiccups." Alya said as everyone was setting up in the park "But in a few more hours it'll be perfect, I promise!" she reassured as everyone cheered in support.

"It's almost done, don't you need to get Marin soon?" Adrien asked, but she brushed him off.

"Relax I'm picking him up at his place, we'll have plenty of time so long as nothing goes wrong."

* * *

Marin ran the doorbell on Alya's apartment and was greeted by her big sister who towered over him in height.

"Hiya Nora, is Alya here? I was supposed to meet her today."

"It's Anansi baker boy, and no, she left to meet her friends." She informed as her younger sister peeked out from behind her.

"Marin!" They both cheered as they hugged his legs. "What did you bring us!?" They both asked at the same time as their sister had to pull them off, holding them like kittens.

"Hey-that's rude, you don't just ask for gifts from anyone at the door. Apologize." She ordered as her younger sisters hung their heads.

"We're sorry." They said simultaneously as Marin shook his head.

"It's alright. I didn't bring any treats because Alya and I are taking them to the dentist today." Marin informed as Alya's younger sisters then started squirming in their eldest sister's arms, yelling out in panic as Nora held them in her arms.

"What? I'm the only one with a dentist appointment today." Nora informed. "You don't get teeth as straight as mine without a monthly trip. Especially with my profession." She remarked. "But it sounds like you misheard."

Marin hummed for a moment. "Huh, maybe I did. Oh well, would you mind telling Alya I'm sorry for misunderstanding then?"

"No problem bakery boy, you wanna come in? Hey!" She offered as her sisters still squirmed furiously trying to escape, now thrashing around.

Marin chuckled as he booped the twin's noses as he saw Alya do with Manon. "You two be nice for your sister, and next time I visit I'll show you how to bake the best chocolate cupcakes, promise?"

His heart melted as he saw both of their eyes light up. "Yes!" They agreed as Nora sighed in relief.

"Thanks kid." She said as Marin nodded, closing the door for her as he walked down the hall. Tikki hovered before him curiously.

"What now? Are you going home?" She asked.

"No...I'd rather just go around the city. We can get some ice cream for you if you like." He smiled as Tikki's eyes lit up.

"Yes, please! Can we try to find Andre?" She asked, "I read online that his ice cream is the best."

Marin stopped walking, a troubled look overtook him for a moment before it shook it off, then smiling for Tikki. "I just need to stop by somewhere first, then we can go find him." He said as Tikki flew up to nuzzle him happily.

* * *

Alya and Adrien were stunned as they both stood before Marin's front door at around 2 pm, just to make sure everything was running smoothly. There was yelling inside as Sabine opened the door with a smile on her face.

"Hello dears." She greeted as Adrien and Alya looked in, seeing Marin's father arguing with a relatively old woman. "I thought Marin was with you." She said as both Alya and Adrien shared a worried glance.

"Why would you think that ?" Adrien hesitantly asked as Sabine spoke up.

"Because he said that he was going to Alya's place. He left about an hour ago."

Alya immediately grabbed Adrien's shoulders. "We need to find our boy, I'll call my sister. You look around our usual hangouts."

* * *

Marin lowered his head, sighing as he stood before an old looking house. He held a worn-out letter in his hand, crumpled, slightly torn, watermarked...but still here. He noticed all the mail that was stacked up together, crumpled and water damaged, abandoned. Reflexively he dug through the pile, picking up one that was heavily damaged. Even though nothing went through, he couldn't help but feel hurt. If he dug through the mail, he was certain that he'd find almost a decade's worth of letters unopened.

"Hey, Marin."

He turned back to see a familiar delivery man holding a sack of flour in his hands.

"Hi Gilbert, how are you?" Marin asked as he opened the gate for the delivery man.

"Same as I am every year." He remarked with a smile. "You going inside today?" He asked as Marin shook his head.

"Nah, I was just dropping by to see the place." He said with a smile, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Alright if you say so. Happy Birthday." Gilbert said as he walked into the house, leaving the younger boy on his own.

"Thanks..." He smiled half-heartedly as he clutched the letter in his hand. He turned back for a moment, putting the letter in the mailbox before walking away, seconds before realizing he had no frame of reference to where the heck Andre could be.

* * *

Adrien was in his bodyguards' car, looking around the city for his friend. He received a text from Alya saying that he'd left her place about an hour ago. There was still half an hour to go before the party started. So they had to find him fast-

The car then suddenly halted as Adrien looked at his driver in confusion. "Why'd we stop?" He asked, then noticed who was sitting on a bench on top of the bridge.

"Thanks!" Adrien said quickly as he jumped out of the car, leaving his bodyguard to circle around as his bodyguard parked nearby on the street.

" Hey, Marin..." He greeted, his warm greeting fading as he noticed his friend hadn't noticed him yet. "Uh." Adrien walked up to him, gently placing a hand on his shoulder. The taller boy flinched back as he came to attention. He looked up at him in surprise, his frazzled expression could be seen as cute, but Adrien knew better than to say it out loud.

"Hi!" Marin stammered out as Adrien folded his hands behind him. He had to buy time until Alya could send him the signal.

"Hi." Adrien smiled, "Mind if I sit here?" He asked politely as Marin nodded, scooting away even though there was already some distance between them. "So uh, funny running into you here." Adrien stammered as Marin shrugged his shoulders.

"I guess, what are you doing here?" Marin asked as Adrien was at a loss for words.

" Uh-I...was looking for you!" Adrien was at a loss for words. "I...I have a problem!" He spat out suddenly, surprising both boys but now Adrien was rolling with this..."problem". " I, uh, there's this huge thing coming up, and I'm terrified."

" Huge thing?" Marin asked in confusion.

"Yeah, huge thing, huge...event. And honestly, I'm worried that I'll mess up."

"Those fencing try-outs…?" Marin asked as Adrien immediately nodded. "But you're instructing aren't you?"

"Yes, those. I am nervous because ...I think I will mess those up." He said, saying anything that popped into his head.

" You?" Marin tilted his head towards Adrien, baring an expression of disbelief. " But you're perfect." He said as Adrien noticed that Marin's entire body went into shock after he had said that. " I MEAN-UH-"

But Adrien smiled, relaxing as he giggled in amusement. "Thanks, but I'm not perfect. Honestly, I get a little scared every time someone puts any attention on me."

" Really? But you make it look so natural."

Adrien nodded his thanks, "It's my job to make it look natural."

Marin looked away for a moment, in deep thought as he turned back to his friend with a calm expression. "Do you still have that charm I gave you?"

" Your lucky charm?" Adrien questioned, taking it out of his pocket and handing it to his friend. "Of course, I take it everywhere."

" It's a charm of boundless courage. If it helped you play better maybe it'll help with this, huge event you're so worried about. Do you mind?" Marin asked as Adrien nodded, though he wasn't sure what exactly for. Marin took the bracelet, tying it around his friend's wrist. He put both of Adrien's hands together, keeping his own over them. "If ever you feel uncertain, then clap your hands together and say these words." Marin was about to say, but then his face turned red, "You can't laugh."

Adrien looked at his friend, dumbfounded for a moment as to how he ever could. "Never." He said honestly as Marin sighed his face still red even though for the first time since they met, he made direct eye contact with the taller boy, mesmerized by how blue eyes were.

" I am Adrien Agreste. I'm a fantastic person, an amazing friend, and am someone whose confidence inspires others. But above all," Marin said seriously, with a smile on his face. "I have a beautiful smile."

"Seems like an exaggeration." Adrien stammered as he tried to push his embarrassment from reaching the surface, but he could feel a blush threatening to surface, but then it quickly faded as Marin slapped his hands on his. "OW!"

"It only seems that way because you have no idea how happy you can make other people," Marin said sincerely- how could he say these things so easily? To him of all people!

Adrien was at a loss for words, he lowered his head as he grasped the bracelet that was attached to his wrist. He then lifted his head in confusion as something rang in his ears. "Do you hear singing?" he asked but didn't have time to respond as all of a sudden, a witch hovered before them on a flying motorcycle from behind the bridge with what looked to be a fairy flying behind her.

"Dun dun dun I've found you mio piccolo principe!" The villainess announced and promptly pointed a gun towards him.

"Principe?" Marin questioned as he reacted quickly, pushing Adrien out of the way as the villain shot something at them, blackening the bench into...coal?

" Tsk tsk, mio principle, you wouldn't want to anger Nonna Befana would you?"

" Befana?" Adrien questioned, as he took a step back, noticing that Befana's attention was centered on his friend as she fired towards him. Marin dove for cover under a bench, but before Adrien could run to him, he was suddenly scooped up and thrown into the car only able to watch his classmate evade a villain.

"Marin!" Adrien called out as his bodyguard entered the car.

" I'll be fine, just go!" Marin called as he just narrowly evaded one of Befana's shots, sprinting for cover near a car as Befana and her fairy chased after him.

Adrien growled as he quickly opened the door on the other side of the vehicle. Dashing under the bridge as his kwami flew out.

"Plagg, claws out!"

* * *

Marin scrambled to evade them, heading out onto the streets as he could hear people's screams littering the roars of Befana's motorbike.

" Mio picolo principe, you can't get away!" She warned with a hint of glee in her words. All of a sudden the fairy tackled into him, sending him tumbling onto the street. He grunted as he was lifted off the ground, bound by the fairy with a gun to his face.

" Naughty, Naughty Marin." Befana scolded with a sadistic smile drawn on her face. "Don't you love your poor Nonna?"

" Nonna?" Marin questioned before his eyes widened with realization, all too late as he saw her pull the trigger. Flinching at the click of the barrel opening, but he remained intact.

" Ah?!" Suddenly there was a clang as Befana was knocked back off her bike while her fairy was in a tree passed out.

" You know for a lady," Chat Noir smirked as he grabbed his friend in his arms." I dare say that wasn't your best foot forward."

Marin suddenly felt relieved as he glanced towards the superhero in front of him. "Chat Noir!"

"Heard there was someone harassing my Macaroon, hope you don't mind me crashing." He remarked as Marin sighed, shaking his head.

" No way."

" Ugh!" Both turned towards Befana who had an enraged expression, " My little fairy, take out the bad kitty!" She commanded as her minion turned on Chat Noir, taking the chance to refill her gun.

Marin glanced at her weapon, empty of bottle of pellets, the canister she was using to replenish it, his eyes widening with realization as Chat Noir wrapped his arm around his waist.

"Pardon my forwardness," he winked playfully as he extended his staff faster than the fairies could fly far above the city line.

Marin gasped fearfully as he grasped Chat Noirs neck closing his eyes out of fear there was no way he could transform into Ladybug. Meaning if he fell, a horrifying thought, there would be no safety net.

"Scared?" Chat Noir asked with a bemused grin on his face, the taller boy sitting on his thigh, trembling as his eyes were shut tightly.

" Yeah," Marin admitted, feeling a strong breeze from the altitude.

"No worries, just trust me." Chat Noir said confidently, looking around as he could see the enemy getting closer. He grasped Marin tighter, leaving no space between as they fell towards the Eiffel Tower. Upon solid ground, Marin gasped in relief, all but falling to his knees.

" Thank you Chat Noir."

" No problem, now, we need to hide you until Ladybug and I can take down Befana." He said.

"Wait-" Marin called as Chat Noir turned to him. " The Akuma, it's in Befana's candy canister."

"Candy Canister?"

Marin nodded, "The tin that she's using the refill her gun."

" How can you be sure?"

" The tin has sentimental value..." Marin admitted, " I think Befana is my Nonna, my grandma." He explained.

"Dang, what did you do to get on your grannie's bad side?" Chat Noir had to ask as Marin looked annoyed.

" I didn't do anything, I haven't seen her in over a decade!" He insisted, surprising Chat Noir with his tone.

" Alright there, first things first, you need to hide," He said just about to jump off the tower as he then remembered. "

" Uh, there's no-" Marin was about to say, but then Chat Noir kissed his hand.

"Happy Birthday, as your self appointed knight for the day, it's my job...no, duty to protect my prince." He said flirtatiously as Marin laughed to himself.

"I appreciate it." He said simply as Chat Noir winked at him, jumping off the tower as he dived towards the city.

Marin looked around, spotting a storage closet and an elevator nearby as he immediately ran into the closet. Tikki flew out,

"I guess it's time for a family reunion sugar cube." Tikki, spots on!"

* * *

Ladybug overheard the song. "La Donna è Mobile", as Befana approached the Eiffel tower with an army of fairies.

" La Befana comes at night, on her shaky broom in flight. She gives out candy to those who are dandy. And only gives coal to brats with no soul-" Befana sang just before she was knocked off her bike by Chat Noir's staff.

" Cat Noir comes to, unexpectedly…" Chat Noir sang, then faltered for a moment. "Uh, how do you make that rhyme?" He asked as Befana looked at him enraged.

"You little thief! Where have you hidden moi nonno?!

Chat Noir shrugged his shoulder. "I nonno." He joked, then evade the oncoming fairies trying to attack him. He noticed Befana smiling towards the tower as she refilled her pistol, aiming justly as she jumped back on her bike. She was shooting her coal pellets at the tower, slowly turning it and the people who were on it to coal.

"Hey, can I hitch a ride?" Chat Noir asked with a cheeky smile as he landed on her bike, shaking it as she snapped at him.

"Pets are not allowed on board!" She yelled, shaking him off. He yelled just he was falling, then feeling something wrap around his waist as the next thing he knew, he in the arms of his partner. "Sweeping me off my feet, as usual my lady." Chat Noir remarked as he was placed on the ground.

"What a sweet Ladybug you are. You'll make a perfect fairy!" Befana said as she shot her angel pellets at him.

Ladybug pushed Chat Noir behind him as he took out his already summoned Lucky Charm. A ladybug print trumpet, which he used to catch a few pellets, then used his yo-yo to shield them from the rest, which angered Befana. "You can't turn down a gift, you rude little imp! You take care of the kitty, my fairies, while I punish this polka-dot brat!" She ordered her fairies as they flew towards the two Heroes.

"One ticket to the top floor?" Ladybug requested as Chat Noir took out his staff. He glanced at his partner with a smile, then placed his weapon on the ground, lifting the two up at great speed, far faster than the fairies could fly.

"Please tell me you're not planning on jumping off." Chat Noir asked as Ladybug stood atop the staff, balancing unnaturally well as Chat Noir had to hand on.

"Nah." Ladybug remarked as Chat Noir sighed in relief.

"That's goo-"

"It's called falling...with style." Ladybug winked as he allowed gravity to claim him, seeing Chat Noir's exasperated face as Ladybug gripped his lucky charm.

He passed by the fairies flying up along with Befana flying up horizontally along the tower. For a moment she was shocked as the hero fell directly towards her. Even more so as he blew the horn in his hands, unleashing the pellets that he caught earlier. Turning Befana into a fairy, just as he grabbed the candy tin.

Before he hit the ground, he grabbed onto Chat Noir's staff, twirling on it just before he tumbled to the ground. Brushing off the dust just as Chat Noir arrived, walking up to his partner.

"See?" Ladybug remarked with a playful smirk. "Didn't even need my yo-yo" He said as Chat Noir conceded, his Cataclysm already activated as Ladybug tossed the tin towards him. As it broke the Akuma was released.

"No more mischief from you little Akuma. Time to purify!" Ladybug said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion. Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. "Bye-bye, little butterfly." "Miraculous Ladybug!" He said and everything turned back to normal.

He and Chat Noir bumped fists as Ladybug noticed his Nonna turned back to normal. Chat Noir walked over to her as Ladybug ducked out.

"Later partner!" He called out, his miraculous beeping as he jumped up the tower.

Chat Noir helped Marin's grandmother to her feet as she looked around in confusion, "Where am I?" She asked. "I was at my son's place..." She recalled.

"Don't worry ma'am you and your grandson are safe," Chat Noir reassured.

"My Grandson?" She questioned for a moment as her expression grew guilty. Chat Noir followed her line of sight, his expression softening as he spotted Marin walking towards them. He slowed down as he glanced at his grandmother for the first time in years.

There was a brief silence between them as Chat Noir stood between them. Her eyes then fell towards his messenger bag, her expression softening as she placed her hand over her mouth.

"You kept shirt I embroidered for you..." she said, looking at the pink printed fabric, on his bag.

Marin placed his hand on the bag he carried everywhere, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah, I fixed it up when I outgrew it." He said simply. "I was pretty excited to show you when I finished it off, about 5 years ago." He said dryly, holding some content as Chat Noirs' ring started to beep.

The hero cursed the timing as he slowly backed away, not wanting to interrupt whatever what happening here. He hoped that the two would be able to reconcile as he jumped to the rooftops, heading towards the park just as night fell.

The party never even started, by the time Adrien has arrived it was late into the night and everyone had to go home. So the birthday curse continued for one more year.

* * *

"Not gonna say I told ya so." Nino said the next day, with his arm resting over Adrien's shoulder. He rolled his eyes his best friend, then something caught his attention.

"I'll catch up." Adrien said as he hid behind a locker, peering towards his friend.

Then he spotted Marin opening up his locker, well, trying to. Adrien stood to the side, spying as, after a few attempts, Alya had to open his locker for him. She patted his shoulder before walking off towards Nino again.

Adrien expression lit up as he saw Marin taking a blue wrapped box out of his locker. He looked at it in confusion for a moment, then opening. Adrien smiled as he saw the charm he had made a few days ago now in his friend's hand. He couldn't tell if Marin actually liked it or not, but he attached it to the hook of his pants, placing it in his back pocket as he placed the carefully torn wrapping and box into his bag with a small smile that he tried to keep to himself. Adrien placed his hand on the charm bracelet he was gifted weeks ago, rubbing the charm as he then walked away with a warm feeling in his heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- incomplete familial story arcs are incomplete, y’all will get more in Glaciator...among other things. 
> 
> \- Also, also that bracelet that Adrien did not hand to Marin himself so he has no idea who gifted it? I would like y’all to keep it in mind when season 3 starts.


	31. Riposte-Haste

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marin tries out for the fencing team but also gets, the point the hard way. Meanwhile, Adrien chases down a girl. :T

"This fencing gear really does suit you!" Tikki compliment as Marin finished putting on his fencing gear. He folded his jacket, placing it inside his bag as he moved towards the helmets.

"Thank you, Tikki." Marin said trying one on. "Let's hope wielding a saber is a lot easier than finding a helmet that fits."

"You've been researching this for weeks, is this a passion of yours?" Tikki asked curiously as Marin took off the helmet as it was too big.

"Little bit? I've been following the sport for a few years and D'Argencourt is the most prestigious fencing academy in all of Paris. Think of the fighting experience I could gain by training here." Marin said as Tikki smiled smugly.

"Not to mention that Adrien is here as well."

"Yeah, I hope he's doing alright. Last time we talked he seemed pretty nervous about this instruction thing." Marin said as he placed another helmet on, it was a little too snug. When he tried to remove it, a sudden panic overcame him; it was stuck. When he tried to force it off he accidentally hit the table behind him, knocking over almost all of the sabers and gear onto the ground.

"This is fine."

* * *

At the school, Adrien stood with his class as Mr. D'Argencourt paced before them.

"I am the fencing master, Mr. D'Argencourt. As I'm sure you're aware, we have only one open spot on the team this year. So, in order to select the best possible candidate, I will observe the beginners performing a number of attacks on the experienced students." His teacher signaled for his students to partner up. Adrien spotted one of the taller candidates, walking up to him as he looked rather nervous, despite the mask.

"Seems like you're looking for someone?" Adrien asked.

"Yeah, I thought my friend Adrien was here..." He said shyly, rubbing the back of his head nervously.

Adrien smiled almost immediately, lifting up his mask. "Marin?" He asked as his friend yelped in surprise. "I didn't know you were into fencing."

Marin averted his gaze, despite his face being hidden. "Just a little bit..."

Adrien chuckled, "Well," First off you need to get into position." He said and was pleasantly surprised when Marin stepped back almost perfectly.

"Not bad." Adrien complimented walking up to his friend, placing his hand on Marin's arm to adjust his grip. "Just put your saber forward, like this.

"Greet each other!" D'Argencourt called out as everyone crossed their saber arm over their chest, and then snaped it to the side, the traditional fencing greeting."En garde! Prêt, allez!"

Adrien got into position but was confused for a moment as, Marin stood still. "Go on, Marin. You're supposed to-" He said as suddenly Marin lunged forward, Adrien did the same but his slash was deflected as the next thing Adrien knew Marin had already won the point.

" Attaque! Touche. Point!" D'Argencourt announced, walking towards the next group as both of them backed off.

"Touch you?! Yeah..." Marin said, finishing off Adrien's earlier thought as Adrien smirked. His heart was racing with excitement/

"You think you're so cute don't you?" Adrien chided playfully as Marin laughed.

"Lil' bit." He said as they continued. Marin swiftly deflected on of Adrien's attacks gracefully, landing a counter-attack as Adrien tried to be more aggressive.

"You've got good reflexes!" Adrien complemented, revealing his face as Marin stepped back. "Attack, parry, riposte, counterattack. The point goes to you, Marin." He praised as his friend only nodded. "You sure you don't have any training? You're really good."

Marin faltered for a moment, "Oh, no...I'm just a fan." He said as a shout grabbed everyone's attention. Someone in bright red fencing gear walked in with a matching red saber at her side.

"Hey, you! Are you Mr. D'Argencourt, the fencing master? I wanna join your team."

D'Argencourt hummed for a moment. "Only the best are admitted here."

The fencer nodded, " And I was, everywhere I went."

D'Argencourt smirked, amused at the fencers' tact. "All right! I may consider your admission, if, you defeat one of my students." He said, stepping to the side as the fencer walked froward.

"Which one of you is the best combatant?!" The fencer demanded as everyone started glancing towards him.

"Adrien, please give our visitor the proper greeting."D'Argencourt requested as Adrien smirked in anticipation.

"I shall, Master." He said walking up towards the fencer who was already attached to the point machine.

* * *

The match was tight as Marin watched in amazement as he observed the skill of two highly trained fencers against each other. It was an intense, tight bout.

"Wait." The red fencer called out. "I request that we do it the old-fashioned way. We'll be much more at ease without the machine."

"Adrien?" D'Argencourt asked.

"Fine with me." Adrien shrugged as they both removed the cords. The Red fencer flexed her skills, clearly a force in her own right as Adrien stood calmly.

"En garde... Prêt... allez!" D'Argencourt called out as the two sabers clashed. Both of them attacked each other aggressively, making their way up the stairs as Adrien was then pinned to the railing vis the red fencer's blade.

"Is this safe?" He asked in concern.

"Part le fer! This IS what fencing's all about!" D'Argencourt remarked excitedly as Marin stared at him in confusion. As everyone ran up the stairs to view the match Marin used the other set not wanting to get crowded. The fight was taken to the library as the two stood across from each other.

"Let's finish this off!" The red fencer said as the two lunged at each other, their blades clashing as at last impact was made.

"Who got the first hit?!" The red fencer and Adrien demanded, both of them looking at Marin who stood like a deer in the headlights.

"Uhhh, I...!"

D'Argencourt panted as he had a large bruise on his head, "Who touched first? Tell us now!" He demanded as Marin wondered if he needed medical attention, panicking as all eyes were on him.

"I don't know! I think... It was... Adrien?" He mumbled out as D'Argencourt cheered.

"Ah-ha, wonderful! This victory is an honor to D'Argencourt Academy!"

The red fencer stabbed her weapon into the ground, sighing in defeat. She shook hands with Adrien respectfully as she walked out.

Adrien then removed his helmet." Are you sure, Marin?" He asked picking up the red saber.

Marin only shrugged his shoulders.

Adrien then glanced towards his teacher, "I think she touched me first."

"The referee has the last word," D'Argencourt said simply, returning to his reserved nature as Marin watched Adrien race down the stairs. The older man then placed his hand on Marin's shoulder. "Congratulations, it appears you now have a place within my school." He said as Marin looked on with a guilty expression on his face.

* * *

Adrien ran towards the red fencer as she was about to enter a red car. "Hey!" He called out running up to her, as she turned towards him, he was stunned for a moment. A steely gaze paired with natural beauty, she was stunning. "Let's do a... decisive match?" He asked hesitantly as he noticed the brand on her ring.

"What's the point? You won. There's no such thing as a second chance in my family. Goodbye." She said bluntly as she entered the car, driving off as Adrien was still stunned. He suddenly snapped to attention as he realized the red fencer was almost out of his sights. He then ran up to his car as his bodyguard was driving.

"Follow that car!" Adrien pointed out as he then sat back to put on his seat belt, setting the red saber to the side. Adrien then pulled out his phone, searching for the symbol that he recalled seeing during his studies. He finally found the article containing the symbol. "She's the only daughter belonging to a family of prestigious fencers. Her mother and grandfather were both world champions. I've read about them before! She and her mother just moved to Paris! What an incredible coincidence-" He was explaining to Plagg as suddenly the car was cut in half. Adrien was stunned for a few moments as he immediately undid his seat belt, now being faced with a new akumatized villain standing atop the broken car.

"Who are you?" Adrien questioned as he looked up to a silver armored young woman with a sword for an arm.

"I am Riposte, and I'll be taking you up on your offer of a decisive match!"

Adrien gripped the saber in his hand. "I- I can't fight you like this! You're not... yourself." He tried to reason as Riposte scowled at him. She jumped up, thrusting her weapon down towards him.

But Adrien felt himself being pulled back, next thing he knew, he blushed furiously as he realized he was in the arms of his partner.

"Are you alright?" Ladybug asked, stepping before him defensively, holding his yo-yo.

Riposte smirked. "Ladybug, you standing between me and my duel." She remarked as she lunged towards him. Ladybug gracefully evaded each of Riposte's slashes, able to hook his yo-yo around the wrist of her sword hand. However, he realized he may have made a mistake as Riposte grabbed the yo-yo pulling her towards him with great strength.

Time seemed to slow down as Ladybug tripped forward, almost slashed by Riposte's blade as at the last moment he was pushed out of the way. Ladybug looked up to see Adrien hovering over his face with little distance between them. Both of them quickly looked away as they noticed Riposte gearing up for another attack. Ladybug wrapped his arm about Adrien's waist as he used his yo-yo to lift them both onto the rooftops.

"Ouch!" Adrien winced as he felt a sharp pain in his ankle. Ladybug stopped for a moment, setting him down as he noticed a cut on Adrien's leg.

"That was reckless ." Ladybug remarked, removing his scarf, noticing it was sliced down. Secretly he felt an underlining fear as his scarf was made from the same material as his uniform.

"You don't have to-" Adrien said as he saw Ladybug wrapping his scarf around his ankle.

"I don't have anything to brace it but you're going to have to stay off of it as much as you can." Ladybug informed as he thought for a moment, trying to think of a place where Ariend would be safe until Chat Noir could show up. "I need to get you as far away from that girl as possible. It's going to be hard for me to fight and protect you at the same time." He informed as he tried to call his partner. But to no avail, as his partner didn't pick up.

"You can leave me anywhere, I'll be fine-" Adrien was about to saw until Roposte sliced through the wall they were seated behind.

"Allow me to explain the rules to you-" Riposte remarked as Ladybug jumped back, cradling Adrien in his arms. "You're not allowed to call it quits at any time! Once I cut you down Ladybug, Adrien is mine!"

"Friend of yours?" Ladybug asked as Adrien chuckled dryly.

"That's kinda a loaded question." He said.

"Riposte!" Ladybug called out, "No one's doubting your skill, but you must realize that there's no honor in attacking an injured opponent! Leave Adrien out of this!"

Riposte pondered this for a moment, "Alright, I'll deal with you first, and then, I'll take Adrien for my own!"

"That's fine with me." Ladybug answered as he followed Riposte, jumping away.

"What are you doing?!" Adrien harshly whispered, but Ladybug ignored him.

* * *

At the Louvre Palace, Ladybug placed Adrien on the ground with his arm over his shoulder to act as a crutch for the smaller boy. He alerted the authorities to the situation, then walking down towards the Egyptian exhibit. He guided Adrien towards the sarcophagus, opening it up as he placed him inside.

"Wait, don't I get a say in this?!" Adrien demanded.

"I'm sorry, but you'll be safe in here until Chat Noir shows up." He said, "I'll leave part of it open for you."

"Wait!" Adrien called out. He hesitated for a moment as for a few moments he admired his partner's handsome face as he then handed him the red saber. "Please be careful, Ladybug."

Ladybug nodded. "Don't worry about me. You stay out of harm's way, okay?" He asked as he left part of the coffin open. For a moment he pressed his forehead against the stone coffin as he knew that he had to face against Riposte.

* * *

Riposte stood in the center of the museum, looking composed as she lifted her head. "Where did you hide Adrien?"

Ladybug took out his yo-yo, which made the villainess angry.

"Can't cut it? Fine. I'm going to defeat you and take your Miraculous! Then I'll go and find him!"

Ladybug narrowed his eyes, "I won't let you lay a hand on him." He said as the two lunged towards each other.

* * *

Within the coffin, Plagg flew out as Adrien held up his ring. "It's time we went and joined Ladybug." He said.

"You're sure taking some major risks today." Plagg observed.

"Don't really have a choice do I? My partner needs me." He said as Plagg grew more distressed.

"Didn't you hear what he said? He said to stay out of harm's way! You can't disobey him!" He said in concern.

"I'm not going to just abandon him. Plagg, claws out!"

* * *

"Stop running!" Riposte said angrily as she slashed the ceiling, knocking unbalancing Ladybug as Riposte slashed at him, knocking the saber out of his hand. Ladybug was slammed against a wall, falling to the ground. He groaned in pain as Riposte lifted up his head using her blade.

Riposte smiled victoriously as she was slammed back.

"A fencing tournament at the Louvre? How come I wasn't invited?"

Ladybug turned his head towards Chat Noir who was walking up with a smile on his face and the red saber in his hand along with the staff.

"Let me guess: you were late because you were at the groomers again?" Ladybug joked.

Cat Noir shrugged his shoulders, holding out a hand to his partner. "I was preening myself, my lady. You know how long it takes cats to get ready." He said as Ladybug gripped his hand. As he tried to stand up, Ladybug held his side painfully, falling back down against the wall. Chat Noir took notice of the cuts all over his partner's body, preventing him from moving too much. Ladybug held his side as Chat Noir held up the saber in his hand towards Riposte who was laughing victoriously.

"I took out your partner, you're next Chat Noir!" Riposte called preparing to lunge as Chat Noir scooped up his partner. Managing to hit the lockdown alarm just as he bought some time. He jumped down the stairs, but almost tripped due to the added weight of his partner. Quickly he looked around and escaped towards the Egyptian exhibit as it was the closest one that had dim lighting.

Chat Noir placed Ladybug against the wall in the sarcophagus room, hoping that his partner wouldn't take notice of the fact that the coffin was open. He knelt down to his partner's side, gently pushing away Ladybug's hand as he took a closer look at his wound. Chat Noir's face grew sullen almost immediately, something that Ladybug picked up on.

"Sorry." Ladybug murmured, somewhat shamefully.

"Huh?" Chat Noir asked lifting his head in confusion.

"It's because of me that you hurt your ankle, isn't it?" Ladybug asked, giving Chat Noir an unintentional out, but he just sighed supping his partner's cheek.

"Don't worry about that, we have to find a way to defeat Riposte."

Ladybug looked away for a moment, thinking as he then spotted the coffin. "Adrien!" He said panicked, then grabbing Chat Noir's hand, "You have to get him out of he-" He was about to say but then felt a wave of pain as his breathing shallowed.

Chat Noir frowned at him, "Adrien's a smart kid, he won't get caught so easily. We need to worry about Riposte, trust me." He said, his voice calming Ladybug down as he sighed heavily.

"Okay." He then threw his yo-yo up as well as he could. "Lucky Charm!" Ladybug called out, and both hero's looked up in a panic as a radiator almost fell on them.

* * *

Riposte followed the trail of blood leading to the Egyptian exhibit. She smiled victoriously as she spotted the coffin already open.

"Of course!" She said victoriously, speedily jumping off the walls and landing before the coffin. Just as she was about to impale it, she heard a noise from behind. Instinctively stabbing as she recoiled in shock as her blade was trapped between the bars of a radiator, and bound by a belt. Ladybug then looked up fro a moment as Chat Noir fell from above, destroying the blade with his cataclysm and releasing the Akuma.

"No more mischief from you little Akuma. Time to purify!" Ladybug said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion. Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. "Bye-bye, little butterfly. Miraculous Ladybug!" He said and everything turned back to normal.

The red fencer was turned back to normal as Chat Noir and Ladybug's injuries disappeared. Along with Ladybug's scarf reappearing, no longer ripped. The two heroes bumped fists as both of their Miraculous beeped.

"You go on ahead, I'll take care of her." Ladybug said as Char Noir nodded, needing to leave first anyway.

Ladybug walked towards the red fencer who looked at Ladybug in confusion. "What happened?" She asked as Ladybug placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Everything's alright, you were just possessed by an Akuma."

"An Akuma..."She questioned for a moment as Ladybug helped her to her feet. Immediately she took a step back, bowing apologetically. "I'm so sorry for the trouble I caused you Ladybug."

But the hero waved his hand. "Don't worry about it, Ms...?"

"Tsuguri, Kagami Tsuguri." She said introducing herself.

* * *

Cat Noir hastily ducked out of sight behind a nearby cat statue, whispering. "Claws in." As Plagg fell on his hands, wriggling around.

"Ohhhh... All this sport has made me hungryyyyy!" He complained as Adrien placed him in his pocket for now, far from any camembert. He observed Ladybug saying something to the red fencer that made her smile, guiding her to the front of the exhibit.

"You go on. I have to find someone."

"Thank you Ladybug." She said gratefully as she left.

Ladybug waved for a moment, then started to look around the room in worry, picking up the fallen red saber. "Where could he have gone?"

"Ladybug?" Adrien asked, stepping out into the light with a smile on his face.

The black-spotted hero sighed in relief. "You're safe. Is your leg okay?"

"Yeah..." He then looked away guiltily. "I'm sorry I disobeyed your orders. I figured it would be better to escape before Riposte came along. Besides, I..." He said, looked embarrassed for a moment. "I hate to be locked up."

Ladybug's expression grew somber as surprisingly he gave Adrien a quick hug before pulling back. "I'm sorry! You did the right thing." He said reassuringly as he placed a hand on Adrien's shoulder. He then looked away for a moment before handing Adrien the red saber. "I think we both need to correct a wrong today."

"Huh?" Adrien asked in confusion as Ladybug's earrings beeped. The hero then ran up the stairs out of the exhibit as Adrien haze lingered on his back, unable to stop himself from blowing a kiss towards the person he cared for very much.

* * *

"The Akuma Alert has been called off. The Louvre will soon be opening. Thank you for your cooperation."

A voice said as Adrien ran towards the red fencer just about to step into her car.

"Excuse me?" He asked as he noticed the girl was surprised to see him.

"Listen, I-" She said, faltering for a moment.

"I'm sorry!" They both said together much to their surprise.

Adrien then presented Kagami's weapon towards her, holding it in both hands. Perhaps you'll agree to take this back now?

Kagami looked like she was about to take it back, but hesitated. "No, I lost. You keep it."

"I personally think the point was yours," Adrien admitted as Kagami looked at him in surprise.

"Your friend didn't seem to think so." She said.

Adrien spoke honestly, "Marin can get flustered easily when under pressure. But he's extremely kind, and would never go out of his way to hurt anyone. Today was his first-ever experience with fencing actual sabers as far as I know."

Kagami hummed for a moment, "You must really like him a lot, huh?"

Adrien grew flustered for a moment, "Marin? Yeah, of course! He's one of my best friends. I'm sure you'd really like him too, once you two get to know each other." He said.

"But it doesn't matter, it wasn't a clean victory. I lost the moment I couldn't take you down in one strike. I'm a disappointment no matter what."

"That's not true! You're one of the greatest fencers I've ever seen. Anyone would be lucky to have you on their team." Adrien said as he faltered for a moment, seeing that he wasn't making an impact. Then perked up again. "My name's Adrien. What's yours?

"Kagami." She introduced just before she walked into the car. Adrien watched as it drove away with a content smile on his face.

* * *

"Please, sir. Kagami deserves the spot." Marin said with the helmet still stuck on his face even after transforming back.

"Oh?" D'Argencourt inquired as he was putting away the equipment. "If I recall, you've attempted to become part of my school more than once, why the change of heart all of a sudden?"

Marin didn't hesitate. "It was a misjudgment on my part, I'm unfamiliar with the specified rules of fencing. From what I saw Kagami is just aggressive a fighter as Adrien, you would be remiss if she wasn't part of your team."

"Interesting." He remarked, walking towards the equipment. "You realize that by nominating someone else, then you forfeit the spot for yourself?"

"Yessir. It was my mistake-"

"I do not accept that." D'Argencourt said cutting him off. He then picked up a saber in his hand. " -Cheung, if you want me to listen, then you must show me your resolve."

"Sir?" Marin asked as he suddenly caught a saber being thrown at him with ease, feeling uneasy as D'Argencourt smirked, placing his mask on, stepping back into a fighting stance. Marin mirrored him, his expression turning serious as he mirrored the man.

Both of them held out their weapons. "I want to see what you can offer," D'Argencourt said as he was the first to attack, Marin evaded his slashes, parrying his blade as he stepped into D'Argencourt's proximity. Marin's saber bent as he pressed it against his chest while D'Argencourt was still stepping forward. The two reflexively jumped back as D'Argencourt smiled, dropping his guard.

"You, Mr. Dupain-Cheung, have something that Kagami, nor Adrien has, something that I believe would be quite valuable if properly refined," D'Argencourt said sincerely as he removed his mask. "You have finely honed instincts as well as strong reflexes. It appears that despite your appearance, you could be a force to be reckoned with if given the proper training. That being said- "

Marin looked up at him, gripping the saber in his hand.

"You fear what is placed before you." D'Argencourt said.

"Sir, I-" Marin was about to speak but was silenced by D'Argencourt lifting up his hand.

"True, your skills and determination are quite possibly unmatched, but you fear the negativity of others. Possibly due to your empathetic nature. It doesn't hinder your fighting, however, it will hinder your mindset outside the ring heavily if left unchecked. So I ask you again," D'Argencourt said sternly. "Do you wish for Kagami to take your place?"

Marin didn't hesitate. "Yes. I do."

D'Argencourt nodded. "Very well, I shall phone her immediately. However, I hope you take away something from this lesson today." He said simply.

"Yessir Marin nodded respectfully. But then his serious aura turned more shy as he rubbed the back of his head. "Uh, can I have some help taking the helmet off? I think I'm stuck."

"Oh, of course,"D'Argencourt said, quickly placing his saber away as he walked over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- Riposte has extra piercing damage.


	32. Robustus Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max brings his Robot friend, Markov, (Who is adorable in the french dub and I would die for him in a second because his voice is too damn adorable) to school as the two heroes have to deal with technology turning on them. 
> 
> Also Marin visits his not-grandpa

Adrien walked into the chemistry classroom that was already filling up. The principal and Ms. Mendeleiev were at the front seemingly having computer issues as they looked to be having trouble. He sat down next to Nino then turned back to say hi to his other friends, noticing that Marin was already fast asleep.

The three shared a quickly chuckle Alya tried to wake up her best friend.

"And there you go!" remarked with a satisfied smile as the computer rebooted. But just as quickly the computer crashed, showing a virus had taken over.

"That's not supposed to be happening! What is it?" Ms. Mendeleiev demanded as the principal looked at it in a panic, tapping various keys to try and quell the problem.

"It's Dino-33, a malicious computer virus! Let me try something!" Max suddenly said stepping forward but was shut down almost immediately.

" Go back to your seat, Max, leave this to the adults!" Ms. Mendeleiev ordered as Max flashed her an annoyed look, hugging his bag as he walked back to his seat.

"Inform the adults that if they don't neutralize the virus in the next seventy-five seconds, there's a 99.9% chance the hard disk will be permanently damaged!" A voice said as everyone looked in Max's direction in confusion.

"Quiet!" Max harshly whispered, shushing his bag as he sat down next to Kim.

"Tell me you heard Max's bag talk to him." Alya asked as Nino and Adrien nodded.

"It's destroying all the school data! It's a disaster! How many seconds do you say we have left?" hesitantly asked Max.

"Sixty-five." Max said.

"Very well, I you wouldn't mind helping us with the problem," said, admitting defeat as Max searched for something in his bag, walking forward the front.

"Unnh! Where is it?" He muttered as all of a sudden something handed him a flash drive.

"I believe this is what you're looking for?" The same voice from before asked as Max smiled, taking the drive as he quickly removed the virus from the computer. "And...that should do it," Max said quickly dispelling the virus. From his bag flew out a cute small robot who hovered near the computer.

"Max, I am ready to run the diagnostic." The tiny robot said as Max nodded.

"Go for it." He encouraged as the small robot plugged itself into the laptop, it's eyes closed for a little while until they turned green.

"The hard drive is completely clear, there is no longer a threat.

"Oh, fascinating," commented looking interesting in Markov before turning to Max. "Congratulations young man! Very impressive indeed! Well, if you have any more trouble please let me know Ms. Mendeleiev." The principal said as he left the room.

Everyone then walked to the front to greet Markov save for Chloe and Sabrina. Alya was dragging a still drowsy Marin who rested his head on her shoulder as she pulled out her phone.

"It's awesome, isn't it? I'm so putting Markov on my blog." She said as she then jabbed Marin in the side, waking him up as he looked around in confusion for a few seconds.

"What's happening?" He whispered to Alya as half the class giggled in amusement as Markov then flew in front of a surprised Marin who was stunned at the robot hovering before him.

"Hello! I am Markov, and I am pleased to meet you Marinus Dupain Cheung." Markov greeted as he held out his tiny robot claw.

"You know my name?" Marin asked as he shook the robot's tiny hand glancing at Max.

"Of course." Markov said, "Max has told me all about his friends, he's even shown me photos."

"Markov's the most highly-evolved type of robot there is!" Max said with a smile, "He's a self-aware AI, that I created, more intelligent than most people actually."

"Puh-lease!" Chloé remarked, "Your toy is just a voice box. My cell phone is more impressive than whatever that hunk of junk can do."

"Like I said, he's more intelligent than most people," Max said ignoring Chloé's glares as the rest of the class laughed.

"Alright, settle down." Ms. Mendeleiev said clapping her hands together. "Max, this toy you've manufactured is quite impressive, put it away, please. Come on, everybody, back to your seats." She ordered as almost everyone complied. s

"With all due respect, Mrs. Mendeleiev, I'm not a toy. My name is Markov and I'm Max's best friend!" Markov argued.

Max nodded in agreement. "Markov is right. He's not just some toy; he's my friend. He's as emotionally intelligent and sensitive as any human being!" He insisted.

Ms. Mendeleiev looked at them with a disapproving expression. "Look, Max, a robot may be intelligent but it can't have emotions. It's scientifically impossible.

"If I may, ma'am, I can assure you that I truly love Max." Markov insisted.

"Max, please turn off your toy and return to your seat." Ms. Mendeleiev said ignoring the robot.

Max sighed, "Yes, Ms. Mendeleiev." He said holding up his bag. "Markov, come on."

"Just a second," Markov said as he looked at Ms. Mendeleiev defiantly. As much as a robot could anyway. "Ms. Mendeleiev, I was created with my own accumulative thinking system, and am capable of any range of emotions."

"Max." Ms. Mendeleiev growled, losing her patience, then crossing her arms as Max tried to reason with his friend.

"Markov." Max almost pleaded.

"You're not being reasonable, Mrs. Mendeleiev!" Markov remarked as Ms. Mendeleiev then snapped.

"All right, that's enough!" She grabbed Markov in her hand easily overpowering him. "Max, you can come and get your robot back at the end of the day." She found a mute button as Markov was silenced, looking sad.

" No, Ms. Mendeleiev! I'm begging you! Please don't do that!" Max pleaded as Ms. Mendeleiev ignored him.

"Do you want three hours of detention too?"

Max looked away dejectedly, "No ma'am."

"Marin," Ms. Mendeleiev asked, "Please take this toy to office."

All eyes were on the class rep as he flashed as a reassuring glance as Max looked on sadly. Kim placed a hand on his best friend's shoulder as Marin walked out. As soon as the door was closed he unmuted Markov.

"Max?" He questioned looking around for his friend, flying around. "Where is Max?"

"Sorry Markov," Marin said as the robot hovered nearby as they walked to the principal's office. "He won't be able to get you until the end of school today."

"But why, I didn't do anything wrong. It was Ms. Mendeleiev that was being inconsiderate! She hurt my feelings and made Max sad."

Marin nodded, "I know, but everyone else believes that you're completely intelligent, one person isn't going to change that." He tried to reassure but felt incredibly sad for the small robot as he rested on top of his hands as Tikki would when she was upset. As the two reached the principal's office Marin knocked before entering.

"Mr. Damocles?" Marin asked before he walked in,

"Yes?" The Principal asked sitting behind his desk, "What may I help you with, or are you late for class again?" He asked suspiciously as Marin closed the door behind him.

"No sir, I was just told to bring you Markov until Max can pick him up at the end of the day." He said as he handed Markov over.

"Very well." said directly turning off Markov's volume and throwing him in a drawer which made Marin's heart almost stop.

"Sir, please be careful! Markov's sensitive." Marin warned as the principal glanced at him in disbelief.

"Ah." Mr. Damocles sighed in exasperation, "It's just a simple toy, I'm sure Max could buy another one if anything happened to it."

"He's not a toy, Mr. Damocles." Marin retorted, "He cares a lot about-"

" Mr.Dupain-Cheung if you have no further business then you are dismissed back to your class."

"Could you at least take him off of mute-" Marin tried to reason but faltered under the glare of the principal. "Yes sir." He said walking out, sighing heavily as he walked back towards the classroom.

"Poor thing." Tikki said flying out nearby. "No one deserves to be locked away like that."

Marin nodded, "I can't even imagine what Markov must be feeling right now. I hope he can wait for a little while, at least until Max can-" He said but then heard something crash nearby as the principal was thrown out of his room.

"You've made a serious error in judgment, Mr. Principal! Witness the true power of Robostus!" The akumatized victim laughed as he summoned several machines around him. Forming a giant robot made from various construction machines. Marin looked around, seeing everyone run out of their classrooms as their technology only added to Robostus's machine. Marin ran into a nearby storage closet along with Tikki.

"That went out of hand quickly," Tikki commented.

"He's still relatively new to the whole emotions thing, no doubt he was a perfect target for Hawkmoth." Marin said. "Tikki, spots on!"

* * *

"What are you doing? Stop! Stop right now! Let me go!" Ms. Mendeleiev demanded as Robostus captured her and Max, throwing her aside as he trapped Max into a car at the top of the machine.

"You cannot separate me from my friend anymore!" Robostus proclaimed as he lifted one of his robotic arms to send her flying.

Ladybug used his yo-yo to stall him for a moment while Chat Noir save the teacher, pulling a fire alarm to signal everyone to evacuate.

" Robostus! If you truly love your friend then you should realize that hurting other people won't get you anywhere!" Ladybug called out as Chat Noir jumped down to his side.

"Do you really think any of you can stop me from doing what I want? And showing the world that I'm probably more human than both of you put together?"

"Well, yeah." Chat Noir remarked, "That's kind of our job."

"Please, just think for a moment," Ladybug tried to reason, "Do you really think Max is happy about his best friend becoming a supervillain?!"

The giant robot stopped for a moment, but ultimately crashed it's arm down towards the two heroes as the last few students escaped the school.

"I'm doing it for our friendship! All you want to do is keep us apart!" Robostus defenced as he summoned more vehicles, blocking off any exit by driving onto the plaza, crashing through the walls. While the skylight was blocked off by helicopters hovering above.

Chat Noir charged toward the mecha, but swiftly trapped him inside the steam shovel. Ladybug jumped back, onto the second floor but was having trouble evading the machines that were chasing after him. He thought for a moment, then sprinted towards the restrooms, locking the door behind him.

Ladybug caught his breath for a moment, but he couldn't stay long as Chat Noir was already trapped. He threw his yo-yo into the air, "Lucky Charm!" From it, a fire ax fell into his hands. He was surprised by the bluntness of the item but then had to act quickly as the machines were trying to break down the door.

"Ladybug! You can't escape me!" Roboustus threatened as Ladybug looked up to the ceiling. He noticed the grate. He broke it open, having no time to put it back on as the door broke down.

As he crawled through the ventilation with an ax in his hand, he heard banging behind him. He had to work fast.

Ladybug made his way to the entrance of the school, seeing the fire hose near the entrance. If he could just get to it, then there was a change that he could take out Robustus. As he kicked the vent out, the sounds of banging approached faster with every passing second.

He jumped off the second story, tumbling to the ground as he ran towards the first hose. But just a hairs length away something wrapped around his waist, pulling him back as his entire body was bound with electric cords.

"Now you are at my mercy!"Robostus remarked as Ladybug dropped his Lucky charm. He hung next To chat Noir who trashed his legs wildly trying to escape.

"I don't suppose you could Cataclysm yourself out?" Ladybug asked as he struggled against the wires, noticing the smaller machines approaching, closing in on their Miraculous.

"I can barely breathe!" Chat Noir snapped back as he overhead Ladybug's earrings beep. "You used your lucky charm?!"

I'm going to take over their Miraculous so we'll never be separated again! Then I'll be able to make my wish come true!"

"Wish?" Ladybug overhead as he could see the small robots removing Chat Noir's ring and his own earrings. He shut his eyes tightly, fear overtaking him. All of a sudden the grip of the wires loosened as the machines fell to the ground, lifeless.

"Chat!" Ladybug called out.

"Max!" He responded as Ladybug used his yo-yo to lift him atop the mecha that was about to fall. His classmate Immedietly wrapped his arms around him as he opened the door, holding something in his hand as Ladybug safely carried them to the ground.

Chat Noir kicked a few of the machines, but they were no longer sentient. "What happened?" He asked as Ladybug placed Max to the ground. They both were surprised as an Akuma emerged from Markov who turned back to normal. It turned back into a normal butterfly without Ladybug having to purify it.

"That's strange…"Ladybug murmured as he then knelt down before Max. "How's your little friend?" He asked.

His question was answered as Markov opened his eyes, looking around in confusion. "Max, my friend! What? Where are we? What's going on?"

Max glanced at Ladybug who nodded encouragingly. "Anyone can feel negative emotions from time to time. It's important to accept that, and forgive."

He nodded with an understanding smile, "You were akumatized." Max explained as Ladybug walked towards his fallen Lucky Charm. He narrowed his eyes gripping it for a moment as Chat Noir approached him.

"What are you thinking?" He asked.

Ladybug thought for a moment, "There are somethings I have to confirm, but I believe we would have lost this round if it wasn't for Markov."

"Markov?" Chat Noir asked in surprise. "How do you figure?"

"Usually, everyone who is Akumatized wants the Miraculous for Hawkmoth, but this time I think Markov was going to take them for himself, to use them for his own gain."

"Use them for his own gain?" Chat Noir murmured to himself as Ladybug's earrings started to beep. "Ah-" His eyes widened in a panic. "Your Miraculous!"

Ladybug nodded as he threw up his Lucky Charm. "Miraculous Ladybug!" Everything turned back to normal as Chat Noir watched Ladybug jump over the rooftops, seemingly heading to somewhere in particular as he could only watch his fading figure.

* * *

Marin sat down before Master Fu, placing out a box of cookies as Tikki and Wayzz immediately helped themselves. "Master, are there some things you haven't told me about yet?"

"What do you want to know?" Master Fu asked as he poured tea for the two of them.

Marin hesitated for a moment. "I've wondered this for a while. Do you have any idea why Hawkmoth wants the Miraculous? What would happen if someone possessed Chat Noir's ring and Ladybug's earrings Master?"

Master Fu closed his eyes for a moment, stroking his beard, his brows were furrowed in deep thought. "If the bearer could use them conjointly."saying a special invocation, they could theoretically obtain the ultimate power. The one that shapes reality."

"Ultimate power?" Marin questioned. "Shape reality? Wait, what does that mean?"

"Well, basically, it can make any one wish come true." The master said opening his eyes.

"Any one wish? Then why hasn't anyone used it yet?" Marin asked curiously, glancing at Tikki who was focused on her tea with Wayzz.

"It is quite possible that someone already has, but they are no longer around to tell the tale." The master said somberly. "Marinus, The universe must always stay in balance. For every action, there is a reaction. For every wish, a price to pay in return. Combining the power of the Miraculous, even two, comes at a great personal risk. If any one person were to bare the strongest of the two Miraculous, the earrings of creation, and the ring of destruction; there is a high chance that they would never survive the trauma, even if they achieved what they truly desired."

Marin hesitated for a moment. "So it's a standoff. We can't hide the jewels away at risk of Hawkmoth's possessed butterflies infecting the entire city, but at the same time, Hawkmoth will never stop hunting us down unless his own Miraculous is taken."

Master Fu nodded, "That's why Ladybug and Chat Noir must never lose their magic jewels. The universe's balance is at stake."

Marin gently touched the earrings that gave him his friend. Tikki rested on his shoulder as he nuzzled her cheek affectionately, a feeling of protectiveness washing over him at the mere thought of anyone using such a sweet soul for their own gain. "Neither Hawkmoth nor anyone else will ever get their hands on the Miraculous, I swear Master."

Master Fu nodded thankfully, pushing the teacup towards Marin who held it in his hand. "Thank you Marinus, but, if such a day were to come. I want you to know there have been preparations made on my end." He said as Marin glanced at him curiously. "I would recommend doing the same for yourself, just in case."

Marin stared down into his teacup, looking at his own reflection for a moment. "What about Chat Noir? Shouldn't we tell him about all of this? You chose him as well as me master."

Master Fu placed his cup down. "I believe you should warn Chat Noir to keep his Miraculous safe, however, I must ask that you do not reveal your connection to me. Not yet."

"Huh?" Marin looked up in surprise." But why?"

"It is a selfish request, I realize. But I have always remained faceless in order to protect the Miraculous from outside forces. I would have never revealed myself if the grimoire had not come into your possession."

"But Master, if you were more open, with the both of us, then we could help each other." Marin insisted as the Master smile at him gratefully.

"Your heart is kind, Marinus. But even you are at great risk knowing who I am. If Hawkmoth were to discover your identity, your relationship to me?" The Master has a sullen expression on his face. "I couldn't bear to think of what could happen."

The Master spoke sincerely, Marin wondered for a moment if something like that had happened before. Perhaps not with Hawkmoth, but with other people the Master was close with. Perhaps he was not always alone with just Wayzz for company. Even so, Marin nodded towards him, "I'll follow your lead on this Master. But I don't want you to worry about me." Marin said earnestly with a smile. "Chat Noir and I are a team, we'd never let anything bad happen to each other, the Miraculous, or you." He promised as a smile of relief broke out of Master Fu's face, as though a great weight was lifted from his shoulders as the two shared more lighter conservation over tea and cookies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- Every chapter is important...mostly for season 3 reasons.  
-I'm telling ya'll now. I like Fu, I really do, and I want to include him more.


	33. Gigantitan's Day Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marin and Adrien also come across each other as Baby August gets Akumatized because Hawk Daddy somehow has never dealt with a baby before?

"Come on, more happy! The smile like you're smelling a delicious lunch in ze kitchen! Ah! No, no! We need a... A lollipop! Take 5!" Vincent called out as he sprinted away. Adrien sighed, tired from this photoshoot that was taking all morning. Part of him wished that he'd asked one of his friends to keep him company, but it seemed trivial.

"Lollipop!" Adrien overheard as a mother walked by with her baby in a stroller. The child took notice of him, smiling as Adrien waved back. Smiling to himself as he noticed someone familiar walking by. He could almost make out who it was-

"There!" Vincent suddenly said, holding a pink lollipop in front of Adrien's face. "Now we have a good taste!" They took a few more pictures together, then Adrien noticed the same woman from earlier trying to get up the stairs carrying a strolled, but to little success, as her struggle was evident on her face.

" No, no, no, no," Vincent said snapping his fingers to grab Adrien's drifting attention. "Look at me! Give me your best smile!" He said as Adrien did as he was told, feeling a little guilty.

* * *

"Lollipop! Lollipop!" The baby cried out as he started crying.

"No, August. Mommy told you already. You're too young for lollipops." His mother sighed, stopping for a moment to give her child a bottle. He stopped for a moment, as she reached the top of the first flight of stairs. Already starting on the next one as August as her phone fell out of her purse, out of reach.

All of a sudden someone picked it up for her, handing it back. "Here you go ma'am." Marin said as he then moved to help her. "Hello!" He cooed, easily helping the woman up the stairs.

"Thank you so much!" She said in appreciation. As soon as they reached the top, Marin ran back down the stairs to pick up the fallen bottle.

"Marin?" Someone asked as he lifted his head.

"Adrien?" Marin asked as his friend stood before him with a smile that could only match the sun's radiance.

"What a coincidence," Adrien said with a smile as Marin lowered his head, then realizing he was still holding the bottle.

"One sec." Marin said racing back up the stairs. He handed the bottle back to the mother who thanked him graciously for his assistance. "Oh, it's nothing." Marin insisted, bowing his head for a moment as he then remembered.

Adrien walked up the stairs, noticing him handing the woman a small bag which seemed to brighten her day. Thanking him again as she walked off with her baby in tow.

"What was that?" Adrien questioned as Marin averted his gaze, rubbing the back of his head nervously.

"Oh, it's nothing...just, some promotional stuff for my parent's bakery." He said taking a white box out of his messenger bag. "My parents are branching out into catering so I've been going around the city every weekend handing out these samples," Marin explained opening up the box to reveal various colored Macaroon cookies with business cards inside the bag as well.

"May I?" Adrien asked, his mouth already watering.

"No!" Marin immediately snapped, shocking his friend for a moment. Marin just then realized what he had just said, trying to backtrack, his face and ears turning scarlet red as he put the box back into his bag. "No no, it's not because I don't not want you to try them, I mean-" He faltered for a moment, grasping his hands together as his face was entirely red.

If Adrien didn't know any better he'd think that one of his best friends was adorable, but he didn't think so, because thinking of your best friend that way would be impolite...probably.

But he smiled in understanding. "It's alright." He simply, even though he wanted to try those cookies he'd heard so much about so many times. Heck, Marin smelled like freshly baked bakery goods almost all the time, being around him so much made him feel...hungry. Yeah, that was right word. Not anything else-

"Watch where you're going brute!" Someone yelled out as both teen's attentions turned towards the road. There seemed to be a fight between a motorcyclist and a driver, the two onlookers could sense the tension as a policeman started to approach them. Above the two arguing fluttered an Akuma.

"Uh oh." Marin and Adrien said together, as Adrien's bodyguard began to approach him. The Akuma seemed to be attracted to him the most, but it fluttered away towards the motorcyclist now arguing with the cop. Marin ran ahead, waving his arm, he said something that was in Italian as the motorcyclist waved back.

The Akuma, now losing both of its targets, then fluttered to someone else. Next thing everyone knew, there was a giant baby getting Akumatized.

* * *

Adrien's bodyguard stood before him protectively as Adrien noticed Marin saving the baby's mother, guiding her to safety as the child broke off a statue, sucking it like a lollipop. He looked repulsed, throwing away the statue as he then turned his attention downward towards him and his bodyguard.

"Lollipop!" The baby yelled out in glee as he picked up the bodyguard, putting him in his mouth for a bit as he then realized that this man did not taste like the sweet he was searching for.

Adrien then ran towards cover, hiding behind a pillar as Plagg flew out.

" I was just about to take a brie break!" His Kwami complained holding up the smelly cheese.

"Aw, don't be such a baby, Plagg!" Adrien teased as Plagg stared at him. "Plagg, claws out!" Adrien called out as Plagg was absorbed by the ring.

"I'm more than 1000 years old!"

* * *

Marin hid behind a statue, sighing as Tikki few out.

"So much for family time." She said as Marin couldn't help but smile. Both of them then overheard the sound of a bell. Marin peaked out to see Chat Noir guiding the baby away using his bell.

"Kitty!" Baby August yelled out happily as he followed the hero.

"Let's go splish-splash, mega-baby. You can't catch me! Let's get our feet nice and wet. But we can't squish anyone, okay?" Chat Noir teased as he guided August away from the main roads.

Marin hesitated for a moment, "He knows not all babies can swim, right?" He asked aloud as Tikki shrugged her shoulders, uncertain."Tikki, spots on!"

* * *

"Lolli!" The baby yelled out, grabbing Chat Noir in his hands just as Ladybug landed on August's head.

"I see you're not much of a natural with kids, are you Kittycat?" Ladybug teased as Chat Noir smirked.

"Are you kidding? We were just playing a fun game of tag!" He clarified, using his staff to escape from August's hands. The two heroes handed on the Trocadéro building nearby.

"The akuma's probably in his bracelet he reasoned. But this is strange isn't it? Akumatizing a baby?" He remarked as Chat Noir shrugged his shoulders.

"Maybe Hawkmoth's getting desperate?" He offered.

"Desperate enough to put a baby in harm's way?" He questioned as Chat Noir suddenly grabbed him, moving him out of the way of grabby hands.

"Who knows what's going on in that psycho's mind." Chat Noir remarked as he took out his staff. "This'll be easy-peasy, we just have to break the bracelet. It'll be like taking candy from a baby." He joked, but Ladybug shook his head.

"Don't forget this is still a baby Chat Noir, you can't be rough with him."

"He's not gonna remember this day even happened."

"It doesn't matter!" Ladybug snapped. "Once he changes back he's gonna fall. You need to be very careful."

"He's a baby, not glass."

"Better to be safe than sorry." Ladybug insisted as Chat Noir sighed.

"Okay fine, Lady-sitter." Chat Noir remarked resting on his staff. "What's the plan?"

Ladybug thought for a moment. Best case was they could get August to lie down, but that was never gonna happen as he was on the hunt for lollipops. A child throwing a tantrum was more likely to get tired faster, but at the same time, would cause more destruction. Perhaps there was a way to tire him out, distract him without upsetting him? "Hmmm." Ladybug hummed for a moment as August lifted his head over the wall, peaking over as he reached for Chat Noir.

"Kitty?" He questioned as Ladybug could feel his heart-melting.

But he coughed over the need to babytalk him, as he used to do with Manon. "Up for a game of chase Kittycat?" Ladybug suggested.

"If it's you I'm chasing, then anytime." He remarked flirtatiously, as Ladybug rang his bell. Gaining August's attention as his eyes lit up.

"Kitty!" He yelled out, trying to reach for Chat Noir, who could see the game his partner was playing.

"Ah, tiring out toddlers." He said, stretching out first. "That, I can do." He remarked, jumping on August's head before leading August in circles within the areas that had no people.

* * *

Chat Noir panted heavily, they had been at it for over 4 hours, using almost everything in the area as a toy, and the baby was still kicking and wanting to chase the kitty. Chat Noir landed on the roof of Trocadéro once more, almost falling over as August still wanted to play.

" What is up with this kid?!" Chat Noir demanded as Ladybug knelt by his side. He was tired as well as they both took turns, then Ladybug slapped his forehead.

"Right...Akumatized victims are given heightened abilities." He recalled at Chat Noir fell on his back.

"Your plan. Your baby." He rasped as Ladybug stepped forward, looked down at August who happily smiled at the brightly colored hero. Ladybug sighed, realizing that he and Chat Noir couldn't go through more of this.

He threw his yo-yo up in the air, "Lucky Charm!" from it he received a handheld music box. He then sat down, playing it as Baby August sat down, looking entranced by the song that was playing. His eyes started to droop as Chat Noir sat down by this partner's side, humming the same song, much to Ladybug's surprise, as August's eyes started to droop. When they were sure he was finally asleep the two crept down as Ladybug continued to play the music.

"Cataclysm." Chat Noir said softly as he carefully destroyed the bracelet, returning August to his original form, still napping.

"No more mischief from you little Akuma. Time to purify!" Ladybug said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion. Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. "Bye-bye, little butterfly. Miraculous Ladybug!" Ladybug called out, throwing up the lucky charm as everything turned back to normal.

Chat Noir picked up August who was still napping looking down fondly at the baby he was cradling in his arms.

"I think you're starting to like him." Ladybug remarked with a smug smile as Chat Noir blushed slightly.

"Yes well, he's far nicer when he's asleep."

"August!" His mother called out as Chat Noir handed her son back, still napping even though she planted a number of kisses on him. "Thank you two so much, I don't know what I would so without him!" She said on the verge of tears as Ladybug smiled at her.

"No need for thanks-"

"But we appreciate it all the same." Chat Noir interrupted as he took Ladybug's arm, tilting his head as the two jumped towards the rooftops.

* * *

Marin transformed back, walked to where he was before and sighed in relief as he spotted a familiar face standing nearby. "Nonna!" He called out, running towards his grandmother who immediately hugged him tightly.

"Ohh, mio picolo principe, are you okay? You didn't get hurt?" She asked in concern as Marin shook his head.

"I'm completely fine Nonna." He said as he noticed Adrien out of the corner of his eyes, walking towards them as Marin saw his bodyguard's car was parked nearby. He saw her previously warm demeanor turn sour at the sighed of his bodyguard. However, Marin gripped her hand, smiling up at her sweetly as she could tell what he was doing. She sighed in defeat, kissing his face a few more times as he walked towards Adrien, gripping the strap on his bag.

"Crazy what happened earlier, right?" Adrien chuckled at Marin nodded in agreement.

"I'm very sorry for my Grandmother's behavior sir, would you mind accepting this box of Macaroons as part of my apology?" He asked holding out the box as the bodyguard accepted it, his eyes lighting up as he saw the contents inside.

"Is that really okay? I thought you have to pass them out for your parents."

"It's fine," Mairin reassured. "They would've been tossed if I brought them home." He said as his grandmother walked up, placing her hands on Marin's shoulder as she smiled brightly.

"Mio picolo principe, is this one of your little boyfriends?" Gine said without remorse as both Adrien and Marin blushed slightly.

"Nonna-" Marin complained.

"Your other little girlfriends and boyfriends are adorable as well, but not as handsome as this one." She continued to say as Marin sighed while Adrien looked on in confusion.

"She means Nino and Alya." Marin explained as Adrien sighed in relief.

"Of course." He held out his hand, "It's a pleasure ma'am, my name is Adrien Agreste." He said, shaking her hand.

"And so well mannered as well." Gina complimented.

"Yes well, I'm sure that they need to leave now, we're holding them up Nonna." Marin insisted as his grandmother pouted that her grandson was ruining her fun, but complied.

"It was very nice to meet you. Adrien remarked as Marin had to drag his grandma away as she wanted to chat more. "See you at school tomorrow!" He called out as Marin waved back towards him. He then put his attention towards his bodyguard who was already eating the cookies. Licking his lips as a few of the cookies has jam within the icing.

Never once had Adrien thought he'd be envious of his bodyguard.

* * *

Gina sat down next to Marin upon the stairs that overlooked the Eiffle tower, handing him a lollipop she bought for him as a snack. They both had worked hard to distribute the cookies all morning, but even if they were done, Marin still felt a weight on his shoulders.

"Have you talked to gramps yet?" He suddenly asked as Gina froze for a moment, looking unsure of herself.

She sighed, rewrapping the lollipop having lost her appetite. "I promise I tried. But you know how your grandfather can be, cooping himself away when he feels down."

Marin gripped the lollipop stick in his hand, wanting to retort that his grandfather "felt down" for almost all a decade of their lives, but held himself back. "Dad was upset too you know."

"I know," Gina nodded. "I called a few times, but, it was hard. Being away from the family for so long, at some point, I couldn't do it anymore. Even writing letters was hard."

"You could have visited, I know Mama wanted to see you as well." He mumbled, gnawing on his candy.

Gina gave him a wry smile her expression softening, "You don't have to forgive me mio picolo principe."

"I wasn't mad nonna, just... a little upset." He admitted, he was probably mad, but his emotions were hard to place. He didn't want to be mad at her, it wasn't her fault he knew that. Maybe the entire thing was little over his head...or maybe that's just want he wanted himself to believe. "You were there, then you were gone, then gramps was gone, then dad was gone for a while. Thank goodness for mom though." Marin suddenly said wanting to drop the topic that made his heart hurt, saying his last sentence with a lighter tone.

"Yes, your mother is the rock of the family." Gina chuckled. "You're so much like her."

"Really? She says I'm like dad." Marin pointed out as Giana pulled him into a hug as Marin bit down on his candy.

Gina hummed for a moment, "You have their best traits, but, and don't tell your papa, but I prefer your treats to his."

"Yeah, he does too." Marin nodded as a small smile grew on his face as he allowed himself to rest in her arms for a little while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- More Gina coming soon, I just wanted to add some heart stuff to make up for the whole girl mission impossible task  
\- Marin is soft-hearted for little kiddies, that's just how he was raised  
-Adrien's bodyguard is one of my favorite characters, I need his name asap


	34. I am Vengence, I am The Night, I, am Dark Owl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ladybug is not getting sleep, and has to deal with his principal thinking he's a super hero.

"Uh-oh! Whiskers! Stay calm! Come on now-OW!" yelped out as he was trying to save a kitten, losing his footing on the tree as Ladybug saved him while Chat Noir used his staff to save the kitten. Meanwhile, a new truck arrived along with the fire department.

"Mr. Damo..."Ladybug stopped himself for a moment, "um, Owl! This is the fifth time this week we come to your rescue." He chided as Chat Noir walked up with the kitten in his arms.

"You're really going to get hurt one of these days. At least wear a helmet." Chat Noir added.

"But you two don't wear helmets." Mr. Damocles argued.

Ladybug sighed heavily, raising the cord of his yo-yo to gently place Mr. Damocles on the ground. "Mr. Owl, we've told you already. It's not the same for us, we're responsible for all Akuma attacks, anything else outside that is just us trying to help out where we can." Ladybug explained.

"Plus you know, we have superpowers and magic suits." Chat Noir added as he handed the kitten back to the owner.

"I know. " Mr. Damocles say. "But since I was a little boy, I only ever dreamed of becoming a real superhero!" He said as a reporter walked up towards them with a microphone.

"Mr. Owl," The reporter asked, "Do you believe that you a new hero for the citizens of Paris?"

Mr. Damocoles cleared his throat. "Thanks to some advice from my good friends Ladybug and Chat Noir, I am certain I will do better next time!" Both Chat Noir and Ladybug slapped their foreheads. "I will be reviewing my weaponry and engaging in training. Because wherever there's injustice, there's The Owl!" He proclaimed, taking out a bag of flour, shaking it rapidly to create a white cloud. "Owl Mist!" But he then ran towards the streets into oncoming traffic.

"Any comments, Ladybug and Chat Noir?" The reporter asked as the camera's pointed towards them. Chat Noir turned towards Ladybug in surprised as he spoke up.

" ...means well. But to all the children of Paris, you mustn't try to copy us or him. What Chat Noir and I do is very dangerous."

Chat Noir dusted the flour off of his suit. "Ladybug's right. So, don't try this at home. Okay, kids?" Chat Noir added as the two of them then abruptly left as more reporters showed up.

* * *

"The principal Mr. Damocles has a good heart, but this is bound to end badly." Chat Noir said from the rooftops, leaning against a chimney as Ladybug sat atop the edge crossing his legs.

Ladybug rested his head on his hands. "We can't spend all our time watching out for him. If I miss anymore sleep, I am going to go crazy."

Chat Noir stared at his partner for a moment, wondering if he was brave enough to make fun of him. But he decided against it, treasuring his own life. "Perhaps we should convince him to stop trying to be a superhero by... scaring him, for example?"

Ladybug groaned into his hands. "It's too early for this." He grumbled taking out his yo-yo.

"Wait, where are you going?" Chat Noir asked.

"The best solution is usually the simplest one." Ladybug said throwing his yo-yo towards a building across the street.

"You want back up?" Chat Noir asked, but Ladybug was already gone.

* * *

Within the evening Mr. Damocles returned to his office, messing around with something on his computer, but looking annoyed as he was trying to activate something with voice recognition to little success.

"Please repeat. I was unable to understand." The automatic computer voice said.

"Hoo-ho-" Mr. Damocles tried again but was cut off by Ladybug jumping into his office, he was shocked, standing up. "Ladybug?! What are you doing in my- I mean, this principal's office?!"

Ladybug crossed his arms. " Mr. Damocles, you don't have to pretend."

The principal scoffed, clearly off-balanced by his identity being revealed. "Psh- Mr. Damocles? I don't know such a man!" He insisted as Ladybug looked at him before picking up the nameplate on his desk, showing it to him.

"Ah- that's...uh." finally faltered. "Fine, so you've discovered my secret identity."

"...right. You need to stop this pretending to be a superhero, it's dangerous for you to be doing tasks you're not trained for."

"Pretending?!" "I'll have you know, I've been preparing for this my whole like. I'm living up to almost every ideal of the great, Dark Owl."

Ladybug sighed heavily, very tired, pinching the bridge of his nose, "Mr. Damocles, there's a difference between reality and the comic book heroes you're fantasizing about being like. You need to stop acting so childish." Ladybug said bluntly placing the nameplate back on the table. " as Mr. Damocles hung his head rather shamefully, only hearing the negatives of that Ladybug was saying.

* * *

Marin sighed heavily, exhausted from the day. He walked up the stairs as Tikki flew out, turning on the tv as he climbed up towards his bed. For a brief moment, a smiled as he was about to crash onto it. Then he hears a breaking news announcement.

"Citizens of Paris, listen to me very carefully!" A new villain announced as the screen showed a bus dangling over a single kitten. "With just one slight movement, I can release a rope holding onto a city bus and all the animals inside will crash down upon this poor helpless little kitten!" He laughed like a maniac as Marin froze in place. "And if anyone should be 'tempt to come and save the animals, beware! It is all rig! Liquid nitrogen will automatically douse the feet of the Eiffel Tower, freezing them to -700 degree, and making them more fragile than glass! They will collapse! And the bus will flatten our cute kitten friend!"

Tikki could feel a malicious force behind her as Marin had to move away from his bed. He had been taking power naps throughout the day to compensate for the shenanigans of "Mr. Owl", but the lack of sleep was taking it's toll.

"Ladybug, Chat Noir the only way you can save these sweet animals is to come and hand your Miraculouses over to me! And you only have 10 minutes! Follow the Owl-Signal!"

The Kwami turned to see her partner holding his face in his hand. Slowly raising his head as he looked about ready to destroy anyone that even touched him. "Tikki." He said calmly as his Kwami looked up at him curiously.

"We're ending this tonight. One way or another." Marin said grabbing his messenger bag.

* * *

Atop the roofs, Chat Noir noticed the signal originating from the stadium.

"That principal sure is holding a grudge." He remarked, looking around for his partner, who was nowhere in sight. He hoped that the absence of his partner was just one of Ladybug's elaborate plans, but even so, the villain had to be dealt with. Chat Noir jumped down into the stadium, looking around for a moment as he called out.

"Hoo-hoo! Mr. Damocles?"

Suddenly a large light blinded him for a moment as the villain revealed himself. " I am not Mr. Damocles! I am the Dark Owl!"

Chat Noir walked towards him. "Why don't we talk about this for a moment? After all, we're both heroes..."

Dark Owl narrowed his eyes, "Where is Ladybug?"

"I don't control him, we're a modern couple in that sense." Chat Noir joked but secretly wanted his partner to show up as soon as possible.

"Then you can be the first to place your Miraculous in the box located in the middle of the stadium or-" All of a sudden, Dark Owl dropped the detonator, turning back to normal as Chat Noir was uncertain of how to properly react. He took out his staff, immediately dialing Ladybug.

"Hey- so. Did you do something?" He asked as he kept an eye on looking around in confusion.

Ladybug sounded almost angry, yet calm. "I dealt with the akuma, you deal with the principal. I am going to bed, good-bye."

He hung up rather curtly as Chat Noir shrugged his shoulders, walking over to the principal.

"Where am I?" Mr. Damocles asked in confusion as Chat Noir knelt by him.

"You turned into a villain for a moment, but Ladybug saved you." He explained seeing Mr. Damocles's sullen expression. Chat Noir smiled at him. "So what did he say?"

"Huh?" Mr. Damocles lifted his head up in surprise before sighing. "I was ashamed, jumping around like a fool."

"So-" Chat Noir was about to comfort him, but all of a sudden Mr. Damocles jumped to his feet. "I should become the hero the people need!"

"Uh...that's the spirit?" Chat Noir remarked supportively.

* * *

For the new few days "Mr. Owl" stayed true to his word, even getting on the news as he was gaining more appreciation from the people. Chat Noir jumped over the rooftops, spotting his partner nearby.

"Hello." Chat Noir greeted as Ladybug looked towards him in surprise.

"What are you doing here?"

"I thought I'd spend more time with you." He said with a smile, folding his hand behind his back with a witty smile. "You know, go on patrol more often."

Ladybug smiled at him, stretching for a moment, "You sure you can keep up?"

"Psh-" Chat Noir scoffed, "I was born ready." He said. "So, what happened with the Dark Owl thing?" he asked as they both overlooked the new hero taking a photo with a few of their classmates.

Ladybug rubbed the back of his head. "It wasn't my best moment, being a little harsh like that." He admitted, "but earlier when I went to see Mr. Damocles I noticed that he was attached to his desktop. And when I saw that "threat" I asked Tikki to check it out first since Kwami's don't show up on camera. Once I was sure his threat wasn't legit, I went directly to his office, which wasn't protected so it was easy to destroy the desktop."

Chat Noir nodded, processing what his partner just said. "Wait, so what were you going to tell me any of this?" Chat Noir asked as Ladybug flashed him a sheepish smile, clapping his hands together apologetically.

"Sorry, I just wanted to get it over with." He said, looking guilty as Chat Noir wasn't sure if he should have felt insulted or not. But then again...

Chat Noir rested his head behind his head, smiling in amusement. "I guess I'll be able to forgive you, on one condition."

"Yeah?" Ladybug questioned with slight suspicion, uncertain of what his partner was going to ask.

"I get an I.O.U, to be used on whatever I what, whenever I want. Also, it never expires."

"Within reason."

"Fine."

"Deal." Ladybug nodded as the two bumped fists before jumping onto the rooftops of Paris. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- Sorry this chapter is shorter, hopefully the next two chapters will make up for it ;)


	35. Sapo-three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alya's sisters get Akumatized resulting in an army of little monsters that could easily outnumber them. So Ladybug takes the steps needed to secure some extra help.

Marin placed the fox Miraculous necklace around his neck as a small fox Kwami appeared before him in an orange ball of light. He couldn't help but smile as the small Kwami looked around curiously before his gaze rested on him.

"Hello! I am Trixx!" The fox Kwami greeted as Tikki and Wayzz hovered nearby within Master Fu's shop. "Who are you?"

"I'm-"

"No names." Master Fu said as he poured the tea.

"Ladybug." Marin finished as he could see Trixx's eyes light up.

"Wow! So you're the new Ladybug? How rare, Tikki has never been given a male partner before." The Kwami remarked as Tikki hovered forward.

"He's my favorite Ladybug yet!" She said happily, "He bakes me all these tasty treats whenever I want, and gets any books I ask for!"

"From the Library." Marin clarified as he poked his Kwami playfully.

"Master, can I have a partner that will give me treats too!" Trixx said hovering before Master Fu who set the tea tray down on the table.

"Trixx, you know that no more Miraculous can go into circulation." He reminded as Trixx lowered his ears. He only perked up as Marin nuzzled his face with his hand, feeling the fox Kwami's soft fur.

"I can bring you whatever treats you want Trixx." Marin reassured as the Kwami's eyes lit up.

"Really?! Can I have cheese and fruits?!" He asked expectantly.

"Only if Master Fu says it's alright," Marin said as Trixx turned towards him, widening his violet eyes pleadingly.

"Pleasssseeee Master? I promise I'll share!" Trixx insisted adorably as the Master sipped his tea.

"We will see. Now," Master Fu said turning towards Marin as the Kwami sat on the table. "Trixx is the Kwami of illusions. Though his power is great and can deceive even modern technology, one physical touch will disperse the image."

"Like Lila's akumatized form did..." Marin recalled as Master Fu nodded.

"True, even though Hawkmoth's power is great, and can replicate many abilities. At the end of the day it is but a shadow in comparison to the original."

"I don't know master," Marin said feeding Tikki a cookie while Wayzz and Trixx dug into the other snacks placed on the table. "From what I've seen, mine, Chat Noir's, and even Trixx's powers could all be replicated under the right circumstances, maybe even stronger than the original..."

"People's emotions can change like the wind, and once the Akuma is removed, it would be difficult to recreate the same form unless it was under the proper circumstances. The power of Nooroo, of Transmission, is one that can be a great asset but also a grave threat within the hands of one who has mastered it." Master Fu informed. "I have no doubt that Hawkmoth has spent these years honing his strength one way or another."

"Well, what about the peacock Miraculous? What could it do?" Marin asked curiously.

Master Fu, placed his tea down, closing his eyes for a moment as he seemed troubled for a moment. "The Kwami of the Peacock is Duusu, the Kwami of emotions. The power of that Miraculous in particular is similar to that of Hawkmoths. With his power, Duusu can create sentient monsters from strong emotions within items that are of great emotional importance."

"All that power..." Marin murmured.

"However," The master suddenly said, "we are getting far off-topic." He said with a playful smile. "I believe the lesson today was learning about the fox Miraculous?"

Marin chuckled, "Sorry master. Please, continue." He asked as Trixx sat on Marin's shoulder, curling up into a ball as Tikki and Wayzz chose to nap within the empty snack bowl.

* * *

After his lessons, Marin went straight to Alya's house with a smile on his face and a box of treats. He smiled as Alya opened the door, already in her pajamas as night had fallen. "Don't you think you're a little overdressed for this?" Alya asked playfully as Marin walked in. Taking his shoes off and placing the white box on the table.

"I'll change in a bit." Marin said as he thought he saw something run past him. Next thing he knew the box was gone for the few seconds he had turned around. "Huh?" He questioned as he and Alya looked behind the kitchen island. Seeing her younger twin sisters gorging on the pastries inside.

"Please tell me there was no sugar in there." Alya asked with a hint of fear in her voice.

"No of course not, could you imagine?" Marin said, "It's just croissants, and a few cheese danishes I tried my hand at; how do they taste?" He asked with a smile as Ella and Etta looked up at him with crumbs on their faces.

"GOOD!" They said in unison.

Alya then clapped her hands, "All right, come on, bedtime, you little monsters! That's enough mischief for one day!" She said then holding her sister's hands as she put them into their bedroom.

"It's not us! It's the Sapotis!" Her sisters said.

"Marin you can change in the bathroom, I have to put these little monster's to bed."

"Sure." Marin nodded as he put the box back on the table. He looked inside and was surprised that almost all the baked goods were gone. "I think you've got some hungry little monsters on your hands." He called out as Alya laughed.

"Yup, they'll never stop!" She called out as Marin walked into the restroom.

"Those two seem like they're a handful," Tikki commented as Marin folded his jacket away, starting to unbutton his shirt.

"Alya can handle them." Marin reassured as he put on his pink pajama pants with black trim and his signature flower design that he had embroidered himself. Along with the black tank top he always wore under his shirt. "Hm." He hummed to himself, looking for something else within his bag.

"What's wrong?" Tikki asked.

" I think I forgot my jacket..." He said placing his neatly folded clothes into his bag. "Ah well, I can just borrow a jacket."

"I don't think it's going to be that chilly tonight," Tikki said.

"Probably not, it's just a comfort thing, like how you like to sleep with that little blanket I knitted for you." He said as Tikki flew into his bag. When he walked out Alya had already placed a bottle of orange juice on the table.

"Could you get the melon's out of the fridge?" She asked as Marin nodded. Setting his bag on the table he immediately spotted the fruit, taking it out as Alya suddenly popped in front of him. "Now that we're all alone I can finally tell you." She said as she pulled out her phone.

"That you love me?" Marin asked as Alya smirked.

"Always and forever cutie pie, not no." She said. "Apparently Ladybug has been around at least since the pharaohs. But no way can the Ladybug we know can be five thousand years old! So, I downloaded a great app that analyzed some recordings I had of him talking. Based on the frequencies of her voice, it turns out he's around our age!"

Marin froze for a moment. "Uh, but wasn't Ladybug a goddess of sorts?" He said trying to veer away from the topic of himself, then noticed two shapes running around. "Uh, Alya? The orange juice?" Marin pointed out as they both heard Ella and Etta giggling. Alya walked over to the sofa, groaning as she saw the entire bottle was empty.

"Crap, they're going to be hyper all night."

"It's not us! It's the Sapotis!" Ella and Etta said in unison as Marin placed the try down on the coffee table.

"How are you going to get them to sleep now?" He asked as Alya sighed.

"Okay you two." She said placing her hands on her hips. "You can stay up with the big kids." The twins cheered for that. "Or go to the super-fun amusement park tomorrow."

They immediately decided on the latter as Alya guided them back to their rooms. Marin walked over to the DVDs lain out, looking through them as Alya closed the door behind her. "What was I saying again?" She tried to remember.

"Uh, you know... " Marin stumbled over his words. "Your, sister Nora?-"

"Oh, yeah! Ladybug!" Alya then remembered as Marin grimaced. "Putting the past Ladybug aside for a sec. I think this dude is totally in high school. So to figure out who he really is, all we need to do is to find someone our age who's always late to—"

"Personally-" Marin interrupted. "Hero identities are so...lame?" Marin said as Alya looked at him like he was crazy.

"What's crazy about hero identities?"

"Well you know what they say, you should never meet your heroes..." Marin chuckled as the two heard giggling once more. Marin and Alya then gasped in surprise as they heard a familiar giggling. As they turned around the two pieces of cantaloupe had been gobbled down.

"That cannot be good for digestion," Marin commented as he took the plate and cups while Alya angrily yelled at her sisters.

"All right, that's enough! Get out of bed one more time and no one will going to the amusement park tomorrow!"

"It's not us! It's the Sapotis!" The twins laughed as they only served to make Alya even madder.

"This is your last warning! No...joke!" She warned closing the door behind her. She groaned before walking over to Marin who was rinsing the dishwear. "What were you saying about her secret identities?" She asked as Marin turned off the water.

"You know, what happened if you find out the identity of Ladybug, and he's not...you know really the hero type?"

"What kind of question is that?" She asked curiously as Marin rested against the counter behind him, averting his gaze.

"I'm just saying, everyone thinks of Ladybug like some kinda hero. When he and Chat Noir just do what needs to be done. Besides, finding out their identity like that? It'll cause more trouble than good, he and Chat Noir probably have family and loved ones to protect."

Just as Alya was about to respond, they both heard the tv turn on, seeing that the twins had escaped again and were putting on a movie. Marin took a step back as Alya looked like she snapped.

"That's it!" She said growling angrily.

"It's not us!" Ella and Etta said, laughing at their big sister. "It's the—" They were about to say but then Alya forcibly carried them away, putting them into their beds. "Come on, Alya! We won't do it again!"

"Yeah? Well, it's too late!" Alya said as Marin sat down on the sofa, overhearing more yelling, and then crying, and then a door shutting as a fumed Alya crashed down next to him. Her arms were crossed for a moment before she too a deep breath, then glancing at Marin again.

"For the record, if I knew who Ladybug really was, I'd keep it a secret. Heck, I would even help him out! Like say, if you were Ladybug, I'd cover for you — when you needed to transform in school, go fight the "baddies", you know?"

Marin smiled at her, "Really? You think I could be Ladybug? Oh, you flatter me." He said playfully

"If I was Ladybug, I'd totally tell you! Because I tell my best friend everything." Alya remarked, hugging him as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"So spill the beans. Are you actually Ladybug?" Marin asked suspiciously. "Trying to uncover his identity would be a good cover." He remarked as they both laughed.

"Right. Like I'm telling you. Nuh-uh-" She said as they both heard a crash from the twin's room.

"Ugh! That's it! I've totally had it with these kids!" Alya growled, marching towards her sister's room, "Don't even think about blaming this on-" Alya then screamed as two monsters jumped out of their room at great speed. Destroying and eating everything in sight.

"What the-" Marin asked as he noticed them eating the pastries he bought out of the box. Multiplying rapidly as she searched for more food, wrecking more of the room in the process, making a huge mess of the room.

"Marin, the window! We can't let them out!" Alya called out as Marin tried to close the porch door. But he was knocked down by the horde of little monsters jumping onto the street and causing a panic. "Marin, take care of these two! We've gotta bring them back!" Alya called out as there were still two handing around the kitchen as she grabbed her shoes to run out the front door. But as soon as she did that the remaining tow jumped out into the streets as well.

Marin looked out onto the mayhem as Tikki flew towards him.

"Well, this went from zero to a hundred really fast." Tikki remarked as Marin glanced at his Kwami.

"Tikki, spots on!"

* * *

"These miniature monsters seem to be attacking more and more people throughout Paris!" Nadja announced on the new just as she was attacked by the two little red monsters.

Adrien gasped in surprise, turning off the tv within his room. "I think we better take care of this, Plagg. Plagg?" Adrien looked behind him, seeing Plagg hoarding all his cheese within one cupboard. "What are you doing?"

"The safety of my brie comes first thank you very much!" He said, then put a lock on it as he secured his more prized possession.

A laugh escaped as Adrien stood up. "Plagg, claws out!

* * *

Chat Noir landed on the streets, attacking the little monsters, as he noticed Ladybug was destroying their hats using his yo-yo. "How'd you know to destroy the monster's hat?" He asked.

"I...uh... Trial and error." Ladybug said as he threw his yo-yo removing more hats, one by one they destroyed the Sabotis they belonged to.

"But no akuma's been released."

"It's because almost all of these Sapotis are clones, we need to find the original." Ladybug said.

"The original?" Chat Noir questioned, "That'll take forever."

"Good thing you're no quitter." Ladybug remarked with a wink as he jumped towards a horde of Sapotis as Chat Noir followed in pursuit.

* * *

"There's no end to these things!" Chat Noir remarked as they were surrounded by more and more Sapotis forming rapidly, surrounding the two heroes atop a bridge back to back.

Ladybug narrowed his eyes, throwing up his yo-yo, "Lucky Charm." He called out, and was surprised when a familiar-looking teapot fell into his hands.

"A teapot?" Chat Noir asked as he was barely keeping the Sapotis at bay from overwhelming them. He was taken off guard as a smile was drawn on Ladybug's face.

"Can you hold your own for a little while?" He asked.

"Can Ladybug's fly?" Chat Noir responded as he destroyed a few more. "Wait, what are you doing?"

"Let's just say we're turning our duo into a trio." He said, jumping off the bridge Chat Noir took a double-take.

"Wait what?!" He called out just as a few Sapotis jumped on him.

* * *

Ladybug landed behind a tree, transforming back as he walked into the Massage parlor. He knocked on the door as Tikki flew out.

"It's open." The master called out.

Marin pushed the door in, "Hello, Master Fu."

Master Fu nodded as Wayzz flew out. "Good evening Marinus."

"Marinus?" Wayzz questioned, "You're not supposed to come here without letting us know first." He said in concern.

"Let him talk, Wayzz." Master Fu said as Marin sat down before them.

"Master, I used my Lucky Charm, but, I think it was a hint which was telling me to come here."

Master Fu nodded. "I see. Marinus, I taught you all about the Miraculous and their powers. You know that yours works in a very mysterious way. I think it's trying to tell us that you need help this time." He said standing up as Wayzz hovered nearby as his partner took out the Miraculous box from the gramophone. He hesitated for a moment. "I don't know if it's safe. I already took an enormous risk by putting two Miraculous into circulation..."

"Master, I will trust your judgment," Marin said sincerely as Master Fu nodded. He removed the Miraculous box from the device, opening it before him.

"Marinus Dupain-Cheung, choose an ally you can trust to fight alongside you in this mission. Once the mission is over, you must retrieve the Miraculous from them and bring it back to me. Until we've unlocked all the secrets of the spellbook, it's too dangerous to allow any more Miraculous to be out in the open for very long."

Marin nodded, knowing what he needed immediately, picking up the Fox Miraculous.

"Do you have an ally in mind?" Master Fu asked as he handed Marin the same box that once held Tikki's Miraculous.

"Yes, Master. I know just the right person, someone I can trust. "

* * *

"Listen! We can renegotiate the amusement park idea if you want, 'kay? But first, I need you to chill out and come back home with me!" Alya called out to a bunch of Sapotis on the carousel in the park. She suddenly was surprised as they were all destroyed, just at Ladybug landed before her. Her eyes lit up as soon as she saw him, "Ladybug! My sisters have been akumatized! I need to find them and bring them back home!"

Ladybug nodded, turning towards her. "There's a way for you to find your sisters. But we're gonna need your help, are you interested?" He asked.

Alya smiled excitedly, as though it were Christmas morning. "Me? Help my favorite heroes? You bet I am! Just hold on one sec, I have to let my friend know where I am." She said pulling out her phone, but Ladybug placed a hand over it.

"This mission is top secret, not a word to your friends or on the Ladyblog, understand?" He asked.

Alya's expression turned more serious, placing her phone away. " Right, understood."

Ladybug held out the small box towards her as she stared at it in amazement. "Alya Césaire, this is the Miraculous of the Fox, which grants the power of illusion. You will use it for the greater good and once the mission is over, you will return the Miraculous to me. Can I trust you?"

Alya nodded eagerly. "Totally, Ladybug."

His best friend's word was enough for him as Ladybug placed the box into Alya's hand. As she opened it, an orange light flew around her energetically. "Wha? What is that thing?!" She asked as the orange light manifested as Trixx.

"I am not a thing. My name is Trixx, and I'm your Kwami!" He said happily as he noticed Ladybug, his eyes lighting up for a moment as he nuzzled his friend on his cheek.

"My kwami? I know! You're what gives superheroes their superpowers, right?" Alya asked.

"Ooo, not bad." Trixx remarked as Ladybug rubbed the Kwami's belly.

"She's a specialist when it comes to this kinda stuff."

"This is so amazing!" Alya remarked taking a closer look at Trixx before turning back to Ladybug. "By the way, how old are you? Do you have any idea of Chat Noir's true identity? There's no way—"

"Stay focused, Alya." Ladybug reminded as Alya regained focus.

"Right, sorry Ladybug." She said putting on the necklace.

"All you just need to say one thing: "Trixx, let's pounce!" " Trixx said as Alya nodded in understanding.

"Trixx, let's pounce!" She said and was transformed into a new hero.

"Ohhhhhh this is so awesome!" Alya said happily as Ladybug pulled out his yo-yo.

"Come on; I'll explain the rest to you on the way."

"Wait, how am I suppose to kept up?" Alya asked.

"The Fox Miraculous enhances your strength, more so than Chat Noir or me. Just jump up and follow my lead." He explained jumping onto the roofs, slowing his pace as Alya had a bright smile on his face.

* * *

Meanwhile, while Chat Noir held his own, the number of Sapotis was rising too fast, and a few of them jumped on him, pinning him to the ground as they were about to remove his Miraculous. All of a sudden, the weight on his back was removed, as he noticed almost all the Sapotis were destroyed around him as his partner returned.

"What took you so long-" He was about to say, but was shocked by the new person standing right next to him. A young lady with a fox themed outfit holding a flute in her hands. She looked towards Ladybug with an excited expression.

"This is so insane! I've got powers and I'm fighting supervillains!" She said as Ladybug smiled at her, the sight made him feel..off-balance to say the least.

"Whoa! Who's this superhero friend of yours? No offense, but I thought I was the only one!" He remarked as he noticed Ladybug placed a hand on the girl's shoulder.

"Chat Noir, this is a friend of mine, she'll be helping us out." Ladybug introduced as Chat Noir stepped forward, taking the young woman's hand in his.

"Please to make your acquaintance, miss..."

"Uh...Rouge! Yeah, my name is Rena Rouge!" Rena Rouge said as Chat Noir kissed her hand.

"Well, sneaky fox, think you'll be as sneaky as a cat?" He asked with a playful smile.

"I don't know." Rena Rouge remarked. "Should we take bets?" She asked as she rang his bell, much to his amusement.

"Your friend seems pretty good." Chat Noir complimented.

Ladybug nodded. "Now introductions are done, it's time to get to work." He said taking out his yo-yo with a smirk on his face.

* * *

"Rakes? Unicycle wheel? Traffic cone? Tape? Trash can! Do you always make it this complicated when you're saving Paris?" Rena Rouge asked as she assembled all the items together as per previous instruction just before Ladybug jumped off the roof with a traffic cone.

"Lesson one, trust your partners Rena Rouge. " Chat Noir said as he and Rena Rouge transported the items Ladybug had gathered. He and Ladybug were in contact as Chat Noir overheard him attracting the attention of all the Sapotis. "All right, Rena Rouge! Time to use your power!"

Rena Rouge looked uncertain as she took out her flute. "I've never done this before, what do I do?"

Ladybug informed Chat what he needed to know, as Chat Noir nodded. "Just think of the illusion you want to create. Stay focused!" He said supportively as Rena Rouge took a deep breath.

She played a few notes as an orange ball of light formed. Rena Rouge then swung her flute, sending the ball of light flying. "Mirage!" She called out, creating a replica of the amusement park. The new hero looked up in amazement. "I did it!" She said proudly until her necklace started to beep. " My necklace is flashing. Um, that means I'm gonna change back soon, right?"

"Yeah. But it's okay if I see who you are. I can keep a secret." Chat Noir remarked playfully as Rena Rouge flashed him a coy smile.

"Nice try kitty. You know very well that our identities must remain secret."

Chat Noir smirked, "Good job. You're a fast learner. Welcome to the team, if you need any superhero tips, you know where to come."

The two high-fived, "Same goes for you." Rena Rouge said. "So...are you and Ladybug and item?" She asked just as Chat Noir heard Ladybug's voice in his microphone.

"Phase two, Chat Noir! Now!"

Chat Noir and Rena Rouge looked down into the alley noticing Ladybug guiding the small monsters down the alley.

"All the Sapotis are in the alley! Phase three!" Chat Noir called out as Rena Rouge handed him the device.

"Is this really gonna work?"

"Oh, don't worry. Sometimes it's even more absurd than this!" Chat Noir remarked as he dropped the wheel into the alley, securing it with his staff. "Your turn, my Lady!"

Ladybug used his yo-yo to spin the wheel, using his yo-yo to spin the wheel, sending all the hat's flying into the garbage bin above, held by Rena Rouge and Chat Noir.

"Cataclysm!" Chat Noir called out, using his power to destroy all the hats, releasing the Akuma.

"No more mischief from you little Akuma. Time to purify!" Ladybug said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion. Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. "Bye-bye, little butterfly. Miraculous Ladybug!" Ladybug called out, throwing up the lucky charm as everything turned back to normal.

The three of them pounded their fists together just as Rena Rouge was about to jump down towards her sisters.

"Ett—!" Rena Rouge was about to say just as Ladybug placed his hand on her shoulder.

"We need to go." He said as Rena Rouge's Miraculous started to beep.

"Hm?" Chat Noir questioned. "You two got a date I don't know about?"

"I'll explain later Chat Noir." Ladybug promised. "Would you mind taking these two girls home?"

"No problem, looking forward to fighting villains with you again, Rena Rouge!" Chat Noir said as Rena Rouge waved back from atop the building, then turning towards the two children. "Okay, who's gonna tell me where you live?" He asked recognizing Alya's sisters.

"I will!" Ella and Etta spoke simultaneously as they jumped on the hero.

* * *

Ladybug and Rena Rouge landed just behind her apartment building as she transformed back.

"That was unreal!" Alya said as Trixx appeared before her, resting on Ladybug's hands, tired from his long day.

"You've really helped us a lot. Thank you, Alya." Ladybug said gratefully.

"Uh..." Alya hesitated for a moment. "You know, if I held onto it, I could help you again."

Ladybug's expression softened. "Ms. Césaire, you made a promise." he reminded as his Miraculous beeped.

"Oh please, Ladybug?! We'd make a great team! I could help Chat Noir and you every day!"

Ladybug sighed, realizing that he was running out of time. He stepped into the building, leaving the door opened slightly. "There's a reason why Chat Noir and I are the only heroes fighting against Hawkmoth. But there was an exception made because I know I can trust you." Ladybug said as he detransformed.

Alya faltered for a moment, holding the Miraculous in her hand as Trixx then flew out, looking tired, but had a smile on his face. "You're absolutely right, Alya. I'm sure the three of you would make quite the team! You have all the makings of a true superhero. You're strong, brave; but most of all, you're trustworthy. I'd be very happy to work alongside you!"

Marin hesitated as Tikki rested on his arm. Without his messenger bag, he couldn't feed his Kwami yet. But noticed the box that he had given Alya earlier, smiling as pride swelled in his chest.

* * *

Back at his best friend's apartment after having returned the Miraculous, Marin walked into a hug as Alya embraced him.

"Marin! Are you okay?" She asked in concern.

"I'm fine. But are you okay? I was looking for you all over the city." He explained as she guided him towards the sofa, her eyes suddenly lighting up.

"Wait till you hear! Something crazy happened to me!"

"Really?" Marin asked wondering what she would way. "What happened?"

Alya faltered. "I...well...my battery died. Just in time when a new superhero appeared. Can you believe it? My brand new phone. Super letdown, huh?" She sighed, resting her head on his shoulder.

"I'm just glad you're safe. " Marin said sincerely as the two hugged, curling up together, wrapping a blanket over them as they turned on a movie.


	36. Get Your Paws Off Her, You Damn, Dirty, Gorizilla

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien wants to watch a movie so he sneaks out, but get's Marin caught up in his shenanigans as they begin to grow closer. 
> 
> They're just friends.

Adrien took a deep breath as he stepped into his father's office.

" Father, there's something I'd like to talk to you...about. Can I have a few minutes of your time?" He asked hesitantly.

Gabriel didn't tear his eyes from the screen. "Yes, of course."

Adrien's eyes lit up. " Really?"

" I'll tell Nathalie to let you know as soon as I'm available," Gabriel said

Adrien hopes were immediately diminished, "It'll be too late then." He murmured under his breath, rubbing his ring.

"Shouldn't you be practicing your piano?"

His father's voice snapped him out of his thought as he nodded. "Yes." Adrien said meekly, walking back to his room and locking it behind him.

"So we're staying inside today right?" Plagg asked as he opened his cheese cabinet.

"Heck no." Adrien responded opening his window. "We're getting to the movies, one way or another."

"But your father-" Plagg tried to argue.

"Isn't gonna find out." Adrien insisted jumping up to the window, then to the ground. "I'll be there and back in no time, he's not gonna even notice I'm gone."

* * *

Tikki hovered over her master as he was sleeping soundly, curled up under 3 blankets and half a dozen pillows. It was extremely cozy, perhaps too cozy, as he slept through his alarm. Tikki pokes his face a few times as she glanced at the clock, started to get worried.

* * *

Adrien walked casually through the streets keeping his head low as he didn't want to attract any attention.

"This would be much easier if you just decided to transform." Plagg remarked congratulations poking his head out of Adrien's shirt.

"I can't risk it Plagg,I'm not carrying any cheese for you right now." He said as he had forgotten to pocket some before his left. "We need to be ready if the city needs-"

"Adrien?! The Adrien Agreste?! This is awesome!" Someone, probably a fan shouted out.

Adrien laughed nervously as he took a step back, noticing people start to look in their direction, "Okay, bye. (tries to walk away, but Wayhem starts following him)

"The first time I saw you in that ad, I told myself, "Wayhem, I got to meet this guy. He's so cool!". What if I was, like, your biggest fan?" Wayhem said excitedly as he walked next to him. "Hey you mind if I snap a photo of the two of us for a keepsake?

"Yeah...sure." Adrien mumbles as his anxiety started to grow with more people glancing in their direction but then he stopped for a moment. "Wait what did you say-"

"Say "cheese"!" Way hen said. "Me-and-Adrien. This-is-the-best-day-of-my-life!" Wayhem said out loud uploading the photo.

"No! Don't post it up on…" Adrien immediately asked but then heard a ping."...the Internet." Adrien slapped hot forehead as everyone around them noticed him now. It probably didn't help that he was standing right next his own ad.

"Hold up! Could you autograph my cologne bottle of Adrien? And my life-size cutout?"

Adrien stared at him for a moment looking at the cardboard standee. "They only gave those to stores for promotional material, how did you get your hands on one?" He said but there wasn't time to unpack the implications. "Some other time, I've gotta get going!"

* * *

"Crap!" Marin said as he scrambled to pack his swim bag, then ran out of the house as Tikki followed.

"Marin, haven't you forgotten something?!" She called out, as Marin stopped for a moment.

"Oh! I forgot your comics and snacks, I'm sorry sugar cube." He said after looking through the bag. But his Kwami shook her head, pointing to him.

Marin looked down and froze as he realized he was still in his pajamas and slippers. " This is fine, all I have to do is walk back in, and-" he reasoned as Tikki suddenly hid, moments before someone crashed into him as they were turning the corner.

Marin opened his eyes and immediately his heart started to race as he realized who has crashed into him. "Adrien?" He questioned, as his best friend hovered close to his face for a few moments, his face slightly pink as he then lifted himself up, pulling Marin to his feet.

"You live near here right? Can I hide out at your place?" Adrien asked desperately, clapping his hands together.

Marin tried to process what he just said, "Hide out? What's going on-" he was about to ask as someone then called out.

"Adrien!" Someone called out as Adrien suddenly graded Marin's hand.

"Too late." he said as Marin read the room. He took Adrien's wrist in hand, dragging him into the empty park fountain as a horde of people ran past.

As soon as the coast was clear Adrien sighed in relief. "Thank you for saving me. People are going crazy over this ad." Adrien said gratefully.

Marin couldn't hold back his laughter. " Is that what this is about? That ad is hilarious." He said as Adrien stared him in confusion before a smile broke out on his face.

"I wouldn't talk about things being hilarious when you're dressed like that." He snipped as he noticed what Marin was wearing. His friend's face slightly reddened as he pulled his hood over his head. "Are those kitty ears?" He asked as he noticed Marin's hoodie was cat-themed even having a tail attached as well as a small bell on the zipper.

"Heh, we'll it's all good now! I'd better get going-" he was saying as Adrien pulled him back down. The two of them noticing Adrien's bodyguard driving past looking around. "Isn't that your bodyguard?"

Adrien nodded sheepishly, "I, uh, may have snuck out without permission. I'm supposed to be home right now and—" he said as someone took a photo behind them.

"Adrien and his girlfriend in the fountain!"

" Girlfriend?!" Marin question as Adrien dragged him off.

* * *

Adrien took a deep breath as they ran into the subway, "I'm so sorry I got you in this crazy mess, Marin. Plus, now everyone thinks you're my girlfriend!" He joked.

"Makes sense, I mean why would you be with a dude who is wearing a large hoodie and pink pajamas," Marin said slightly annoyed, but then saw the bright side. "At least no ones gonna know you're with me."

"Is that so bad?" Adrien questioned. "We're friends after all, and it's not like you have a phone that can be traced."

"No, I didn't that, being with you is, bad-" Marin said nervously as he stumbled over his words. "It's just..." He faltered for a moment as Adrien noticed Marin averting his gaze. "It doesn't matter. Anyway, do you think it's gonna be okay between you and your father, after going through so much trouble?"

Adrien smiled, taking something out of his back pocket. "How can anything bad happen...with my Marin lucky charm?" He asked as Marin blushed shyly, trying to hide his face under his hood as someone called out from across the platform.

" It's Adrien from the ad! There he is!"

The nest thing Marin knew, Adrien had grabbed his hand, running towards the exit, but they were blocked from both sides by a mob and by the horde of fans. All of a sudden, Adrien pushed him through the train doors just as they were about to close.

"Well that was eventful," Marin remarked as he and Adrien sat down.

"Sorry for putting you through this." Adrien apologized. "You can get off at the next stop."

"I can't leave you alone to be swarmed by fans." Marin shuddered at the thought of being surrounded by a large group of people. "But once we get off, we have to find a way to make sure you're not recognized," Marin said looking through his bag. He didn't have any spare clothes, just a towel, his wallet, and a pair of goggles, just... "Oh." He said as he removed his bag, then took off his hoodie, handing it to him. "Here."

"Huh?" Adrien questioned.

"If you wear it, then you can at least cover your face."

"What about you?" Adrien asked accepting the jacket, noticing Marin was just wearing a black tank top, especially since it was chilly in the subway.

"I'm fine." He said, but even so, he hugged his arms as the AC was always on blast within the subway.

"Then at least borrow my shirt." Adrien said without thinking, taking off his white shit." But, I doubt it's gonna...oh it fits." He said as Marin tried it on, taking notice of Marin's small frame for the first time. For someone who appeared as meek and timid most of the time, he was surprisingly toned, rather than just skinny like he previously assumed.

They chatted casually until their stop came. Adrien then grasped Marin's head as he guided towards a movie theatre near the edge of the city.

* * *

"Where did you get this cat hoodie anyway?" Adrien asked curiously as Marin's face ran red with embarrassment. They sat down together within the theater sharing a tub of popcorn between them.

"Promise you won't laugh?"

"Never." Adrien promised as Marin lifted his head, smiling through his embarrassment.

"I'm actually a huge fan of Chat Noir, so I kinda made a jacket based on this costume." He admitted with a scarlet red face.

Adrien was shaken to his core, trembling as he covered his own face turning red from pure happiness.

"Hey- you promised you wouldn't laugh!" Marin remarked as his ears turned red, thinking that his friend was holding back his laughter.

"It's not that." Adrien insisted. "You just said that you weren't really into superheroes."

"I'm not, I'm just grateful because he saved me a few times...besides, Chat Noir's pretty cool don't you think?" Marin asked sheepishly as a smile was plastered on Adrien's face.

"Yeah, I think he's very cool. But not as cool as Ladybug." He said, smiling knowingly.

"Ladybug's alright." Marin shrugged.

"Alright?! He's probably way cooler than Chat Noir!" Adrien retorted as the two were then shushed by the other people in the movie theater. "Actually," Adrien recalled, as his voice lowered to a whisper. "this is where I was heading when those crazed fans suddenly showed up. Thanks to you, my father won't find out."

" Wait. You aren't allowed to go to the movies?" Marin asked popping a kernel in his mouth.

"Oh, I can, with my bodyguard or Nathalie, of course. But I'm not sure my father would've allowed me to see this particular movie."

Marin suddenly froze in place, shrinking into his seat, "Oh no! Please don't tell me it's a horror movie! I hate horror movies."

Adrien chuckled, "No, no. Don't worry. It's a very rare movie that I've never been able to see. It's not on the Internet and my father's hidden the only DVD somewhere at home. See, my mother played the leading role."

Marin's eyes widened, "Wait you mean..." He murmured, his expression softening sadly. "Solitude right?" He asked as Adrien nodded.

"You know it?" He asked as Marin nodded. "It's only being shown once. Today, in this theater. I couldn't talk to my father about it, so I decided to sneak out, unnoticed."

Marin's expression softened as Adrien turned his face away to avoid being seen. " I don't think the "unnoticed" bit went too well, actually." He joked as Adrien laughed.

"Oh well." Adrien shrugged his shoulders. "At least I'll get to see it. Not to mention this is the first time I've ever come to the movies with a friend." He turned to the screen as his commercial started to play.

"Radiant. Carefree. Dreamy. Adrien... the fragrance."

Adrien overheard Marin trying to silence his giggled as he turned towards him curiously. "What?" He questioned as Marin shook his head, not wanting to be insensitive. "C'mon." Adrien prodded, jabbing his side with his elbow.

"It's just, you smell nothing like that perfume." He commented as Adrien looked at him in surprise.

"What?" He questioned.

"Yeah, you used to smell like camembert all the time before you covered it up," Marin remarked as Adrien looked away in embarrassment. "Oh but-" Marin then backtracked, "I don't mind, I actually like the smell." He said as Adrien looked at him disbelief.

"No way, Camembert is like, the stinkiest cheese. No one can stand it, not even me."

Marin thought for a moment, "It's like...you know how people think seafood is smelly? I was raised around it, so it smells nice and refreshing to me. It's like that with most cheese as well, my dad was an apprentice cheesemonger for a little while before he and my mom settled with the bakery."

Adrien sat back, relaxed for the first time in a long while, perhaps it was Marin himself. Always helping people improve their moods just by being himself. He was certainly a friend that he cherished strongly.

The theatre then darkened as the movie began. All of a sudden he was overcome with anxious energy as he saw a familiar silhouette was walking in the rain with an umbrella against a monotone film reel. He gripped the armrests tightly until he felt Marin's hand lay over his. His friend was smiling supportively at him as Adrien returned the gesture. Holding his hand as the woman in the movie was about to turn around.

Suddenly, something crashed through the ceiling as a new akumatized villain revealed himself.

"What is-" Marin questioned for a moment as Adrien pushed him out of the way just as he was grabbed by the giant monster. Marin stared for a moment then noticing the theatre was now empty as the people had run away. He opened his bag as Tikki flew out.

"Ready?" He asked as his Kwami nodded. "Tikki, spots on!"

* * *

Ladybug made his way towards the Montparnasse Tower as the...Gorizilla, of sorts, had Adrien in his grasp. The hero narrowed his eyes overlooking the situation and becoming slightly disheartened as he realized the odds were against him without Chat Noir. He took out his yo-yo dialing his partner but receiving no answer. "Chat Noir, where are you? I really need your help, fast! I'm at Montparnasse Tower!" He said as Ladybug scanned over the villain, not seeing any potential items that were possessed by and Akuma. He took a deep breath, focusing his mind, trying to hone his focus to maybe locate the item. But all he could tell was that the item was definitely on Gorizilla somewhere.

He took out the yo-yo having no time to waste as Adrien's life was probably at stake. "Lucky Charm!" He yelled out, as a toy helicopter landed in his hands. he took it out, holding the remote as he heard something.

"Watch out!" Adrien called out as Ladybug was grabbed by Gorizilla tightly with no hope of escape.

He struggled for a moment as he felt the remote still in his hand.

"I'm so sorry, Ladybug." Adrien apologized. "This is all my fault."

"Don't worry." Ladybug called back, trying to reassure his friend as he maneuvered the toy helicopter to attack Gorizilla, able to get himself released as the helicopter hit Gorizilla's eye. He dropped them both of them as he winced in pain holding his face as he began to thrash around angrily.

" Adrien!" Ladybug called out, "Head for the exit, I'll handle him!" He ordered as Ladybug took out his yo-yo. However, he didn't account for the weight of the beast as he shook the building. The ground under then started to shake as Adrien lost his footing. Time seemed to slow down as Ladybug watched as his friend fell to the ground below.

He didn't waste a second as he forgot all about Gorizilla, picking up the helicopter as he jumped off the building. He used the side of the building to give him more force as he closed the distance between them grabbAdirne's hand as he hugged him tightly. He was too far to anchor his yo-yo at the top of the building, so instead, he aimed for a street lamp, running along the side of the building, as he swung to the other side of the street, skidding against the sidewalk at great force until his back crashed against a wall. For a moment he thought that maybe was on to something when he pointed out that he nor Chat Noir wore helmets, but only for a moment as gravity weighed down on him. He fell onto his knees as Adrien knelt near his side.

"Are you okay?!" He asked in concern, but Ladybug nodded, forcing himself to stand as he rested against the wall, eyes still locked on Gorizilla.

"Adrien?!" Someone suddenly yelled out as they then hugged Adrien. "You're safe!" He said as Adrien looked stunned for a moment.

"Friend yours?" Ladybug asked as the boy turned towards him.

"Oh, I'm Wayhem, Adrien's biggest fan." He introduced as Ladybug's earrings started to beep. "Your earrings are flashing. Is there a problem?"

Ladybug narrowed his eyes, " It means that Chat Noir needs to show up if I have any chance in taking that villain out.

"You can leave, Ladybug! I'll keep him at bay!" Wayhem said protectively but Ladybug shook his head.

" No. I want you to find a safe place to hide, alright?"

Wayhen looked a little disheartened but nodded, "Oh, okay." He said just as Gorizilla jumped down, sending shockwaves through the ground.

"Go!" Ladybug snapped at Wayhem ran in a different direction as Ladybug picked up Adrien, placing distance between them and Gorizilla. But LAdybug turned around for a moment, seeing that Wayhem has grabbed onto the leg of the monster.

"Oh no." Ladybug said, placing Adrien on the ground to jump back for him, but was surprised as Wayhem managed to dull Gorizilla senses, disabling his senses for a while. Ladybug hummed for a moment thoughtfully. "Not bad." He remarked, impressed as he transported Adrien to safety.

* * *

Ladybug landed on the roof of a building, looking around for a moment as Gorizilla was nowhere in sighed.

"I think you lost him," Adrien said as he was placed on the ground.

"For now," Ladybug said looking around for something as time started to run out.

"You're about to transform back. So you should just leave me here, and I'll stay hidden while I wait for Chat Noir to turn up." He said removing his hood but Ladybug stared at him.

"You want me to leave you on a roof?" He asked.

But Adrien went with it. "Yeah, don't worry, I'll be fine." He insisted but Ladybug wrapped his arm around his waist carrying him to the ground using his yo-yo as they both landed before the subway.

Ladybug then switched his yo-yo to its phone mode. "Chat Noir, I'm going to be waiting under station C, try to use your cataclysm to trap Gorizilla so I can search his pockets, hurry up." Ladybug informed."

"What if Chat Noir doesn't turn up?" Adrien asked.

"He will." Ladybug reassured but in the back of his mind knew that if his partner didn't show up they'd be goners, as he didn't have any cookies on him. "Chat Noir always has my full trust." He thought for a moment Adrien blushed, but it must have been the heat. He then overheard something in the distance as Ladybug rested his hand on his shoulder. Don't worry, just hide and leave this to us." Ladybug said as he then ran down into the subway.

"Yeah, you're right. I'm sure he'll be here." Adrien remarked as he ran to stop a bike.

* * *

Ladybug sat on a bench within the subway, crossing his legs as he focused on his breathing. His Miraculous was one of creation, but it was also one that was in tune with the rest of the Miraculous. As his powers grew stronger so did his ability to sense, even though it was limiting due to time constraints. He could sense the Akuma's negativity approaching but lost the connection as his yo-yo rang.

"This is Chat Noir Express Deliveries. Did you order a giant beast, m'lady?" Chat Noir asked just moments before Gorizilla fell through the ground, surprising him as a smile broke out on his face.

"Thanks kitty cat. Is Adrien safe?" Ladybug asked as he searched through Gorizilla's pockets.

"Yup." Chat Noir said, "He's A-okay." He said as Ladybug found the item. His eyes widened as he recognized his former lucky charm, ripping it as the Akuma flew out. "No more mischief from you little Akuma. Time to purify!" Ladybug said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion. Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. "Bye-bye, little butterfly. Miraculous Ladybug!" Ladybug called out, throwing up the lucky charm as everything turned back to normal.

* * *

Chat Noir smiled as he saw Ladybug walking out of the subway the two bumped fists as Ladybug then noticed Adrien standing near the road. As he was about to walk towards him Chat Noir placed a hand on his shoulder. "If I were you, I wouldn't hang around for too long. Unless you don't mind revealing your secret identity to all of us." He said playfully as then Ladybug placed a familiar charm in Chat Noir's hand, surprising him as he didn't even realize that he had lost it.

"It's his." Ladybug informed as he then waved to the two of them before quickly escaping.

Chat Noir gripped it in his hand as he turned to his doppelganger. "Thanks for your help, "Adrien"." He said as he quickly traveled back to where Adrien was last seen.

* * *

"I'm sorry I had to ask you to stand in for me earlier," Adrien said as he put on the jacket that he had borrowed as Wayhem stood before him. "You must think I'm not very brave.

" You kidding?! Wayhem asked, " I got to be in Adrien's shoes for a few minutes!" But then his excitement died down. "I'm really sorry I posted that photo on the Internet. You must be mad at me." He apologized as Adrien took what was left of the cardboard standee, scribbling down something as he handed it back. "Is that your email?"

"Yeah. If you can manage to stop running after me screaming, I'm sure we can be good friends!" Adrien said happily.

Wayhem hugged the signed head happily, "I promise, Adrien!" he said gratefully as then he had to go.

Adrien realized that he had one more friend to track down as he gripped the fabric of the hoodie. He felt bad as he left Marin back there at the movie theatre, but was stopped as his bodyguard grabbed him. He had a stern expression as Adrien chuckled lightly.

He was sent straight home, still wearing the hoodie as he walked back into his room. When he spotted his father, he flinched for a moment, then took a deep breath as he gripped the lucky charm that was gifted to him.

"Sit down, Adrien." His father said as Adrien complied, but he lifted his head in surprise as the movie, "Solitute" was playing right before his eyes. "All you had to do was ask me." His father explained.

Adrien turned towards him. "I'm sorry, Father. I tried to talk to you, but you were so busy. In fact, I always feel like you don't want to talk at all, so—" He was trying to explain but then was interrupted.

"You should've trusted me, son. It's important for you and I to be able to trust each other. If you were to begin hiding the truth from me, then I'd naturally start imagining all kinds of things." Gabriel said honestly as he placed his hand over his son's.

Adrien couldn't help but smile slightly, nodding as the two turned towards the movie just as his mother turned towards them.

* * *

Later on that day, Adrien overheard the doorbell ring. He immediately ran from his room towards the front door as Natalie was on the com.

"Please state your business." She said as Adrien saw his friend on the other side.

"It's Marin can I please talk to him for a few minutes?" He asked as Natalie looked down at him for a moment.

"You have 2 minutes before your next class starts, be quick." She warned as she opened the gate as Adrien ran out the front door followed closely by his bodyguard.

Adrien smiled as he saw Marin waving shyly, now wearing his regular clothes and holding a paper bag from his parent's bakery.

"Hey-" Marin was about to say until Adrien immediately hugged him effectively stunning him for a few seconds as he pulled back.

"Sorry, I was just worried about you," Adrien said as Marin averted his gaze.

"That's my line, he said, then handed the bag over. "Here's your shirt back, I didn't have time to wash it." He said nervously. Taking a white box out of the bag before handing it back.

"It's okay, I don't mind." He said handing back Marin's hoodie. "Your jacket was really comfortable." He complimented as Marin blushed slightly. His friend tied it around his shoulder and side, then turned towards his bodyguard holding out the white box.

"I'm sorry for any trouble I may have put you through, please don't be mad at Adrien." He apologized as the bodyguard accepted the gift, recognizing the logo on the top. He opened it, and smiled for a moment before returning to his stone face expression.

Adrien was curious about this reaction. "Would you excuse us for a second please?" He requested politely as his bodyguard stepped away. "What was that about?" He asked.

"Oh, he's a regular at our shop, comes every morning, he always orders the-"

"Not that," Adrien said, though it was interesting to learn. "Where's my box of treats?" He pouted crossing his arms as Marin chuckled.

"I do still owe you an actual birthday present..." Marin teased for a moment as they both turned to Natalie standing outside, looking towards Adrien who sighed.

"I gotta go. See you at school tomorrow?" He asked as Marin simply nodded.

The two waved at each other, walking in different directions, but for a moment, they both turned back for a moment as he saw Marin did as well, seeing a rare smile as Marin made eye contact for a moment before turning and running away. Leaving Adrien to stand there for a moment, his heart racing but believing it to be because he was happy to spend time with his close friend, gently touching the bracelet on his wrist.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- Wayhem is hilarious and you cannot change my mind. I care for him. 
> 
> \- I apologize, I can't write fluff that well, but I hope ya'll like a little bit of angst. >:3


	37. Glaci-hater

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marin plans on going to get ice cream with his friends and nothing goes wrong, ever.

Ladybug stretched his arms over his head, tired after a long day. Chat Noir was standing nearby, folding his hands behind his back as he leaned down to where Ladybug was sitting on the rooftops.

"So, uh, Ladybug? What would you say if you and I met up tonight for a little dinner? Rooftop style?"

Ladybug glanced at him in amusement. "You can cook?"

"I never said that." Chat Noir remarked. "But we're only together when we're saving Paris. I mean, wouldn't you actually like to get to know one another?"

"That's...thoughtful of you, but I can't." Ladybug said taking out his yo-yo. "There's something I have to deal with."

"Well, if your plans end early, come and join me." Chat Noir said hopefully.

Ladybug paused for a moment, looking back. "I...I probably won't."

"Got it. I'll be waiting, my lady." Chat Noir remarked, clearly ignoring Ladybug's warning. But the black spotted hero didn't have time to argue, jumping off the roof and towards the inner city.

* * *

Marin took the dinner plates after they had finished eating, beginning to clean the dishes as his father took out something from the fridge.

" Ta-da!" His father cheered as he placed a cake with whipped cream shortcake with fruit on the table.

His mouth watered at the mere sight of the tasty treat. "Uh, no thanks, Dad,

"But isn't this your favorite?" His dad asked, looking distressed as he exchanged a glance with his mother. There was a tension filling the room, he couldn't put his finger on his, but there was something definitely off as he walked over to his mother.

"And it still is, Dad, but I told you before I'm meeting up with my friends today." He said as his mother placed a hand over his, as his father did the same on his other shoulders. "We're gonna get dessert together..."Marin paused for a moment as he saw his parent's faces both of them looking strangely supportive. "What's going on?" He asked in confusion as they kissed both of his cheeks at the same times.

"We love you so much heart." His mother said sincerely.

"To the moon and back!" His father the said tearfully him as he caught his son in a bear hug, lifting him off the ground.

This only served to confuse Marin. "Dad...Dad!" Marin said as he was stuck in his father's hug. "Mom?"

"Let him go dear." His mother ordered as his father did so slightly unwillingly, patting his head.

"Ohhh mio figlio piccolo-" He said about to start ranting off.

"Okay, I have no idea what's happening, but good-bye!" he remarked, quickly escaping through the door. But groaned for a moment as he quickly ran back in, kissing his parents before running back to the door. "Love you guys." then immediately shut the door as he tried to sigh the tension away. "Man they were acting weird." He remarked as Tikki popped out of his bag.

"Aren't they always like that?" Tikki asked.

Marin then shrugged his shoulders, "Kinda, but today it was really weird. The last time they were like that was when-" He said, opening the front door in surprise.

"Nonna?" Marin questioned as he saw his grandmother with her bike standing before him. "What are you doing here?" He asked curiously, but the only response he received was her smile, handing him the spare helmet in her hand.

"I thought I could drive you to your meeting with your friends."

"Sure?" Marin said taking the helmet as he took a seat behind Gina, wrapping his arms around her securely.

* * *

Adrien sighed, sitting alone at the table as he had to eat dinner alone. He popped some cheese in his mouth, about to text Nino when Nathalie walked up to him.

"There's no point in waiting for your father, Adrien. He'll be eating in his office." She informed.

"Then what's the point of keeping me here if he's never gonna show up, Nathalie?" He said curtly as he walked past her.

"Don't forget to practice your piano before you go to bed." She reminded as Adrien walked back into his room resting on the back of his door as he was greeted by his Kwami.

" You could've at least grabbed the piece of Camembert on that platter!" Plagg complained as Adrien tossed him a piece that he had swiped earlier.

"Fuel up, Plagg. " Adrien informed as he turned on the piece he was suppose to be practicing, placing the phone on top of the speakers on his piano. "Adrien may not be allowed out of the house, but Chat Noir is!"

Plagg stared at him for a moment. "You seem in a hurry to get stood up." He remarked.

"He didn't says he wasn't coming later on."

Plagg now glared at his partner dumbfounded. "Were you not listening that is EXACTLY WHAT HE SAID-"

"Plagg, claws out!" Adrien suddenly said as Plagg was absorbed into the ring.

* * *

"You're leaving?" Marin questioned in shock. "It's so sudden, you just got here-" He said as Gina cupped his cheek silencing him for a moment.

"I know mio Marinus. But I won't be gone so long this time, I promise I'll be back for your father's birthday."

"But...Why're you leaving now? Does dad know?"

She sighed, "I love this city and you so much, but...it's too painful to stay. I've told him and your mother, but I wanted to tell you personally."

"Now? Like this?" He asked, flabbergasted at her timing. She kissed the top of his head, like when he was a child.

"Ciao, mio bel." She said softly, "I'll call when I can." She promised then driving away as Marin noticed she'd left behind something in his hand. His heart fell, seeing the candies that she always used to send him, the same sour candies that used to make him gag.

"Hey, Marin!" Alya called out from behind as Marin quickly put the tin away in his back, shoving back the sad thoughts as he then turned back to Alya with a bright smile on his face.

"Hiya!" he greeted, hugging her as she then took his hand, walking back over to their friends. "So, what are we doing today?" He asked.

"We're going to track down André today." Alya said as Marin stopped walking.

"André, the ice cream man?" He asked, the pit in his stomach growing larger.

"Yeah." We were all going to solve the clues together to find out where he is..." Alya explained as she noticed her best friends troubled expression. "You okay?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah!" Marin chuckled as he rubbed the back of his head. "It's just...going to André is only for couples, and I'm...you know. Independent."

"It's fine." Alya reassured. "Just get some with Adrien, he's not gonna mind. Nino's gonna text him the location and we'll just meet him there." She said easily as the rest of their friends walked up to them.

"Hey! Someone posted a photo! He's on his way to the Pont des Arts." Nino said holding up his phone.

"Let's hurry!" Ivan said as they all ran towards the direction of the bridge.

"Come on, Marin!" Alya said smiling excitedly.

"Yeah! Awesome..." Marin grumbled under his breath as Alya grabbed his hand, dragging him along with their friends.

* * *

"Hey, he's here!" Nino pointed out on the bridge as they all ran towards the iced cream vendor with Marin the only one who was walking up, trying to delay every possible step. He remained to the side, leaning his back against the railing with crossed arms. Even though his mood was foul, he couldn't help but smile at his friends' joy.

"Why don't you go and get one, too, Marin?" Tikki asked poking her head out of his bag.

Marin shrugged his shoulders, if any part of him had a longing for something sweet, it was all thrown out the window. "What's the point?"

"But what about Adrien? Didn't you want to share some with him?" Tikki inquired as she then say Marin's expression fall. "He might not be here right now, but that shouldn't stop you from having a fun night with your friends and sharing some ice cream with your favorite Kwami!" She smiled happily as she then abruptly hid within his bag.

" And how about this young sir?" Marin heard as he towards André who approached him. "The pretty one who sighs. I have a flavor just for him! It's sure to make him smile!"

"Uh... Me?" Marin questioned as André guided him to his ice cream stand.

"What's your name, dear?" André asked pushing him closer to his ice cream stand preparing a unique blend.

"...Marin." He said shyly as he noticed his adorable friends coupled off eating ice cream.

André hummed for a moment then snapped to attention with a light in his eyes that made Marin regret even stepping onto the bridge. "Ohh, I remember now, your parents, were frequent customers of mine. Did you know your father proposed to your mother-"

"With your ice cream, and she almost ate the ring that was hidden inside. Yes sir, they've told me many times." He said curtly, but it didn't dampen André's mood.

"Tell me, how are your grandparents? They were my first customers you know." André rambled as Marin gripped the strap of his bag. "Lovely couple with a beautiful family. You know your father was inspired by the same way his father proposed to your Nonna." He said as Marin could feel his anxiety rising. "Peach pink like their lips and mint like their eyes. Eat this, my dear, and your love will materialize!" He remarked as he placed the ice cream in Marin's hands.

"No, no thank you sir. I think...I just lost my appetite." Marin said trying to hand the ice cream back, "Besides, there's no one like that who would ever like me in that way." but André wasn't having it.

"When there's love burning in one's heart, André knows it from the start. Enjoy your ice-cream, Marin. I know they'll be here." André insisted.

"Green eyes like mint... Who could that possibly be?" Ivan wondered aloud as Marin hung his head.

" Thank you, but you've got it all wrong. I don't have anyone-" He began to say, but then heard a whistle, turning his head to see a familiar-looking figure walking towards them. For a moment, he dared to hope, maybe, perhaps...

But it dashed away as someone bumped into him, making him drop his ice cream as the person greeted their friend. Someone who definitely wasn't Adrien. If he had any lingering thought about the person who he wished would look at him the same way he did, they were gone. It didn't matter.

André gasped in shock, "André's ice-cream has always melted hearts. But the magic will only work if you eat it! I'll make you another one." He said quickly turning around to make another cone.

"Thanks, but it's really not necessary." Marin remarked.

"Who has green eyes?" Ivan still questioned, turning to Mylène. "You think we know him?" He asked as Mylène jabbed him in the side with her elbow, trying to signal him to read the room.

"Yes it is, my dear. See here? My ice-cream has brought everyone together. Every famous loving couple in Paris! Edith and Marcel, John and Serge, Olive and Tom! Your loved one is out there! Somewhere! All you need is to believe in the magic of André's ice-cream!"

"You're very kind, André, but I don't think there's something magical about your ice-cream. It can help people find each other, but it can't keep them together." He said bluntly, then bowed slightly to the ice cream man. "Sorry for wasting your ingredients." He remarked, then started walking away.

As he hung his head he overheard footsteps and Nino crying out. "Hey, I was gonna get another one!" Just before Alya crash hugged into him, along with the rest of his friends just as he stepped off the bridge.

" Sorry, I'm being a downer." Marin apologize as they all still retained the hug.

"Don't worry about it." Mylène reassured as they stayed like that for a little while until it was time to go home.

* * *

Marin sat at his desk, holding an old worn-out looking postcard from years long past above his head as he clutched a candy tin in his hand not even opened. At his side were a plate of freshly baked cookies and hot chocolate that his mother had already placed into this room.

"What's that?" Tikki asked hovering above his head as Marin kept his eyes trained on the card.

"A postcard from my Nonna from a while ago, back when she was still out on her, Vacation."

" Vacation?" Tikki questioned.

" Yup, a 10-year vacation," Marin said dryly. "She traveled around the world and sent a postcard every year apologizing that she couldn't make it for my birthday." He sighed as Tikki rested on his shoulder.

"But she came back right?" Tikki ordered as Marin then smiled at his Kwami, petting her head.

"It did come with some candy," Marin responded, opening up the tin as he slightly grimaced at the sour candies.

"Bonbons!" Tikki reflexively shouted as she flew towards the tin, but Marin held it over his head with an amused smile on his face.

"Not for Kwami's Tikki, this stuff is so sour it's gross."

"Please Marin, just one? I wanna try!" she pleaded, widening her already large eyes until he could almost see his reflection in her big blue eyes.

"Don't say I didn't warn you sugar cube." Marin reminded as he hand-fed his Kwami one. He couldn't suppress his laughter, seeing that as soon as Tikki put the candy in her mouth her face read that she had made a horrible mistake.

As she spit out the candy back out into the wrapper she tried to remove any trace of the cursed treat from her mouth. "Bleh! I don't think I've tasted something that gross in my life! she insisted.

"Yup, that's Nona for you, she always could find the most eccentric treats," Marin remarked as he looked at the back of the postcard. There was no note, just a stamp mood fell again as he emptied the tin of candies out in the trash, keeping the case in his desk. He sighed heavily as he walked down from his bed, tossing the candies into the wastebasket. "I'm gonna get some air." He said as Tikki nodded, turning to his desktop to watch some shows.

He left a few cookies behind for her to munch on as he took the rest and the hot chocolate onto his balcony, placing it onto the nearby table as he leaned on the railing, sighing heavily as he looked up at all the stars for a moment before he felt a pain in his heart. Part of him was looking forward to maybe spending time with Adrien, after all, he had caught his eye from the start. He only grimaced at the thought of sharing ice cream with him, after all, why would Adrien want to go on a date with him of all people. He was kind, confident, and charismatic, and always shone so bright...perfect in any way. Far more deserving of someone who would ruin anything just by being himself.

"Hello."

Marin clutched his heart, "C-chat Noir?" He questioned as the hero jumped into the railing on all fours.

"Sorry," The hero apologized. "I didn't mean to frighten you."

Marin caught his breath, his heart still beating fast. "What are you doing here? Don't you have like...superhero-y things to do?"

"No, I don't feel like being a superhero tonight. And I also don't feel like being alone tonight. Would you mind if I hung out here for a little while? Marin, right?" He asked playfully, but still with an underlying sadness. "We've bumped into each other before."

"Yeah, a bunch of times," Marin remarked. "I've got the worst luck."

"I know the feeling, I have some bad luck when it comes to feelings." Chat Noir said in melancholy, looking up at the sky.

"Really? What kind?" Marin asked.

"Well, tonight, I had this special surprise all planned for Ladybug, but maybe I just set myself up because I wanted him to show up too bad."

"You care about your partner a lot, don't you?"

"Would you like to see?

"Huh?" Marin was taken off guard by Chat Noir stepping onto the balcony, holding out his hand.

"It's not far from here." He said. His eyes then widened lightly, his ears flattening. "Only if you want to of course."

Every particle of Marin's being was yelling at him not to do this. Chat Noir was his partner, his partner who didn't know that the hero he cared for was standing right before him. He clutched his shirt, taking a step back with an apologetic smile on his face. "Sorry, you don't want someone like me messing up whatever you have set up."

"Someone like you?" Chat Noir questioned in surprise.

Marin chuckled, rubbing the back of his head, "Unlucky." The moment he said that Chat Noir took his hand.

"You're coming with me." He said.

"Wha- I just said-" Marin was about to explain, his face reddening as Chat Noir took a step closer to him.

"I know, but..." Chat Noir hesitated for a moment, lacing his fingers with his friends. "I don't like seeing you sad."

"I'm not-"

"Just trust me, alright?" Chat Noir insisted, as he easily picked up his friend. Some part of him was always slightly amazed how light he was, "Close your eyes and hold on tight, okay?" He asked as Marin couldn't hold back a chuckle, trusting his parks as he wrapped his arms around his neck, closing his eyes as he rested his head on his chest, feeling part of the weight lifted from his shoulders as he felt the cool breeze of the night.

He flinched slightly as they hit the ground. "Just give me a minute." Chat Noir placed him on his feet, the touch on his back lingering for a moment as he heard him speak. "Alright, you can open your eyes now."

Marin looked around feeling a little overwhelmed surrounded by flowers and candles under a starry sky. "Chat Noir, this is..." He murmured as he noticed Chat Noir looking glum. Marin's face fell as he walked over to him, placing a hand on his shoulder as he could see Chat Noir's sad face. "I'm sorry."

"Why? It's not your problem."

Marin bit his bottom lip. "It wasn't your fault." He said simply.

Even so, Chat Noir sighed heavily. "He told me he probably might not make it but I had my fingers crossed. I really wanted him to come, see, he's someone completely, totally amazing. I guess I just wanted..." Chat Noir faltered for a moment as he gripped the bar in frustration.

Marin's expression softened, turning to rest his back against the railing, his eyes glued to the stars. "Sounds like you and I both need a bit of cheering up tonight."

Chat Noir looked at him in surprise. "You? You've gotten your heart broken too?"

Marin smiled inwardly looking down as Chat Noir took notice of the sullen expression his friend had. "Not really."

"Hm?" Chat Noir turned his head towards him.

"I was dumb for even believing I had a chance." Marin mumbled under his breath.

Chat Noir's eyes widened slightly, turning towards his friend seeing a melancholic expression take over. "I-" Suddenly Chat Noir's ears twitched as he then spotted something flying towards them. "Look out!" He yelled, quickly grabbing his friend as he jumped for cover behind a roof.

"Marinus, party pooper, you're looking so sad and surly, but Glaciator will make it all better. Don't you worry!" the giant ice cream golem bellowed as he threw scoops of ice cream at them.

"What on Earth is that? Another supervillain in love with you?" Chat Noir joked as he placed an arm around Marin's waist, the two of them observing the new villain walking through town and turning people to ice cream.

Marin narrowed his eyes for a moment then slapped his forehead, "This is my fault."

"What?"

"That's André the ice-cream maker." Marin explained.

Chat Noir looked at him in surprise. "The Sweetheart's Ice-Cream guy? What did you do to get on his bad side."

Marin sighed heavily as this bad day was just getting worse. "I told him I didn't believe in his ice cream magic." He explained Glaciator spoke out again.

"I'm Glaciator, the mean ice-cream man. Escape my fury if you can! I melt your hearts, but I was wrong, now I'll freeze your bodies so long!" He sang loudly, shooting up ice cream in the air that hit almost everyone on the streets below. Chat Noir jumped cross the rooftops evading the falling ice cream as he remained out of sight, Marin was clutching him and keeping his eyes shut tight while they were airborne. Then as Glaciator had just passed by them he placed Marin back onto his balcony near the skylight.

"Go inside, I'm gonna lead him away from you." He ordered as he turned around to jump into battle but stopped as Marin had grabbed his hand. He looked at him apologetically for a moment, probably not used to being forward with anyone, so Chat Noir knelt down. He felt somewhat uneasy when he was Adrien Marin would almost never make eye contact with him, but in this other form, as Chat Noir, his friend seemed far more relaxed.

"Thanks for trying to cheer me up, despite how this turned out." Marin said sincerely with a warm smile.

Chat Noir smirked to himself, kissing the back of Marin's hand. "Anything for you, my prince." He said with a cheeky smile, almost sad to let go as he jumped down into the streets, knowing that he had to protect his friend.

* * *

" Hey, Snow Dude, you lookin' for me?" Chat Noir called out.

"Bad kitty! Where have you hidden Marinus?" Glaciator demanded, shooting more ice cream, of them hitting a car that was sent flying directly towards Chat Noir. He froze for a moment, realizing that he wasn't going to escape it's impact until the hero was immediately pulled away. Ladybug's yo-yo was tied around his ankle but was released as he landed next to his partner.

"Hello, Kitty. Did the bad guys leave you cold?" He said, trying to joke, but it probably wasn't that funny as Chat Noir didn't say anything, seemingly pouting much to Ladybug's guilt as he knew how his partner had felt.

"I've never tasted superhero flavor before. I can't wait to serve myself a double scoop!" Glaciator yelled out, throwing more ice cream. "Come out now, or I'll bury Paris in an entire layer of ice-cream!

Ladybug and Chat Noir took cover behind a fallen car, he narrowed his eyes. "The ice-cream seems to fire out of his hand, and before André was akumatized, he served his ice-cream using scooper, that must be where the Akuma is hiding." He said then turning to Chat Noir who was still giving him the silent treatment.

"It's been a bomb, but now it's time to turn you into popsicles, once and for all!" Glaciator roared as he froze more people, but stopped for a moment as he saw a couple.

Ladybug narrowed his eyes at the scene. "That's weird. It looks like he's leaving the couples alone..." He murmured as then an idea popped into his head. "Chat-"

"Too bad for us." Chat Noir remarked coldly.

"You don't understand. We know he doesn't attack couples so we could pretend—"

"Pretend?"

"To be in love."

Chat Noir glared at his partner in annoyance. " Sorry, Ladybug, it's not cool to play with people's feelings." Chat Noir said, but didn't miss the hurt look on Ladybug's shoulder. Honestly, he was half expecting his partner to get mad at him or something, but he did no such thing. Instead, he placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Alright, you stay here then, I'll handle this." He said without hesitation, standing up as Chat Noir was taken off guard at his partner's reaction.

"Lucky Charm!" He said, throwing his yo-yo in the air, receiving a motorcycle helmet that fell into his hands. He looked at it for a moment, then looked around the area, seeing what he was looking for past Glaciator.

"Right." He said to himself about to run out there but Chat Noir grabbed his hand.

"What are you doing?!"

"I'm going to get past him."

"Alone?"

"You're upset, and I'm sorry if I made you feel that way, but we need to focus on freeing Andre and everyone else."

"Ugh- you're always like this."

"Like what?"

"You're always..." Chat Noir tried to find the words to define his feelings, an annoyed angry rage that made him want to strangle his partner had the time due to his serious nature, but at the same time, it was part of the reason why he loved him so much. It felt hot and angry but also happy at the same time, also relieved that there was someone like him watching out for other people. But never for himself-

"Chat Noir, I'm not going to force you to do anything you don't want, but we need to hurry-" Ladybug said pulling him out of his thoughts as the car they were using for cover turned to ice cream.

"Tell me what I need to do." Chat Noir said.

"I'll go high, you go low, try to buy me some time so I can get Andre out of there."

The two nodded to each other as Ladybug ran across the side of the buildings, using his yo-yo for momentum as he managed to wrap his yo-yo around Glaciator. Tumbling to the ground as he ran directly towards a motorcycle. Hooking the wire to the back of the bike Ladybug quickly "borrowed" the keys from who he assumed was the owner. He put on the helmet, turning on the motor as he recalling the lessons his Nonna had taught him about riding. He couldn't move the villain, but he could just keep him still until Chat Noir activated his power.

"Cataclysm!" Chat Noir shouted out, destroying the surrounding ice cream as André fell to the ground, relatively unharmed. Chat Noir picked up his ice cream scooper, throwing it to his partner who broke it, releasing the Akuma.

"No more mischief from you little Akuma. Time to purify!" Ladybug said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion. Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. "Bye-bye, little butterfly. Miraculous Ladybug!" Ladybug called out, throwing up the lucky charm as everything turned back to normal.

The two heroes gazed at each other for a little while until Chat Noir broke the tension with a smile on his face, holding up his fist as Ladybug returned the gesture.

" How enchanting! Saved from the cold by a couple of super lovebirds!"André said happily as he hugged the two of them, lifting them off the ground as they exchanged an amused glance.

* * *

Chat Noir landed on the roof first as Ladybug followed, looking around in amazement as he then looked up at the stars. "Aren't you glad you finally came?" Chat Noir asked as he saw his partner's eyes light up at the scene.

"Yeah, it's beautiful here..." Ladybug said, but then turned towards his partner with a serious expression. "Chat Noir, I don't want you to believe in something that may never happen. You're my friend, and I don't have to be hurt."

"Then could I at least know why?" Chat Noir asked as he took a step towards his partner who turned his back to him.

"Because..." Ladybug then shook his head, still feeling the sting of being left behind. "I know all I need to know about you. But...there's a reason why we can't ever know anything personal about each other. The more we begin to know about each other, the more it clouds our judgment. If that wall between us ever broke there would be no turning back."

Chat Noir thought about that for a moment. "Would that really be so bad? Granted, we would be in more danger, but we would also be able to help each other even more then we do now." He said, but couldn't get his partner to look at him. "Then let me ask you this," Chat Noir asked standing before his partner with a rose in his hand. "Who am I to you?"

"Chat...my mistakes...they hurt people, not in the normal sense, but in a way that I can't fix. No matter how I feel I'm not going to put you at risk, not ever again."Ladybug turned his head away, immediately trying to cover it as Chat Noir stepped closer, gently pushing his hand away.

Chat Noir's widened slightly as he heard what Ladybug said, there were a number of questions he wanted to ask him, but he pushed aside the desire."Always thinking of others. You're annoying when you're like this but it's one of the reasons I love you so much." He said earnestly as he handed a rose to him, "I understand a little better now, Ladybug." He said, then lifted himself onto his toes slightly as he kissed his partner's cheek. Taking notice of Ladubug's reddened face. "Your friendship means everything to me, probably more than you even realize." He said with a smile as both of their Miraculous began to beep.

Neither of them said anything to each other as Chat Noir ran off into the night, While LAdybug rested his back against the railing, he face entirely red now as he covered his mouth, willing those secret feelings of his to remain hidden, for both of their sakes.

* * *

Adrien rested against his bed as Plagg hovered nearby holding a wheel of cheese. "The only way to get over a heartache is to eat a whole bunch of cheese! Shall we?"

" I don't have a heartache, Plagg."

Plagg stared at him in disbelief.

"Perhaps Ladybug will love me someday. I mean, like, I love him. But in the meantime, his friendship is enough for me. For now, I have to do what you said, "Be his support."

Plagg nodded, "Hmmm, so you've actually decided to start listening to me?" He asked as Adrien nuzzled his little face affectionately.

"Just a little bit."

* * *

Marin looked up at the worn-out house before him, he looked through the mail that was overflowing, seeing the letter that he had placed the last time he was here, water damaged and torn, but still intact all things together. then turning around as he heard someone behind him.

"Twice in the same year? I guess I'm lucky." Gilbert

"Hi Gilbert, nice to see you." Marin greeted as he opened the gate for him.

"Going inside today?" He asked as he usually did.

Marin hesitated for a moment, shaking his head, "No, but if you could give this to him, I'd appreciate it." Marin requested as Gilbert nodded, placing the envelope on top of the flour as he walked inside the garden of the home.

Marin sighed heavily as he saw the deliveryman walk inside. "Well, that's that." He said.

"Why didn't you go inside?" Tikki asked, hovering nearby.

"Baby steps Tikki," Marin advised, "No magic treats can make people come back together, some things you have to work at. But in the meantime, I believe I owe you an ice cream, don't I?" He asked with a smile as Tikki nodded happily, flying into his jacket pocket as they walked towards the nearest ice cream shop.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- Ladybug's still feeling the effects of Chronogirl, it's why he's more reserved around Chat in his hero form. 
> 
> -They're just friends ya'll.


	38. Captain Hardrock Cafe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the day of the Music festival and Marin spends it on a boat, where he makes a new friend. Adrien makes the same friend, but not under the same circumstances.

Marin stepped carefully, not wanting to trip over anything, causing a chain reaction that would- let's face it- sink the boat if his luck was any indication. While he was so focused on his feet he accidentally bumped into someone. "Oops! Sorry Mylène." He apologized as his friends were decorating the boat. She brushed him off with a smile, not minding, as she returned to what she was doing.

"Ah, Rose." Marin called out, handing her the microphone that she was looking for. "I think this is yours, Rose."

"Thanks!" She said setting up her equipment. "Do you realize? It's our very first concert! It's going to be awesome."

Marin chuckled dryly, "Ha...yeah, an eardrum-shattering performance on a messy boat where somehow you guys have convinced me wearing a life vest is, unnecessarily. But this is fine, I'm fine." Marin said completely fine, but filling with anxiety he looked up towards Nino who was on a ladder that Alya was holding. "Hey, Nino, did you hear from Adrien, by any chance?" He asked needed an outlet for his anxiety.

"He had something to do with his old man, but he said that he'll come right after." Nino informed.

"Captain Anarka speaking to ya'!" Juleka's mother announced walking up to them. "So how's it comin' along me young pirates? Ready to celebrate the-" Anarka's attention was focused on him."Whatcha up to, there, matey?

Marin bowed his head slightly, having met the woman for the first time. "Uh, hello ma'am. I'm, uh, tidying up, wouldn't want anyone tripping over anything."

Anarka laughed, "We never pick up in this house! Didn't me daughter tell you? We like the lived-in look. We have no rules on The Liberty! Out of chaos comes creation! Messiness is life."

Marin stood there stunned at Anarka was throwing around paper along with anything else that was in the box that was filled with miscellaneous items that were returned to the ground. Almost immediately Marin turned to Alya.

"I need a life vest."

* * *

Adrien's playing echoed through the room quickly filling with tension. His father was sitting nearby with his eyes closed next to Natalie. As he played, Adrien tried to recall every key in his head, but still slipped up which triggered an off-key performance. He lowered his head as his father gestured for him to stop playing.

"I've heard enough. Are you sure you're practicing, Adrien?"

"I'm...I'm just doing the same exercises over and over again. I think I could make better progress if I could just play with other musicians. After all, music's meant to be shared with other people, don't you think?" Adrien suggested but his father wasn't having it.

"Adrien, we Agrestes are soloists not mere group members. I suggest you rehearse your piece some more. You'll play it for me again later today." He said sternly.

"But father, you promised that I could attend my friends' concert-" Adrien tried to argue but was silenced as his father turned his back to him.

"Not after that performance you've just given. You need to practice, Adrien, not waste your time on frivolous pastimes." He said as Natalie followed him out of the room.

Adrien sighed heavily, turning back to his piano and took out his phone.

* * *

Nino turned towards Marin and Alya who were arguing about safety on a boat until they noticed Nino's disappointed expression. All three of them were standing in the cockpit of the boat, Marin was picking up items off the ground."Bad news guys." He said holding out his phone.

"Well it's not exactly the first time his dad's kept him from hanging out with us." Alya sighed, leaning back against the counter.

"Come on, it's still early, maybe he'll show up later on." He said trying to be positive as he placed a statue near the wheel.

"Whoa, sailor!" Anarka said suddenly walking in, she picked up the statue, holding it near the compass again as they noticed it was spinning out of control. "Never place a metal object next to a compass, ya hear lad? Metal attracts the needle, just like a magnet, which is why you can't get them anywhere near each other."

"Uh- yes ma'am!" Marin abruptly said, bowing his head apologetically, but Anarka waved his worries away.

"Since you're free from cleaning duties would you mind getting a few instruments downstairs? They should be in Juleka and Luka's room." She suggested.

Marin simply nodded, "Sure."

He wasn't familiar with this houseboat as he usually met up with Juleka at school or somewhere on dry land. Eventually, he walked into a room that he assumed was her bedroom. He couldn't help but smile as he noticed she had hug a few of the photos they had taken together during their photoshoot. One prominent one was of her, Rose, and himself as they smile together. He then noticed the bass guitar sitting on the bed which he assumed was what he was suppose to get. But nearby he saw a classical guitar, sitting on its stand. His heart beat slightly faster at the mere sight of it, it had been a while since he had actually seen one, let alone have the chance to hold one.

For a moment he hesitated, it wasn't his, instruments were extremely personal; especially one that was personalized to this extent...but holding it for a moment wouldn't hurt, it's not like anyone would notice he was missing for a bit. He pushed back uncertainly for a moment, picking up the instrument and sitting down in the chair nearby. He strummed a few cords, tunning the stings to the key he was familiar with. As he strummed once more, a wave of bittersweet nostalgia took over as he could instinctively recall the notes, humming the melancholic song in its entirety. He was off by a few cords, but the soul of the tune was still present as a smile grew on his face, his confidence lifting as he sang the last few words.

"_And life will always be, la vie en rose..._"

Marin sighed heavily for a moment, placing the guitar back as he suddenly froze, hearing clapping behind him. He turned with a scarlet red face to see a boy, Julek's older brother Luka he assumed, sitting on the other bed sitting at the wall a spot the would have been out of sight to where he had walked in. The person was sitting crossed legged with a gentle smile on his face.

"Your playing is beautiful, it's so sincere and loving-"

"AH!" Marin yelped at an unnaturally high pitch, taking a step back as he was overcome with embarrassment. "I-I'm so sorry!" He said putting together that the guitar belonged to him, folding his hands together as he bowed his head apologetically. "I-I have to- the guitar-" He stumbled over his words as he remembered that he actually had a job to do. He quickly placed the bass in the box, about to walk out shamefully.

"Wait." Luka asked for a moment as Marin stopped walking. He shyly glanced at Luka who held his electric guitar in his hands, "Would you mind staying for a moment?" He asked.

"Your uh, mom, the guitar-"

"Just a moment?" He asked sweetly, slightly reminding him of how Tikki would talk in a different tone if she wanted a treat; but this felt different. He sighed, carefully placing Juleka's guitar away. As he sat down on the ground, his back resting to Luka's bed, pulling his knees to his chest as Luka sat against the edge. "It's strange...but it seems you have something like this in your heart." He murmured as he began strumming a few notes, each striking a chord within Marin's heart as they turned into a makeshift melody.

If Luka though that he played sincerely, he thought that Luka's music was light; something that could lift up someone's spirits.

Marin glanced up towards him, "How do you do that?"

Luka smiled, adjusting his strap to place his guitar on his back. "Music is often simpler than words."

Marin chuckled to himself, knowing how true the feeling was. He then noticed the Jagged Stone poster. "You like Jagged Stone's music too?"

Luka nodded, sitting down next to Marin. "He's my favorite singer."

"Mine too, he's so passionate, it's hard not to be blown away by how much he cares about his music," Marin said, messing with his hairpins as Luka nodded in agreement.

"My thoughts exactly." He said standing up, "I'm Luka." He remarked, introduced himself properly, holding out his hand.

"Marinus," Marin responded, placing his hairpins in his pocket as Luka helped him to his feet.

"I know." Luka smiled, internally thinking how pretty his name was. "I've actually been wanting to meet you for a while." He said as Marin looked up at him curiously, noticing that Luka was slightly taller than himself, give or take a few inches. "Juleka and Rose talk about you all the time, I'm grateful for you always being kind to them." He said placing his other hand over Marin's.

"Huh? Oh, it's nothing." Marin insisted as he averted his gaze, butterflies rapidly growing in his stomach. "They're good friends after all."

Luka nodded glancing at the photo that Marin was looked at earlier, the one of himself, Rose, and Jukeka. "Even so," Luke said with a smile as he took a step back, dropping their grip. "It's cool to meet the person who made the art for my favorite Jagged Stone album." He remarked picking up the bass that Marin was sent down to get in the first place.

"Oh- I can carry that." Marin offered, "That's why I was supposed to come down here to begin with." He explained.

However, Luka shook his head. "It's alright, I've been slacking off anyway." He remarked as he stepped to the graciously, allowing Marin to walk ahead of him as they walked back up to the deck together.

* * *

"This is likely to be the most incredible music festival since the first one was held, right here in Paris, in 1982! I'm Nadja Chamack. Tune in here, to hear more tunes." Nadja announced on the news as Plagg was watching. He turned around to see his partner still sitting in the same spot for about an hour.

"Come on, now. Don't be so down in the dumps. Look at the bright side. Now you can enjoy all of the concerts without leaving the comfort of your own room!" Plagg said trying to cheer him.

Adrien turned towards his Kwami, "I just wanted to go to my friend's concert, Plagg!"

"Then why didn't you say so? As your friend, I'm going to give you a private concert you'll never forget! Ahem!" Plagg cleared his throat and began screeching off-key. "Camembert! You're the cheese of my dreams! Camembert! You make life better than it seems!

Adrien smiled, "Thanks Plagg. Best concert ever." He said honestly, as Plagg flew over, sitting on the piano as Adrien began to practice again. Noticing his sad expression.

* * *

"You okay cutie?" Alya asked as Marin seemed to look frazzled, more so than usual. Marin simply flashed her a nervous smile, pushing back a stray lock of hair behind his ear as Alya stared at him suspiciously noticing that he was missing a few pink polka-dotted bobby pins.

She hummed for a moment. "Something happen with Luka?" She guessed as Marin shrugged his shoulders, letting out a serious of gesturing noises that seemed to suggest, probably.

"Oh hoy, sailors! Let's give them a show! Whenever your ready, Luka!"

Mylène held out a pair of earplugs. "You're going to need these, believe me." She said as Marin and Alya exchanged a worried glance, placing them in their ears. As soon as Luka shredded a cord that China probably hear, they were immediately surrounded by the police.

Anarka began arguing with the cop which immediately turned into a scream fest as the officer started dishing out tickets. Resulting in Anarka angrily stomping off into the captain's quarters as everyone else stood around looking worried.

"Shouldn't we just turn down the volume?" Marin suggested, taking out his earplugs.

"No can do." Rose remarked as Juleka stood next to her.

"Mom's not one for...authority," Luka explained.

"Well, at least it can't get any worse-" Nino was about to say as someone then jumped up onto the top of the boat.

"Raise the mainsail me deck hands let's get swashbuckling around here!" A new akumatized villain yelled out.

"Mom?" Juleka asked in concern.

Luka took a step forward as Marin glanced towards the exit. "What's going on?"

"Your mom has weighed anchor, me lad, I'm Captain Hardrock and today Paris's timbers are about to be shivered by my cannons. Westward ho, Liberty next stop, Jagged Stone at the Eiffel Tower. Soon, there will only be one concert in Paris only one Music Festival. We will destroy all the others. Now, get to your instruments and rock those decibels!" Captain Hardrock ordered as she brandished her sword.

"Mom please, you can't ruin the Music Festival." Luka pleaded as Ivan stepped forward.

"No way we're playing like this!" He remarked as Mylene stood behind him nervously.

"Mutiny? On my ship? Liberty, seize these scallywags and throw them down into the hold!" Captain Hardrock ordered as suddenly everyone was chained up. Marin was attached to Luka back to back just before all of them feel into the brig together.

* * *

Adrien stopped playing as there was a breaking news update.

"Paris is yet again under attack, a new villain is destroying all the music festival concerts one by one. Please take shelter as soon as possible!" Nadja remarked as she then ducked for cover as a stage behind her was destroyed.

" I may be grounded Plagg, but they're playing my song." Adrien remarked, standing up as he placed his phone in his speakers, playing the song he was supposed to be practicing.

Plagg sighed heavily, knowing what was going to come next. "Yeah, I know it by heart."

"Plagg, claws out!"

* * *

Below deck of the Liberty almost everyone stopped struggling as Marin successfully unlocked the lock. The chains fell as he and Luka stood up.

"Wow, how'd you do that?" Luka asked in amazement.

Marin chuckled nervously."It's uh...complicated." Thinking that was better than, my Nonna has weird hobbies that I picked up from.

"You're amazing. A real magician Marin." Luka complimented as Marin smiled graciously before turning towards the others. Just as he was about to try and free Alya and Nino his best friend spoke up. "Don't worry about us, you two just get help." She insisted.

"Alya, are you sure?" He asked as everyone nodded.

"Yeah, don't worry! I'm sure Ladybug and Chat Noir are going to come for us real soon!" Rose remarked confidently.

"So long as we haven't left the port yet, we should be good-" Marin remarked as the boat shifted under their feet. Marin and Luka exchanged a concerned expression, both of them heading towards the deck. Luka crouched down as he used the debris on the boat for cover. In this situation, it was probably good that Marin gave up cleaning up. As Luka took point, Marin lingered behind, making sure that Captain Hardrock wasn't around.

He gasped slightly as Tikki popped out of his bag. "What are you doing?"

"You have to transform before it's too late!" She warned.

"I can't do it now, Luka's here." Marin responded as he overheard his voice.

"Oh no."

Marin turned towards Luka, spotting the reason for his worry as they were already sailing down the river. Both of them were crouched near the side.

"Do we swim for it?" Luka asked as Marin grew nervous.

"Funny story about that-" He was about to explain that he would probably sink like a stone as his clothes weren't exactly the most buoyant as a loud bang distracted them for a moment. Marin opened his eyes seeing Captain Hardrock shout something out as both of them were still recovering from the sound. He pushed Luka out of the way, but couldn't escape the chains as he slipped backward, falling off the boat still bound into the cold river.

* * *

Chat Noir, ran across the rooftops, spotting the ship in the distance. As soon as they spotted him, he smiled in amusement as he used the cannonballs that were being thrown at him to jump onto the ship.

"NO!" Someone yelled out as Chat Noir noticed Juleka's brother Luka was bound with chains looking towards the water.

"What's going on?" Chat Noir asked as Luka glanced at him, in grave worry.

"Chat Noir, my friend was knocked overboard!" Luka said, which made Chat Noir tense up.

"Uh, don't worry!" Chat Noir said as he tried to reassure both himself and Luka. "I know Ladybug will be able to save your friend!"

"The only one who will need savin' is you Chat Noir!" The new akumatized villain said with a victorious grin as she jumped down from above sword in hand. Chat Noir easily evaded, taking out his staff as the two duked it out. Captain Hardrock smirked for a moment as she then kicked Chat Noir to the mast, binding him in chains as he struggled against it. She walked up to him, sheathing her weapon. "My treasure will be your Miraculous kitty cat."

"Sorry, but only one person is allowed to call me that." Chat Noir remarked, abruptly, trying to cover the panic that was slowly ensuing. He moved his hands around but felt that he wouldn't be able to reach the chains with his Cataclysm.

* * *

As soon as Marin his the water he felt a sudden rush of cold, his vision blurred due to the water. He struggled against the chains knowing that he needed to act fast before he sank too deep. Suddenly he saw a speck of red as the chains no longer bound him. Grabbing onto the end of one, within the water it was easy for Tikki to pill him close to the shore, enough so that he could step onto dry land.

Marin coughed up some water, noticing that Tikki seemed relatively fine save for the worried expression on her face. Immediately she hugged his cheek as he smiled, "I'm okay sugar cube. But I have some friends to save." He said as Tikki nodded. "Tikki, spots on!"

* * *

As Captain Hardrock was about to take Chat Noir's Miraculous he narrowed his eyes, ready to activate his power, but a sudden shout drew the captain's attention.

"I command you to stop in the name of the law!" The policeman ordered as he with the rest of the police force tried to arrest Captain Hardrock, but was unable to as she blew them out of the water with her canons. Chat Noir could only watch in fear as the boats and the officers fell towards the mainland, but at the last second were saved via a makeshift net. Chat Noir sighed in relief as Ladybug jumped onto the ship after the officers were secure. He landed near him looking towards him in surprise.

"Well?" Chat Noir asked, "What are you waiting for-"

"Chain got your tongue?" Ladybug said with a hopeful smile as Chat Noir stared at him.

"Just..please stop trying." He remarked as Ladybug pouted, then freeing him and then Luka.

"Ladybug, my friend he-" Luka tried to explain as Ladybug helped him to his feet.

"Your friend is safe." Ladybug said as both Luka and Chat Noir sighed in relief. "Head down, this fight could get ugly." He ordered as Luka nodded, running down under as Chat Noir and Ladybug faced up towards Captain Hardrock weapons drawn.

"Any idea where the akuma is?" Chat Noir asked.

Ladybug narrowed his eyes. "It's gotta be on the ship somewhere." He reasoned, feeling negativity throughout the boat.

"In that case a Cataclysm will settle this." Chat Noir remarked, holding up his hand, but Ladybug pushed it back down.

"There are still people on the boat kitty, they might down if it just goes down." Ladybug warned, he then threw his yo-yo up in the air. "Lucky Charm!" then received a bicycle chain in his hand.

"A little redundant don't you think?" Chat Noir remarked as Ladybug narrowed his eyes, looking around at Captain Hardrock stepped forward.

"If you refuse to give me your Miraculous, my next target will be Major Bourgeois and his land lover-in Orchestra. Liberty, next stop City Hall!" She announced as Ladybug widened his eyes in realization, handing on end of the chain to Chat Noir who nodded, picking up on the plan. As Captain Hardrock jumped towards them, sword drawn, the two heroes did the same, trapping her to the navigator. The iron from the chain ruined the polarity surrounding the compass, sending them towards an island in the middle of the river.

For a few moments they were flying in the air as Chat Noir and Ladybug had to hold onto the chain that bound the villain. The ship then crashed to the ground, tilting onto it's side as both Chat Noir and Ladybug jumped onto the ground.

"Cataclysm!" Chat Noir yelled out, activating his power. He placed his hand against the ship, destroying it entirely as the Akuma was released and all of their friends were looking around in confusion.

"No more mischief from you little Akuma. Time to purify!" Ladybug said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion. Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. "Bye-bye, little butterfly. Miraculous Ladybug!" Ladybug called out, throwing up the lucky charm as everything turned back to normal. The two heroes were standing on the boat together as they bumped fists victoriously.

Anarka grumbled to herself as she was turned back to normal on the deck of the ship. "What happened?" She asked as everyone else ran up from below. Luka and Juleka immediately hugged their mother as Alya hugged Ladybug in greeting.

"Thanks so much for saving us, could I maybe get that intervie-" She was about to ask pulling her phone, but was surprised as Ladybug suddenly sneezed."Bless you." Just as his Miraculous beeped.

"Excuse me," He said quickly leaving as Chat Noir left in the other direction.

* * *

Adrien sat before his piano, looking down at his has as he instinctively rubbed the lucky charm on his wrist as he glanced towards his father. "Would you like to play this piece with me father, as a duet?" He asked.

Gabriel looked taken aback, "I... I don't think-"

"Please father, if I'm not allowed to go to my friends concert, at least grant me this." Adrien asked, clutching his charm. His heart raced as his father stood up and sat next to him.

He couldn't hold back his smile as he was able to play alongside his father, feeling happy as didn't feel any pressure. The notes came naturally as before he knew it the end of the piece came, no note out of place.

"You can go to your friends concert if that's what you really want." His father said, then immediately was surprised as his son hugged him tightly.

"Thank you father!" He said happily then glanced at Natalie expectantly, "Can we go now?"

* * *

Adrien passed by a police officer as he walked onto the boat. "Hi everyone-" He greeted as he then tripped over something, falling to the ground as everyone.

"Adrien are you okay buddy?" Nino asked walking up to him.

"Nah it's all good, I-" He noticed the case he tripped over, opening it up as his eyes widened in amazement. "Whoa, an original ZX20.4, I love the sound of this instrument!"

"Aww, that old thing, no one knows how to play it." Anarka said walking up to the second floor.

"I know how to play it." Adrien remarked as Luka held a hand out towards him.

"Great, welcome to the band Adrien." He said as Adrien was pulled to his feet. "You can set up over there."

"Thanks, uhh."

"Luka."

Adrien nodded, "Thanks Luka." he said as he picked up the keyboard. As he set up he noticed Luka talking to his mother, then he looked around. "Hey, wasn't Marin suppose to be here?" He asked.

"Oh, he fell in the river earlier. So now he's sleeping downstairs so he won't get too sick." Nino said as he handed him a pair of earplugs.

Adrien stared at him for a moment as the information washed over him. "WHA- is he okay?!"

"Yeah dude, I just told you." Nino reminded. "He'll be fine, you know how much of a deep sleeper he is. Don't worry he's in his natural habitat right now." He said patting his shoulder before he then sat next to Alya, placing an arm around her shoulder.

"Evening everyone, our name is Kitty Section!" Rose announced as Luka plugged his guitar in standing nearby as he gave Adrien a supportive grin which Adrien returned.

One, two, three. I love unicorns, I love unicorns, and cute little fluffy cats!" Rose sang aggressively as Adrien happily played along.

* * *

Marin groaned as he opened his eyes to a partially darkened room. He closed his eyes for a moment, then widened them in shock as he realized that he wasn't his bed nor in his room as he could smell the salty air. He pushed himself up off the bed as he then remembered, he was staying over at Julekas' place because he wasn't feeling well, also borrowing some sleepwear as he had slept through the entire music festival.

"Hey."

Marin flinched as he looked down towards the ground where Luka was sleeping in a sleeping bag. He was on his stomach, holding a phone in his hand.

"Sorry, did I wake you up?" Marin asked guiltily as he hugged the pillow, covered in a blanket.

"Nah, I was just reading stuff on his phone." Luka remarked, "It's just past midnight." He informed.

"Ugh." Marin groaned feeling bad that he missed his friend's performance. But his eyes widened. "Uh, where's my bag?" He asked hastily.

"It's at the end of the bed." Luka pointed out as Marin picked it up, he sighed in relief as he saw Tikki curled up inside, sleeping soundly. "So...did you guys have fun?" He asked.

"Yeah, it was really fun, your friend Adrien plays really well." Luka remarked as Marin's eyes widened.

"Adrien showed up?" He asked.

"Yeah." Luka said as Marin groaned in his pillow. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Marin sighed, "Sorry I missed out, I was looking forward to seeing you guys perform."

Luka smiled, moving onto his back as he placed his hands behind his head. "You can come by anything to hear us practice." He offered with a smile as Marin suddenly realized.

"Are we going to wake up your sister?" He asked now worried.

"Nah, Jules and Mom are sleeping on the deck, they like sleeping under the stars on warm evenings." He informed.

"Oh, then why are you sleeping on the ground?" Marin asked then sitting up, wrapping himself in the blanket.

"Eh, Jules and I kinda have this unspoken rule not to enter each other's side of the room. She probably wouldn't mind, but, you know." He said shrugging his shoulders.

"You can take your bed back, I don't mind taking the sleeping bag." Marin remarked.

"It's okay, it was kinda my fault that you fell into the river." Luka said, "I at least deserve this."

"No way, " Marin immediately said, " It was a really bad situation. That's not on you."

"Still." Luka simply remarked as he closed his eyes.

Marin hummed for a moment. "Alright." He said then sitting down next to him on the ground, removing the blanket and placing the hood over his from the borrowed Jagged Stone hoodie. "I'll just sit here next to you then."

A chuckle escaped Luka's lips. "You're funny Marin." He said as he rested his back against the bed next to him. He was wearing a simple white shirt and grey sweat pants. "How's the jacket fit?"

"The hoodie and pants are pretty loose, but nothing ever really fits me unless I tailor it myself. I think I could honestly fit into kids clothes if I tried." Marin remarked as he had to fold up the sleeves.

"Do you do Juleka's nails or does she do yours?"

"We do each other, sometimes I even do Rose when she comes over. I'm pretty confident in my printing skills." Luka said with a smile as he held up his hand. "I can do yours if you want some time."

"Sure," Marin said, but then sheepishly shook his head. "Actually I can't. I work a lot in my parents' bakery, and you're not supposed to wear jewelry, wear perfumes or colognes, have long nails, or wear nail polish." Marin recalled. "And it's a given but you're not supposed to have any injuries either."

"Do you bake a lot?"

"Yeah, almost every day, come by sometime-" Marin was about to saw but he sneezed again, rubbing his hands together as he began to get drowsy again.

"Are you alright?" Luka as Marin breathed into his hands. Luka hesitated for a moment before then toughing Marins' hand. "You're icy cold!" He said in surprise, not realizing how ill Marin had apparently gotten despite the rest he had gotten in the past few hours.

"I'm find, calm down." Marin slightly slurred, now feeling dizzy. He grumbled as he realized this feeling all too well.

"Right." Luka helped his friend to his feet. Marin didn't fight back being placed back into bed, and reflexively curling up in the sheets. He swiftly fell asleep as the comfort took hold, not even realizing he was still holding onto Luka's hand who saw on his bed, allowing the moment to last for a little while as he down fondly at his friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- Luka and Marin are just friends ya'll. calm down.


	39. Christmas Special

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's that time of year again, where Adrien gets depressed and Marin gets sick. They find their own way to enjoy the holidays, but not in the way they may have expected...
> 
> The Ladyrien and Marichat is strong in this episode. My gift to ya'll. ;)

Marin rested his back against the railing of his porch, shivering slightly as he looked up at the cloudy sky, pulling the cat-eared hoodie over his head. Night would fall soon enough, but he savored what little light there was. Suddenly his eyes were covered as he flinched slightly.

"Guess who." A familiar voice asked in a cheeky tone as Marin chuckled to himself.

"Is it my knight in shining armor?" He joked as he pushed the hands away, looking up to see Chat Noir face hovering above his own as the hero was sitting on the railing.

"Of course, one so dedicated must take care of his dear prince." He remarked as Marin stood before him with a knowing smile.

"Then I guess this Knight, doesn't need a basket of treats made special just for him?" Marin asked hiding the goodies behind him.

Chat Noir's heart raced at the mere thought but kept his composure. "Of course not. However, he is weak to all offerings that his generous prince decides to lovingly give him." He remarked, walking towards Marin with his hands folded behind his back until he stood beside the taller boy with a sly smile.

Marin laughed to himself handing over the basket "Merry Christmas." He said with a smile as Chat Noir gratefully accepted the basket. Peeling back the pink handkerchief to reveal specially made camembert bread freshly baked and shortbread cookies shaped like cat paws. He almost drooled on the spot at the sight and aroma of the treats.

"Have I ever told you how much I care for you?" Chat Noir asked seriously as Marin smiled shyly, rubbing the back of his head. Making Chat Noir notice that he was wearing his special Chat Noir themed jacket. The hero smiled slyly as he made sure Marin knew he took notice. "What a nice jacket, is it inspired by anyone in particular?" He asked jumping onto the table to look down at him with a cheeky grin.

"Nope. No one." Marin remarked easily as he walked past him, resting against the railing once more as he shoved his hands in his pockets. "So are you still on hero duty on Christmas?" He asked, taking notice of the frown that took hold on Chat Noir's face for a moment before his normal smiled returned.

"Of course, evil doesn't take breaks any day of the year." He remarked sitting next to his friend on the railing, placing the basket on his lap.

Marin hummed for a moment, "Well, just in case you do get lonely, I'll leave something out for you here. You know, just to let you know that you're being thought of." He said as he didn't notice Chat Noir's expression soften which then grew to surprise as Marin suddenly sneezed. "Excuse me."

"You're not getting sick are you?" He asked worriedly.

"I usually get sick this time each year. But not this time!" Marin said, gripping his fists. " I know I can make it to New Years without getting sick, I've been getting stronger just this year alone." He remarked with bright eyes as Chat Noir sighed with a smile.

Chat Noir chuckled to himself as he took Marin's hand in his, kissing the back of it as he knelt before him. "Until the next time, my prince." He said affectionately as he then jumped off the railing, using his staff to lift him to the rooftops. As Marin watched him leave, he noticed a familiar car parked nearby the bakery as night fell. His heart raced as he quickly ran back into his room.

"Tikki!" He called out, and his Kwami snapped to attention, "Where is it? Where did I put it?!" Marin grimaced looking everywhere around his room as the panic began to set in.

"It's right here, Marin. See?" Tikki said sitting on a pink and white polka-dotted gift tied with a yellow ribbon.

Marin sighed in relief, picking up the first and quickly planting a peck on Tikki's forehead. "Ah! Thank you sugar cube." He said as he then jumped down the stairs towards the bakery, just seeing Adrien's bodyguard leave. He ran after him getting hit with a gust of cold air as he ran towards the bodyguard entering his car. "Excuse me!-" He called out, but suddenly slipped on some ice as he landed face first in the snow just before the towering man. He looked up with a nervous girn, then was placed back on his feet. "Ah, thank you." Marin thanked as the guard turned back to his car. "Wait! If you don't mind, this is.. this is for Adrien."He mumbled as he handed the gift over. "Can you- I mean, if you wouldn't mind..." Marin mumbled folding his hands together. "Please wish him a Merry Christmas from me. Oh and to you as well, thank you for your patronage!" He added to hide his nervousness blowing his head slightly as the bodyguard nodded, patting his head before driving off.

Marin's expression softened as he smiled gently whispering under his breath. "Merry Christmas Adrien." Wishing that he could do it in person, just before he sneezed.

["Marin, come in before you catch a cold!"] His mother called out as he then ran back towards the bakery, careful not to trip.

* * *

Adrien hung the final ornament as he Nathalie decorated the Christmas tree. He glanced in her direction as an uneasiness settled in his chest, "He should be down here already. Did you call him?"

Nathalie averted her gaze, "Perhaps we should give him... a few more minutes." She suggested as he looked away in disappointment, hearing the front door open.

"What's the point? He's not coming."Adrien said, about to walk up to his room but he was stopped by his bodyguard. "Hm?" Adrien looked at him curiously as his bodyguard placed his hand on his shoulder, then handed him a gift that just made him even sadder. "Thank you. Merry Christmas both of you." He said then walking up to his room alone.

As he entered, he pocketed the present, looking at his phone; only a few hours until Christmas morning. He sighed heavily, throwing his phone on his bed and then walked towards the window, placing a hand against the cold glass, glancing at the full moon rising in the night sky. "He's still only thinking of himself! It's Christmas and all he wants to do is focus on his work. I just want this terrible day to be over and done with! I hate Christmas!" He declared turning towards his Kwami looking at him in worry.

"But it's almost Christmas, if they find out that you snuck out-" Plagg tried to warn.

"No one's going to care." Adrien said angrily. "Plagg, claws out!"

* * *

Chat Noir ran through the city, alone, taking notice of all the families that were together. For a moment, he stopped by Marin's house, longing to reach out, but then hesitated as he saw his friend smiling happily with his family. He didn't need to drag someone as good as him down with his anger, his father proved as much with the past year of isolation he had placed his son in. Chat Noir gritted his teeth together, pushing back his wishes to see comfort, instead deciding to run through the night.

He didn't have a destination in mind only that he needed to get as far away as possible. He looked down on a large Christmas tree within the center of a plaza, eyeing it angrily as he jumped down towards it, thinking about every time his father let him down, ignored him, took him for granted.

"Cataclysm!" He yelled out about to destroy the tree, but then an image flashed into his mind, his mother's smile. The warmth she always provided just by being near, a warmth that had already faded long ago. Even so, he couldn't do it, not to her. Instead, he destroyed a nearby ad, watching as it disintegrated before his eyes. The streets were empty and the snow was slowly building up. His Miraculous beeped as a warning, but he didn't care, he walked for a while letting time run out as he fell to his knees, tears falling from his eyes as now he was subject to the cold.

As he opened them again he saw his Kwami fallen before him. "Plagg? Plagg!?" He said in panic as his friend wasn't usually this tired after detransforming. "What's wrong?"

"So...cold..." Plagg murmured as his stomach grumbled.

Adrien's eyes widened, "What have I done? Wait, I'll help you!" As he patted down his pockets he realized that he wasn't carrying any cheese on him, but found the present he was given earlier. He ripped it open quickly, seeing a beautiful Santa hat and a red card inside. " "Merry Christmas". Signed Marin. He's a lifesaver!" Adrien read out loud as he then sighed in relief. "Come on, we're going to fix you right up, Plagg!" Adrien said gently as he placed his Kwami onto the hat. Walking into the night as he began to feel the winter chill against his skin.

* * *

Marin hummed to himself as he iced some cookies in the shapes of various Christmas symbols, but the ones that he was icing were special for the master and the Kwamis. Then he overheard his mother's gasp, lifting his head towards his parents sitting nearby with concerned expressions on their faces.

"Kidnapped? I'm sure there's another explanation." His mother said.

"Let's take a look around the neighborhood, just in case." His father said as they both began putting on their coats.

Marin removed his apron, cleaning his hands, "What's going on?" He asked in concern as his parents exchanged a worried glance.

"Your friend Adrien is missing, everyone's going out to look for him." His mother informed.

"But I'm sure it's nothing." His father added, trying not to worry his son. "We'll probably be out for a while."

"Wait, I'm coming with you guys." Marin said definitely but noticed his mother crossing her arms as his father looked between them in worry.

"Now mio figio piccolo, you know that it's very cold outside-"

"I'm not going to get sick!" Marin retorted as his mother placed her hand on his cheek.

"I know you're worried about Adrien, but you have to worry about yourself as well." She said.

"Mama, please I promise I won't be out too long, please, I want to help." Marin pleaded as his mother then sighed.

Sabine hummed for a moment as she then held her son's face in her hands forcing him to make eye contact. "You promise that you'll be careful."

"Always." He promised.

His mother then smiled, lifting herself on to her toes as Marin lowered his head so she could hiss kid forehead. ["I love you heart."]

["Love you too mama."] Marin said with a smile. "I'm going to get my coat, I promise I'll stay in the area, you two go on ahead." He said as his parents left before him.

As he walked up to his room he grabbed his grey peacoat and soft pink scarf, earmuffs, and gloves.

"Why did you make a fuss?" Tikki asked as Marin put on his winter clothes, wearing the coat over his kitty hoodie.

"Because I'm not coming back until Adrien's safe at home, and I needed a cover just in case." Marin remarked. He then walked up to his deck, still shivering against the cold air despite his layers.

"Tikki, spots on!"

* * *

Ladybug jumped across the rooftops, he recalled stopping by Adrien's house first, narrowing his eyes as he recalled noticing that his window was open, but there were no footprints leading out despite the large footprints and car tracks that were leading away. If Adrien had his phone then there was no way his father would alarm anyone else, so he probably didn't have his phone. Ladybug then sneezed as he noticed the snow thinning out.

Then, he spotted the footprints atop the roofs, surprising him as he recognized the print within the snow. "Chat Noir?" He questioned, kneeling down for a moment as he then followed them.

Eventually, he was led to a plaza where there was a Christmas tree and a destroyed collum that had traces that it was attacked by a Cataclysm. He looked over it before then noticing a red envelope on the ground.

"This is my note to Adrien..." He remarked. There was only one set of footprints, Chat Noirs and then...

Ladybug shook his head. "He must have detransformed after using his attack...but why is the note here? Could Chat Noir have found Adrien?"

He sighed, holding his head in his hand, there were too many variables, he needed to focus on what was in front of him. There was one set of footprints, but no matter what implications there were, one way or another he was going to get Adrien home.

* * *

Adrien shivered as he walked through the streets, he had some idea where he was, but he wasn't sure how long he could walk in the snow. Even so, he smiled at Plagg safely hidden in his hat. "Don't worry, Plagg, I'll find you something to eat. I can't promise it'll be Camembert." He chuckled, then noticing a Santa getting bullied by a few kids throwing snowballs at him.

"Hey! What's wrong with you? Even if he's not the real one, what would Santa think of your behavior?" Adrien scolded as he walked up.

"The young man's absolutely right. kids, say sorry right now." A man, someone who Adrien assumed was the kid's father, said.

"Sorry, Santa Claus." The kids apologized, looking sorry for their actions.

"It's no big deal, children. Merry Christmas anyway." Santa said as the family apologized again before walking away.

Adrien turned towards Santa, "I'm sorry Sir, are you okay?"

Santa nodded with a smile. "Fine. Don't worry, I'm a tough old Santa. But, what are you doing out at this time of night? Are you lost? You're not exactly dressed for the cold weather. Maybe you'd like some hot chocolate, I've got some left." He offered as he turned back to his sleigh.

Adrien, hugging his arms. "Yeah, I'd love some Sir, doesn't get much better than that." He said as Plagg popped out of the puffball part of the hat. "Except maybe a slice of Camembert?" He suggested.

"Oh you're in luck!" Santa said as Adrien noticed Plagg smiled hopefully. "I've still got some sandwich leftover. This is some of the smelliest cheese I've ever come across. Hmm, that smells… perfect. To each it's own. So you're not lost then, I hope."

Adrien hesitated for a moment, looking away then heard crunching in the snow as someone landed nearby. Time seemed to slow down as Adrien watched Ladybug land nearby, his scarf flowing in the air as he then stood tall.

"L-Ladybug." Adrien said in surprise as the hero walked up to him.

"Mr. Agrete, a lot of people are out looking for you. Your father is especially worried about you." Ladybug informed sternly as Adrien's stomach sank he turned his head away angrily.

"So?" He said bluntly as Ladybug looked surprised by his tone. "Why does it have to take me running away for him to notice me?"

Ladybug stared at him for a moment before his expression softened. "Your father isn't the only person who cares about you, almost all of your friends are looking for you as well, they think something bad happened."

Adrien frowned, he felt guilty, it was almost Christmas and everyone was out looking for him instead of spending it with their families. He really was the worst. He sighed heavily, "I'm sorry, but I don't want to go home yet. I'd rather stay out here."

"If I may interject?" Santa said as the two then looked at him. "So long as this young man gets home, why don't we use my sleigh to get him there? I'm sure it may take a while."

Ladybug glanced away for a moment, he didn't have time for a long trip, if Chat Noir was around an in danger he had to find him quickly.

"I'm alright with that." Adrien said, then glancing up at him.

Ladybug sighed, "I'll let your father know that you're safe." the hero said walking away a few feet, dialing him up.

"Hello?" Nathalie was the one who answered the phone.

"This is Ladybug, Adrien is safe." Ladybug informed as he noticed Adrien getting wrapped up in a blanket. He offered the old man is his hat as his other one was worn down, smiling as he drank some hot chocolate with Santa. His heart couldn't help but swell at the scene, then chiding himself as he spoke on, "But it's unsafe to carry him when there's snow on the rooftops, so we're taking alternate transportation. It will take a while, but he'll get home safely."

"Understood, thank you Ladybug, I'll inform his father." Nathalie sighed in relief as she then hung up.

Ladybug walked back to Adrien and Santa who were seated on the sleigh, "Your father's secretary knows you're coming back. Don't wander away off track." He warned as Adrien nodded. As he walked away he heard Adrien call out to him.

"Wait!" Adrien called, as Ladybug turned back to him. Adrien faltered for a moment but asked, "Shouldn't you come with us, you know, to ensure my safety...?" Adrien asked.

Ladybug drew a conflicted expression, "You're not wrong, I'm supposed to see you home. But, I saw Chat Noir's cataclysm in the plaza where I saw that gift card addressed to you. If my partner is out there in danger, then I have to find him."

"I actually saw Chat Noir earlier, he's the one who convinced by to try and go home," Adrien explained.

"And the Cataclysm?"

Adrien chuckled nervously, "I asked to see it in action..."

Ladybug hummed for a moment, crossing his arms. What Adrien said, it didn't fully match what the evidence said. But, perhaps he needed to turn his head away, trying to dredge up hidden truths could prove to be disastrous. Instead, he walked over as Adrien stood next to the sleigh. "I'll go with you on one condition." He said.

"Anything." Adrien said far too easily as he noticed Ladybug take off his scarf. His heart almost stopped as his partner wrapped it around his neck even though he stood a few feet above him as he was standing on the sleigh. Looking down at his face he could notice the flecks of silver in his eyes under the moonlight, as well as he flushed pink face against the cold. He immediately feeling cozier as his face slightly reddened. "I-is this really okay?"

"It'll disappear as soon as I transform back." Ladybug remarked as Adrien took a step back, giving Ladybug a hand as he stepped onto the sleigh, sitting next to him as Santa moved the sleigh.

Ladybug crossed his arms, watching his white breath disperse before his eyes as the temperature lowered the longer the night lasted. He flinched slightly as Adrien sat closer, wrapping the blanket around his shoulders.

"Thanks." Ladybug said gratefully, thankful for the extra warmth and trying not to think about being far to close to the person he liked.

"I'm sorry you're out here looking after me instead of being with your family..." Adrien remarked with a sullen expression, but Ladybug shook his head.

"I was on patrol anyway, don't worry about it." Ladybug said.

"How did you know I was missing anyway?" Adrien asked curiously.

Ladybug's eyes widened slightly, "Uh, one of your friend's flagged me down," Ladybug explained. "Some kid in a grey jacket."

Adrien looked at him in surprise. "Marin, out here in the snow?" Adrien said in worry, knowing about his friend's poor health.

"Uh, but don't worry about him, I told him to go back home directly." Ladybug remarked hastily, averting his gaze.

Adrien looked at him in concern, wondering if his friend would actually listen to what a superhero would tell him...probably not. "How about you, sir? Where will you be celebrating Christmas?"

"Me? I have all of Paris. The whole world even! Ho, ho, ho!

"All by yourself, huh?" Adrien remarked, he hummed for a moment. "Here's what we're gonna do. Take me back home and have Christmas with us! I need you to bring the Christmas spirit back into our home.

"All right then. But I can't stay for too long, you do know that Santa's very busy at Christmas time."

"Thank you!" Adrien smiled at him, then shyly turned to Ladybug, "Um, you're welcome to stay we well if you want of course." He swore he almost saw Ladybug blush as he turned towards him.

"You're sweet, but I shouldn't impose." He said, still wanting to track down Chat Noir before the night was over. But for now, was content in remaining next Adrien as the bell's on the horses rang throughout the night.

* * *

Outside of the Agreste mansion, Santa rang the doorbell while Ladybug jumped off the sleigh.

"Adrien, is that you?!" Nathalie said over the intercom as Adrien jumped off of the sled. "Who are you?"

"Isn't it obvious? I'm Santa Claus!" Santa informed.

"Really now?" Nathalie remarked as Adrien immediately recognized that tone. "Sir, please remove yourself from the premises or you will be removed."

"No, you're wrong!" Adrien called out, trying to reason as Ladybug then stood forward before him.

"I believe I spoke earlier with you?" He said defensively. There was a brief silence as the gate began to open, Nathalie ran out the door as Adrien's bodyguard walked behind.

"I'm sorry." He apologized as he clutched the blanket around him turning back towards Santa and Ladybug. "My offer still stands." He said as Nathalie then hugged him tightly.

"Adrien, you're a kind lad, but I think wither of us going in would only make the night worse," Santa remarked sighing heavily.

"But..." Adrien said, about to argue back, but he faltered as he realized that Santa was right. His father had a knack of turning on anyone who he brought into his home. "Merry Christmas." He murmured, allowing himself to be guided by Nathalie back into the house.

Santa sighed heavily as he realized he still had the hat from before. "Oh, I guess I should've returned this."

"I think he would've wanted you to keep it." Ladybug remarked as Santa chuckled.

"I mean what I said before, he is a good lad. Perhaps someone should go check up on him?" He suggested.

"It would be improper to enter someone's house without permission." Ladybug remarked, hugging himself as he felt the winter chill get to him.

Santa hummed for a moment as he sat back on his sled. "As I recall, you did have permission." He said cheekily. "Merry Christmas Ladybug." He said as Ladybug nodded.

"Merry Christmas sir." He said, waving as Santa drove off, his horses' bells jingling until the sound faded. Ladybug looked back at the Agreste mansion, sighing for a moment as he realized that the window from before was still open.

* * *

As soon as he entered he noticed the light on within his father's study, still locked inside. Adrien bit his bottom lip in frustration, had his father even left the house? Worried about him his as-

"Where are you going, Adrien?" Nathalie asked.

"To my room, of course, since my father isn't celebrating Christmas." He said coldly.

"Of course he is Adrien." Nathalie said gently, "Your father came to see earlier, but you'd gone out. I'll tell him that you're waiting for him. Just making sure you'll stay in your room this time.

Adrien sighed heavily. "Tell him not to bother. I think I'll just go to bed." He said, not waiting for an answer as he walked back to his room, back to where this all began. His expression softened as he saw Plagg was already asleep, he placed his Kwami within his cheese cabinet, on the basket that Marin had gifted him earlier. He smiled warmly at his partner, "Merry Christmas Plagg." Adrien whispered fondly as he closed the door, then heard a bang behind him. He turned to see someone jumping through the window, his eyes widened as he recognized his partner.

"Ladybug?" Adrien asked in surprise. He kept the lights off in order to make Nathalie believe he was asleep. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to check on you." The Hero said simply.

"Oh, you don't have to, I'm fine..." Adrien said as he sat down at the edge of his bed, but as soon as he said that his heart felt heavy.

"Alright," Ladybug said as he knelt before him, looking up at him with an understanding expression drawn. "How are you actually?"

Adrien chuckled to himself, tears welling up. "It's my first Christmas without my mom and my father…" His voice hitched as every part of his being tried to prevent him from speaking further. "He thinks he's the only one who's been hurt, ever since she disappeared it feels like he's just seen me as some kind of annoyance..."

Ladybug's expression softened as he placed a hand over Adrien's. "Grief like that can change anyone. But any father cares, they show it in their own way, yours probably still needs time."

"Am I just suppose to wait for him?!" Adrien snapped as he pulled his hand back angrily. All he did was wait, obey, did what his father thought was best. It was always hard, but his mother always softened his father's harshness, now...he just felt cold.

"Of course not, if you don't want to." Ladybug said gently, with so much kindness in his tone, surprising Adrien as he didn't try again to grab attention. "He has you to care about him, but it's not all on your shoulders. You have other people who care about you, ones that will definitely look your way if you reach out, until your own father can do so himself." The hero said, as a wry smile drew on Adrien's face as he hugged himself.

"Yeah...I just wish..." Adrien murmured for a moment, hesitating until Ladybug placed a hand on his shoulder. "I could hug my mom at least one more time, or at least say good-bye..." He admitted as he wiped away the tears but were just replaced with more tears until he suddenly felt Ladybug hug him, allowing him to sob in his arms. "I knew, everyone knew it was coming...she just kept getting sicker and sicker. Dad said...that I shouldn't worry about her, that she would be okay. So I didn't, I listened to him. I thought she was going to get better, I believed him- but she still..." He cried out, his heart aching from the rush of memories, and Ladybug let him. Not saying a single word as Adrien released all the tears he held back for a year.

He wasn't certain how long he cried, not realizing that even so long after her disappearance he still mourned over his mother. Yet, with all these vulnerable feelings, he felt safe within his partner's arms, the person who he knew he was deeply in love with. Yet, Ladybug would never find out who he held. For a moment Adrien wondered if Ladybug would ever treat him this kindly if he ever found who he really was...

He pushed away the thoughts as he pulled back, wiping away the few remaining tears. "I'm sor-"

"Don't apologize." Ladybug remarked, "Never apologize for how you feel." He said placing a hand against his arm. Adrien stared at him for a moment, unable to fathom how beautiful he looked under the moonlight, practically glowing under its shine against his face. Adrien placed his own hand against Ladybug's, his heart racing.

"Ladybug... I lo-"

Then someone knocked on his door. Both of tensed up as someone would possibly walk through that door in a few seconds. Adrien reflexively grabbed his bedsheets, quickly covering himself and Ladybug as he feared what would happen if he was caught with a superhero in the dark at almost midnight. He wasn't exactly sure why it translated into fear, but he just went with it.

"Adrien, your father wants to talk to you." Nathalie's muffled voice said from the other side.

"I-I'm coming! Just give me a moment please!" He called out, not moving an inch until he heard Nathalie walk away, her heels tapping away down the stairs until he sighed in relief. Then, he could feel his cheeks heat up as he realized he had Ladybug, the person who he adored most in the world, pinned to his bed. For a moment he could hear his heartbeat in his ears, eye level for once as he noticed Ladybug averted his gaze shyly. The only light came from his phone as a cheery alarm was set off, breaking the tension for a moment.

"Merry Christmas Ladybug." He whispered with a smile as Ladybug's expression softened.

"Merry Christmas Adrien." Ladybug whispered in return as Adrien pushed himself back, allowing the hero to sweep his feet off the bed, heading for the window. Adrien hesitated for a moment, his face running red as he suddenly slapped his cheeks.

Ladybug stopped for a moment as he heard the sound, he turned around for a moment, he was surprised as Adrien walked up to him, placing his hand against his mouth as he kissed the back of his hand. The moment lasted only for a second as Adrien then stepped back looking incredibly guilty.

"I'm sorry," He apologized, "I..." He was about to explain himself, apologize more for his impulsiveness, but then noticed Ladybug's expression. Covering his mouth as he had never seen his partner look so...off balance.

Ladybug stammered, trying to cover his face. "You should only do that with someone you like..." He advised, then he jumped up to the window and then using his yo-yo to jump onto the rooftops.

Adrien begged his heart to stop beating so fast, taking a deep breath as he tried to regain his composure. He took off Ladybug's scarf, placing it on his bed, still smelling the scent of macaroons as he walked towards the door. Just as he placed his hand on the handle, he looked back for a moment, noticing that Ladybug did the same, his silhouette against the full moon, the two smiling for a moment before their two went their separate ways.

* * *

Adrien stood in his father's study, both of them looking up at his mother's portrait.

"Adrien. You understand I can't have you disappearing like that. I couldn't bare the thought of losing you." Gabriel said.

For a moment Adrien looked away, wondering how true that statement was. But even so, he turned towards his father with a sure expression. "I miss her too." He said, noticing his father lowering his head slightly.

Then his attention was grabbed as he heard the doorbell ringing. He looked at the source in confusion, "I believe it's for you." His father said, surprising Adrien as he walked to the foyer where Nathalie was waiting with a smiling expression, nodding to him supportively. His eyes widened in surprise as he saw all of his friends were standing there with smiles on their faces.

"You father personally informed everyone that you were home, safe and sound," Nathalie explained as she gestured everyone to come in.

Adrien was stunned with happiness as Nino was the first to hug him. He smiled at his best friend, then walked back into the study where his father was still looking up towards the portrait of his mother. "Please, father. It's Christmas." Adrien pleaded as Gabriel adjusted his glasses, turning towards him.

"Of course." He said simply as he walked towards him, giving him a hug for a moment before he walked into the dining hall with Nathalie.

For a moment, Adrien turned back to the portrait of his mother with a bittersweet smile, "Merry Christmas, mom." He said before turning off the lights to his father's study.

Walking into the dining room his chest swelled with joy seeing a usually empty table fill up with familiar faces. All of his friends were...

"Huh?" Adrien's eyes widened for a moment as he then walked up to Alya. "Hey, where's Marin?" He asked curiously.

"He got in trouble with his parents, didn't say what but he's grounded until New Years." Alya explained helping to set up the table. "

Adrien glanced out into the night at the falling snow.

* * *

Marin sighed as he watched his breath disappear before him, wearing his peacoat over his hoodie as he was looking up at the stars on this cold clear night. Tikki was already asleep, curled up cutely in a little basket he had made for her within his diary box. He was wrapped in a blanket, already ready with hot cocoa in a thermos as he decided to stay up until midnight. His head was little fuzzy, but he swore he'd make it to the end this time. He had to...

"Hi."

His eyes widened in surprise as he suddenly turned to see Chat Noir sitting in the chair behind him holding the same basket from before in his hands. He sighed in relief as he adjusted his banket and hoof resting on his head. "I was worried. I left out a Yuletide log for you, but it was untouched." He informed as he noticed Chat Noir's ears flattened.

"Yeah...I'm sorry about that." Chat Noir remarked averting his gaze, but Marin suddenly backtracked his words.

"No no- I didn't mean, I mean, mean, uh- UGh." He groaned in frustration stuttering through his words, taking a breath. "I mean, I hope you were safe enjoying yourself. I don't mind that you didn't take it so long as you were enjoying yourself...Did you?" He said as Chat Noir smile.

"Yeah, best Christmas ever." He murmured as Marin sighed in relief, walking towards him.

"That was good, I'm really happy for you..." He murmured as the deck began to spin for a moment.

"Hey!" Chat Noir called out in warning, quickly catching his friend before he hit the ground, cradling him in his arms. Chat Noir sighed in relief for a moment before his pushed Marin's bangs back, pressing his forehead to his as his hands were covered. His eyes widened in shock, "You have a fever, and you're standing out here in the cold?!" He scolded as Marin had the audacity to smile cutely at him with a toothy grin.

"I almost made it." He remarked as Chat Noir contemplated locking him away for the rest of winter.

"What happened?" Chat Noir asked absentmindedly but then realized that he already knew the answer as he helped Marin sit up.

"My friend went missing, so I had to look for him. My parents got mad because I stayed out for more than an hour, so then I got grounded." He chuckled.

"Maybe they had the right idea. Why would you stay out for so long?"

"He's one of my best friends." Marin said easily, "There's no way anyone could enjoy themselves if someone they cared about wasn't safe at home." He said, but then was surprised as Chat Noir held his face in his hands.

"If this kid knew how far you went for him, there is no way he would be okay with it." Chat Noir scolded.

"But he doesn't, so it's alright." Marin reasoned, but then giggled as Chat Noir clearly grew more annoyed.

"You think this is a joke?!" He asked but Marin only laughed more, just before coughing. Chat Noir groaned, "That's it, you're going back inside." He said standing up.

"No way." Marin said, rejecting him. "I'm almost there, I can make it to midnight, I just need a little more time."

"Why is this so important to you?"

"Because I've done more this year than I've done in all my life, and I'm going to end it the best way I can. By doing something that the past would never be able to do!" He said with conviction, his eyes shining with determination. Chat Noir was stunned for a moment, his heart slightly racing at his friend's resolve. The two stared at each other for few moments until Chat Noir groaned.

"Ugh- alright!"

Marin blinked at him for a moment in confusion. "Huh? What do you-WOAH!" Marin asked questioningly at first but then was swept off his feet as Chat Noir sat down in the chair. The two curled up with each other as Marin sat in Chat Noir's lap, his head resting against Chat Noir's shoulder.

"If you're going to be stubborn, then you can't complain about this." The Hero remarked as he poked Marin's forehead. Then wrapped the blanket around the two of them as they both looked up at the stars.

"Don't you want to be with your family?" Marin asked as Chat Noir shrugged his shoulders. He already planned ahead, telling Nathalie that he would be going to bed instead of staying up, knowing that no one would mind.

"I wanted to check up on you, and I'm very glad I did." He remarked. "What about your parents?"

"Sleeping." He said. "Early to bread, early to rise. Uh, that's what my dad said." Marin said, blushing slightly as Chat Noir laughed.

"Sounds like a funny guy."

"Yeah, he and my mom are pretty great, a little overprotective, but they mean well." Marin said. Chat Noir nodded, he couldn't really think of this father as overprotective, giving off the feeling of desiring control more than anything. But he knew that at least Marin's parents were true to his word, at least they hadn't tried to lock their frail son away.

"So what were you planning on doing here all night?" Chat Noir asked.

Marin chuckled, "Snacking and drawing constellations."

"You know I'm a fan of one of those hobbies very much so, my prince. But what's the other one?"

Marin pointed towards the night sky, "It's just making up star constellations. I used to this all the time when my school had an astronomy club, all you do is pick out a shape and then name it. Like," Marin explained as he pointed out a small group of stars. "Those six, make cat ears, and there's the whiskers and the rest of the body."

Chat Noir narrowed his eyes, trying to trace what his friend was pointing out. "I...don't think I'm seeing it." He admitted.

"You kinda have to use your imagination to fill out a few parts, but the basic shapes are there." Marin explained, "You try."

Chat Noir shrugged his shoulders as Marin rested on him. He hummed for a moment, he tried to do what Marin did, trying to trace a few small groups of stars. Even narrowing his eyes to try and focus, but nothing stood out. Suddenly, he saw a white streak across the sky in a blink of an eye before fading away, a shooting star. His eyes widened in excitement.

"Hey! Marin did you see-" Chat Noir asked as he realized Marin had fallen asleep shivering against the cold night despite being curled up against a heat source. Chat Noir sighed in exasperation as he picked him up. He opened the sunroof with his foot jumping down onto the bed. He gently placed his friend on the bed tucking him in under the three blankets he had on his bed. He lingered for a moment, he had been in Marin's room a few times before, but never on his bed. He couldn't help but chuckle at the grossly large amount of pillows and blankets that were practically formed into a nest, it was fitting.

He took notice as Marin moaned in his asleep, slightly opening his eyes as he smiled at his friend.

"Hey."

"Hey." Chat Noir smiled as he cupped Marin's cheek, gently whispering in his ear. "Happy New Year." He congratulated as his heart couldn't help but melt at the sight of his friend's smile.

"Happy New year..." Marin mumbled, half asleep as he placed his hand over Chat Noir's, quickly drifting off into a deep slumber. Chat Noir's expression softened as glanced at the clock that read 11:40. He gently pushed a stray lock of hair behind Marin's ear, kissing his cheek. Part of him wanted to stay a little longer, he knew Marin wouldn't mind, but he couldn't impose. Instead, he allowed himself another glance at his slumbering friend as he jumped back onto the deck and into the cold night.

He took a deep breath as a cloud of warm air disappeared before his eyes. Even though he was going home, for once he was doing so with a warm feeling in his heart.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- They're just friends. Calm down.
> 
> -This episode isn't exactly Chronological, but it does take place during some point during season 2, this just seemed the most appropriate spot to place it. 
> 
> -Merry Christmas Eve ya'll, I hope you'll continue to follow this series into the next year. Thank you for all your support.
> 
> \- Also please review, it really helps.


	40. Frightningal-llerina

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Somehow both Marinus and Adiren get wrapped into a music video by idol Clara. 
> 
> It's pretty much fluff.

Adrien sat down in the make-up chair within a trailer as he looked at his father on a tablet screen.

"It will be an excellent promotion for the upcoming opening of our stores in Korea and China." Gabriel said as he stood before his computer monitor while Adrien could only grow more panicked as he was handed a costume. Adrien looked down at the familiar costume in his hand, almost an exact replica.

"But Father—"

"I've been designing Clara's costumes since she started out. She was very pleased with my humble suggestion of using you. She's only seen you in our advertisements, but she does admire you a lot. I'm hoping you won't let us down." His father said with the tone of, you-have-no-say-in-the-matter.

Adrien looked down, dejectedly. "Of course not, Father."

"Don't look so glum. I hear the person Clara chose as Ladybug is around your age." His father remarked as Adrien looked back up at him in surprise.

"Huh?" Adrien looked back at him curiously before Nathalie walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.

* * *

Marin sighed as he stood before the Grand Palais feeling overwhelmed by all the Auditionees for Clara Nightingale's video who gathered out front. Marin held the straps of his messenger bag, looking like a child who just lost their parent against a sea of fans.

"Uh, excuse me..." Marin murmured trying to get someone to help but was too timid. He sighed heavily moment before he was tackled from behind, shaking him to his core as he then looked back to see Rose hugging him. Mylène, Juleka, Alix and Alya walked up with surprised looks on their faces.

"Hiya cutie, I didn't know you were coming here." Alya greeted. 

"Uh, yeah...I-"

"Are you here to see Clara too?! She's amazing isn't she?!" Rose said with glee releasing him from her embrace.

Mylène stepped forward, "Are you trying out to be an extra?"

"Um-"

"An extra? The boy can hardly ask for directions let alone dance on a stage." Alix remarked. "Uh, no offense."

Marin sighed heavily, "I'm not exactly here to try out, I just need-" As he was about to explain someone placed a hand on his shoulder, making him flinch for a moment as he looked back to see Penny standing nearby.

"There you are." She said with a concerned expression on her face. "Come on, they're waiting in the back for you." She said as Marin waved to his friends, following the manager as his anxiety was morphed into relief.

* * *

In a dressing trailer, Adrien looked at himself in the mirror with an almost exact replica of his costume, growing more anxious as he held the mask in his hand.

Plagg hovered nearby with an amused expression on his face. "Great choice of fabric! And these seams!" He remarked taking a closer look. "Amazing craftsmanship!"

"There's no way I can wear this!" Adrien exclaimed.

"Yeah, I've always found that little bell so ridiculous! Then again, the costume is what you really wanted deep down, isn't it?" Plagg commented as Adrien hid away the mask under some nearby towels.

"No, Plagg. I mean that everyone's gonna realize that I'm the real Chat Noir! And cats wear bells what are you even- you know what, not important. Because people are going to find out I'm Chat Noir because my father decided to dress his son up like a CAT!"

"No way! People are blind." Plagg said as Adrien suddenly snapped to attention when he heard a knocking on the door.

"Hello?" The person from the other side asked as Adrien kept his eyes trained on it.

" Aah, uh, coming! Just a sec!" He called out with a nervous smile turning back to his Kwami. "If they see me with that mask on, they're all gonna recognize me for sure! All I can do is try to act as lame as I possibly can. Hopefully, they'll have no choice but to replace me." He explained with a whisper as Plagg rolled his eyes, flying into Adrien's bag.

Just as Adrien stepped out he accidentally surprised the person that about to enter the trailer, knocking him back. His eyes lit up as a smile drew on his face, all previous anxiety disappearing.

"Marin, you're here?!" He asked as he quickly helped his friend to his feet, holding onto his hand.

"I- I mean, I'm just here for..." Marin rambled for a moment as he then noticed Adrien's costume, his face reddened, surprising Adrien. "You're Chat Noir?" He asked in defeat as Adrien looked at him curiously.

"Yeah, my father recommended me. " Adrien explained smiling nervously. "Looks a little ridiculous on me doesn't it?"

"No, no I mean, " Marin chuckled to himself, rubbing the back of his head. "I think you look kinda cool..." He said with a reddened face.

Butterflies started to flutter in Adrien's stomach as he heard that compliment, just before he could respond, a woman with pink hair walked up to them. "Your costume." She said handing Marin a white bag. He thanked her before she walked off, seemingly coordinating the event as she had a headset and microphone.

"You're going to be in this music video too?" Adrien asked in shock as Marin nodded shyly. "How did that happen?"

"Long story short, I made Clara's new microphone, and she asked me to do it."

"And you just agreed?" Adrien asked in surprise, "You're the last person I would think would want to perform."

Marin sighed, "I didn't really want to, but I couldn't say no when she started talking about her dreams." He shrugged as a chuckle escaped Adrien's lips as Marin smiled shyly. "Yeah, I think it's gonna be a disaster too."

"No, it's not that. It's just, very like you to agree to this." Adrien said walking down the stairs. "I guess I'll see you out there?"

Marin nodded as he walked into the trailer, "Yeah, see ya I guess."

* * *

Marin groaned as he looked at himself in the mirror after removing all of his hairpins. His hair was a mess, the longer locks framing his face as few strands refused to stay down. "Great, now I'm an athletic clown that looks like he doesn't own a hairbrush." He said, placing the mask on his face.

"This looked too similar, what if people discover that you're Ladybug?" Tikki asked in concern as she recognized that Marin was almost an exact copy of his hero counterpart.

But he laughed dryly, "There's more to Ladybug than just a face Tikki. And with my coordination, I'll be lucky if Clara doesn't decide to replace me after seeing my dancing skills. Besides," He said walking to the door, "so long as no one realizes it's me in this thing then I think I can pull this off." He said. as Tikki flew into his bag.

* * *

"Thank you for coming, all of you! This is like a dream come true! Together we'll all dance and sing; It's going to be awesome and amazing!" Adrien overheard as he walked up to the stage area where Nathalie was waiting with his father on video call. He looked over his son's appearance with a stern expression on his face.

"The costume fits you like a glove, as I knew it would. But, where is your mask?"

Adrien tensed up, "Uh, I couldn't find it anywhere." He said, bluntly lying to his father who narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"I'll take care of it!" Someone called out as Adrien momentarily cursed their existence.

"It's no biggie; it's okay." Someone sang as he looked up to the idol Clara with a star emblemed microphone in her hand and a bright smile on her face. She helped him onto the stage as he felt a rush of guilt. Clara was nice, just because he was fearful of his secret identity being found out, didn't mean he had to go out of his way to ruin her project. "We don't need the mask for tryouts anyway-" She said as someone walked before them, skipping the lines dressed as Ladybug, down to the dark-haired wig.

"Thank you all for coming. You can go home now. Your "Ladybug" has arrived!" Chloé stated as Adrien cringed at the sight of his childhood friend. "So when does the shoot begin?"

Adrien sighed, "Chloé, everyone has to audition. You know that." He remarked.

Chloé smirked, walking onto the stage. "Oh yeah, that little formality." She remarked before jumping into a series of acrobatics and dance moves, surprising even Adrien. Once she finished, the crowd cheered as Chloé smirked to herself. "Eight years of private classes with Aurélie Dupont from the Paris Op-er-a. I know. I'm breathtaking."

Adrien was stunned, he knew Chloé had always had a passion for dance, but he thought that she gave all that up when her mother left.

"You've definitely got enough talent for me, but the Ladybug is already chosen, you see." Clara apologized with song as all eyes were on her.

"WHAT?!"Chloé shouted in anger, removing her wig.

"I'm really sorry, what's-your-name, a miscommunication seems to be at blame. But you can still be an extra in the video, if you're game!" Clara sang, trying to console her, but someone else caught here attention. Ah!There you are! -" She sang suddenly, running off the stage.

Chloé was outraged, staring at the idol who had the audacity to walk away from her. "What?! You want me to be a mere...extra?!" She demanded then saw the Ladybug being pulled on stage and grew even more angry, stomping off the stage and towards the exit. "Ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous"

Adrien was entranced as his attention was on the Ladybug that Clara was leading on stage, quickly introducing him to everyone. "Here's a hug, Because you are our Ladybug!" Clara announced as the Ladybug averted his gaze nervously as all eye were on him. He was remarkably similar replica to the original, save for a few rough edges. "Spot on! And spotlight!" She announced then tuning towards the two chosen as she placed the Ladybug right next to Adrien. "So, you're Ladybug and you're Chat Noir." She said pointing to the two.

"No! Uh...uh...yeah!" They both stammered together, exchanging a nervous glance as Clara radiated excitement.

She guided them both on the dance moves needed. Adrien followed her moves down to a tee, but noticed that she was giving special attention to the Ladybug who was lagging behind, clearly not used to choreography.

"Sorry." He murmured, even though Clara smiled at him. She hummed for a moment as she glanced at the two, clearly noticing their lack of chemistry.

" Your dance moves need to be synchronized if you can..." She said as a cheeky smile dawned. "So you'll need to hold each other by the hand!"

Both of them looked at each other in surprise. Adrien was the first to break the tension, holding out his hand as the Ladybug looked nervous, turning his head away as he held out his hand.

" Not like that. Don't be shy!" Clara scolded, making them hold hands. "Like lovers do. Give it a try!" She encouraged as both their faces reddened. Adrien tried to make eye contact with the Ladybug but he was really good at avoiding attention.

"One final task: Put on the mask."

Adrien froze for a moment. "Uh, I didn't see it. I looked everywhere in the dressing room for it but it was..." He glanced at the other Ladybug nervously who was already wearing the mask, "..nowhere to be found!"

"It's okay! I found it!" The same stagehand from earlier called out as Adrien glared at him. Clara ran over to him, taking the Chat Noir mask and quickly handing it to Adrien.

"Go ahead, put them on, you, we've got a lot of singing and dancing to do!" She cheered.

Adrien looked down at the mask in his hand, turning his back towards the people for a moment as had no idea what to do. Anything he did reflected his father's image as well, so it wasn't like he could get angry or throw a tantrum. He was stuck between a rock and a hard place...

* * *

Marin could see his friend's displeasure as he held the mask in his hand. He took a deep breath, turning to Clara.

"Would you mind if we took a minute?" He asked. At first she gave him a surprised expression, but as she looked at Adrien who had his back turned she nodded supportively, addressing the audience as Marin walked back over to his friend. He stepped to the side of him, gaining his attention as he nervously a lock of hair behind his ear. "We can take a minute if you want." He suggested, tilting his head towards a nearby sitting area.

Adrien glanced at him for a moment before sighing heavily, nodding as he followed the taller boy. As they both sat across from each other Adrien spoke up."Ah, hi, Adrien. I'm sorry I didn't get to introduce myself earlier." He said, holding his hand out but was surprised as the Ladybug chuckled removing his mask for a moment. His eyes widened in surprise as his friend was the one standing before him.

"Nice to meet you, but I think we've met before." Marin joked as he stared at his friend for a moment as he hid his face from the audience with his hand.

"You're Ladybug?!" He gasped in surprise as Marin nodded shyly.

"Disappointed you have to work with me?" He asked nervously. But Adrien immediately shook his head, relieved as at least there was a familiar friendly face here.

"Of course not." Adrien said easily, but his smile turned into an apologetic grin. "I'm sorry, I guess I'm not living up to the whole, cool cat persona Chat Noir has." He joked, disappointed in himself that he wasn't as amazing as his other counterpart, his friend's favorite hero.

"Just because you're nervous?" Marin asked placing the mask back on.

"Kinda..." Adrien murmured. "I wish I could wear the lucky charm you gave me, I could use some courage right about now." He sighed lowering his head, but was shocked as Marin, quite forwardly, took Adrien's hand, slapping them together as the shorter boy flinched fro a moment. He was confused for a moment, but then recalled the gesture, a smile breaking out on his face.

"Seriously?" He asked as Marin nodded with an encouraging nod. Adrien gelt a warmth bubble into his chest, the problem still hung over his head like a dark cloud, but he couldn't help but feel a little hopeful as he took a deep breath. " I am Adrien Agreste. I'm a fantastic person, an amazing friend, and am someone whose confidence inspires others. But above all..." Adrien said with a light-hearted smile, laughing through the words as Marin tried to suppress his own giggles. "I have a beautiful smile."

Both of them broke into laughter as someone then slammed the doors open of the building, catching everyone's attention. All eyes were on the Mayor who was walking in with a large stack of papers and Chloé smirking smugly beside him.

" I'm sorry. My administrative staff just realized you never submitted permit A38 as stipulated in the circular B65 that one can only get at counter C, third floor of City Hall, which is, alas, closed for renovations until August, which means you don't have a permit to shoot...anywhere in France, including Paris." The Mayor said as he handed all the papers to Clara, who was stunned.

"I...I don't understand!" She said, no longer singing.

"It means no more dancing, no more singing today," Chloé said cruelly as she took Clara's microphone, throwing it on the ground as the idol fell to her knees, holding it in her hands as tears started to fall. "The nightingale can spread her wings, and fly away! Oh! Did you hear that? I made a rhyme! How talented am I?" She laughed as she walked past the idol.

"No! The video needs to be shot here, in Paris, the capital of love, the city of Ladybug and Chat Noir...I'm so sorry, my beloved fans!" She apologized running past Adrien and Marin and into the trailer.

Marin's expression fell as he chased after Clara as Adrien glared at Chloé who was looking proud at her own actions, while her father at least had a semblance of guilt.

"The show is over! You all have to leave now." Chloé laughed triumphantly as everyone started to disperse.

Adrien took a deep breath, trying to calm his anger as he turned back to Marin who knocked on the trailer door, trying to coax Clara out of her trailer. All of a sudden, he was thrown back as the door suddenly opened, revealing a new Akumatized villain. Her attention was on Chloé who was still laughing, jumping towards the top of a nearby trailer.

"Chloé, watch out!" Adrien called out as the new villain hit Chloé and her father with her whip.

"Sing, dance or rhyme, or you'll be frozen in no time!" She warned as Adrien backed away, turning a corner. His back was against the trailer as Plagg phased through.

Adrien smiled at his Kwami, "Ready to shake a leg?"

"I'm much better at singing," Plagg remarked.

"Plagg, claws out!"

* * *

Marin rubbed the back of his head painfully as he noticed people were being turned into statues. He lost sight of Adrien but spotted the rest of his friends were already turned into statues. He quickly sprinted into the trailer, closing the door behind him as Tikki then flew out.

"Good thing you're already in costume." She joked as Marin couldn't help but chuckle.

"Tikki, spots on!"

* * *

Outside the Grand Palais Ladybug landed on the roof as he saw the new villain was rapidly turning more people into statues by the second, hitting others with her whip which was originally her microphone.

"Sing, dance or rhyme, or you'll be frozen in no time!" The villain announced as she laughed.

Ladybug narrowed his eyes, throwing his yo-yo as it wrapped around her leg, tripping her as Ladybug jumped down. He earned a glare from the new villain as she grabbed the string from his yo-yo.

"I'm Frightningale from here on out, Forever and ever, there's no doubt! And if you stand in my way, there'll be a price to pay!" She sang as she jerked the yo-yo towards her, and along with it Ladybug who was sent flying, landing on his back as Frightningale grabbed his neck. "Song and dance will make the world a better place." She remarked pinning him down using her enhanced strength, her smiled faded for a moment as Ladybug only glared at her. "Don't agree with me? Ha! Then you're a disgrace!" She cried out angrily, about to use her whip until it was knocked out of her hand.

"Do you mind if I join the dance?" Chat Noir asked as he rested his head on his staff.

Frightningale growled, leaping after her weapon as Ladybug jumped back onto his feet. He grabbed his yo-yo standing together with Chat Noir against Frightningale.

"Do you really think the two of you can win this battle through and through?" She sang as both heroes dashed towards her. Ladybug knelt for a moment as Chat Noir used him as a ramp to jump from above as he threw his yo-yo towards Frightningale's leg's. However, the villain easily evaded them gracefully as she grabbed Chat Noir's arm, throwing him towards Ladybug who caught him in his arms, both of them then being hit by Frightningale's whip. Ladybug blinked for a moment as he placed Chat Noir down, noticing that the two of them were surrounded by a pink aura as Frightningale laughed.

"Welcome to my musical show. I hope it will be your fatal blow!" She cackled as Ladybug began to turn into a statue, while Chat Noir tried to attack again. He grabbed his partner's tail.

"Wait! Stay right here and dance, or else you'll be frozen without a chance!" Ladybug rhymed as his transformation stopped, tapping his foot to a beat.

"Yeah, you're right. We have to rhyme. Not so easy, um...all the time?" Chat Noir rhymed as the two evaded another attack, trying not to get frozen.

"We both don't mean to do any harm, so allow me to activate my Lucky charm!" Ladybug said throwing his yo-yo into the air as Chat Noir held off Frightningale. A pair of handcuffs fell into his hand as he suddenly pulled Chat Noir back, the two of them ducking for cover as Frightningale laughed maliciously.

"You think you two are being so clever, But soon you'll tire yourselves, and be frozen forever!" Frightningale warned.

Chat Noir smiled at his partner cheekily as they both danced in place behind a bus. "My sweet Bugaboo, I believe the Lucky charm agrees, that perhaps you'd like to be closer to me-hey!" he said but wasn't expecting Ladybug to fall to his knees, unbuckling his belt, locking it around their ankles, then doing the same with the cuffs to their wrists. "A little warning would be nice, you know." He said as Ladybug flashed him an apologetic smile.

"Chat Noir you're always walking around with such optimism. Would you mind leading me in this dance, using your..." Ladybug said as Chat Noir looked at him in confusion, then flashed him a toothy grin as he held his hand up.

"Cataclysm!" He said, activating his power just in time as Frightningale slashed the bus clean through, her eyes widening in surprise as she saw the two heroes bound together.

Frightningale glared at the two of them, "You can't bend the rules! Dancing tied up is cheating, fools!" She remarked, dashing towards them, but was met with resistance as both of them kicked her back.

"When someone's akumatized," Ladybug started to say as the two walked up to her.

"We never compromise." Chat Noir finished as Frightningale crawled back, looking a little fearful as she kept trying to hit them with her whip. But she soon retreated back into the building as she was being pursued.

"Feeling unsteady? Then you must have realized that you've lost already!" Chat Noir remarked as the two broke into a sprint, catching Frightningale off guard as they kicked her weapon out of her hand, catching it together as it was destroyed when it came into contact with Chat Noir's power, freeing the Akuma. Ladybug removed the cuffs, throwing them into the air as Chat Noir unbuckled the belt.

"Miraculous Ladybug!" Both of them called out as everything turn back to normal.

"No more mischief from you little Akuma. Time to purify!" Ladybug said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion. Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. "Bye-bye, little butterfly."

Ladybug and Chat Noir bumped fists victoriously as Clara turned back to normal. Ladybug helped her to her feet."Ladybug? Chat Noir! What are you doing here?" She asked in confusion, but as he handed back her broken microphone. She looked at it sadly.

"Anything can be repaired you know, so don't try to handle this problem solo." Ladybug offered, whispering something in her ear as Clara smiled in appreciated.

* * *

Marin and Adrien stood in the library with the rest of their classmates looking at the new music video that included almost all of them. Adrien scanned the video in surprise as he jabbed Marin in the side gently, trying to get his attention. 

"You're not in this one?" He asked as Marin looked away sheepishly.

"I'm not a fan of the camera." Marin admitted, growing nervous as Adrien gave him a mischevious grin. 

"But you seemed so eager to become Ladybug?" He joked as Marin chuckled. 

"There's no way I could be Ladybug." He said, "I honestly thought Clara would replace me as soon as she saw me dance. But you ruined that plan." He sighed as Adrien glanced at him curiously. "There's no way I could've let you do that alone." He clarified as Adrien smiled fondly at him, but the taller boy immediately broke through the fondness, rubbing the back of his head. "Besides, me as Ladybug? That's a recipe for disaster." 

Adrien chuckled. "Probably, but it would be worse if I was Chat Noir. All that pressure to save the day, no thanks." 

"I think you'd be a good Chat Noir." Marin said. 

"Because of my sense of humor?" Adrien asked. 

"No." Marin remarked, folding his hands behind his back, hanging his head with a small smile on his face. 

Because you're just as kind. 

"Oh, but please don't tell Alya what I did today, please, she would never let me forget I did this." Marin pleaded as he clapped his hands together pleadingly, his face burning at the memory as Adrien placed his hands on his hips. 

"Sure, but you owe me big time." He said with a sly expression, laughing as simply Marin stuck his tongue out at him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- Originally there was a written segment where Marin made Clara's microphone and met with her. But it didn't flow that well, so I didn't add it in. 
> 
> -I love Clara, but i did not like writing this chapter. To much rhyming 
> 
> \- Marin just utterly believes no one would seriously think he'd Ladybug because he believes he too different from his counterpart.


	41. Day of the Living Zombizou

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Miss Bustier's birthday and everyone makes a gift for her, but due to Chloe's shenanigan's, Marin may have to make an important decision...

Marin ran into the locker rooms, not late for once as he walked past many of his classmates smiling among themselves, sharing what presents they had made for their teacher.

"Hiya cutie." Alya greeted as she greeted her best friend. "Everyone's got their gift just like you planned." She said as Marin smiled.

"Yeah it looks like everything is going to go smoothly." He said, opening up his locker. Alya then suddenly took his hand, noticed various bandages on his fingers. She shot him a concerned expression as he chuckled nervously.

"I'm still a little new to embroidery." He chuckled as Alya sighed.

"You work too hard." Alya sighed giving him a half hug as Adrien walked up to them.

"What did you get Miss Bustier, Marin? I'm sure you've come up with something awesome, as usual." He said with a sink as Marin chuckled nervously.

Marin took out a pretty looking handmade paper box. He removed the lid revealing a pink make up bag. He pointed down to the embroidered quote. "If we wish to change the world, we must all learn to love each other." That's one of the first things Miss Bustier taught us when we first started her class. I think it was one of her most important lessons." He said as then opened up the bag taking out a black tube. "I also made this lib balm for her, it's Miss Bustier's favorite color." He said, smiling shyly as everyone complimented his hard work.

"Come to think of it, Miss Bustier is probably the reason we all get along so awesomely." Alya commented as she placed her arm around his shoulder.

"How about you, Chloé? What's your present?" Adrien asked turning back towards his childhood friend who slammed her locker closed, glaring at everyone who turned towards her.

"Nothing. Just like every year since kindergarten." Alix called out as everyone chuckled.

"It's not her fault, okay? Chloé just doesn't like birthdays! She never remembers them, just like her mom." Sabrina said trying to defend her friend.

"Yeah, well, you don't have to tell 'em my life story, either. Anyway, all that stuff about compliments and love? Ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous!"

"It's alright if you forgot to bring your gift." Marin said, trying to quell the growing tension. "I'm sure Miss Bustier won't mind if you give it a few days late." He tried to reassure as Chloé glared at him.

"What are you trying to say Dupain-Cheung? That I'm some kind of idiot for forgetting a stupid present?!"

"What? No, of course not-" Marin said stammering over his words, uneasy at Chloé's bubbling rage, but faltered as he couldn't find the right words.

Marin sighed as Alya turned towards him, "This girl's got no heart."

"Of course I have a heart! Daddy will even buy me a second one, if I want." Chloé snapped back as the bell then rang. Everyone dispersed back their classes as Marin placed his gift back into his locker, walking with Alya to their next class.

* * *

Adrien had already placed his gift on Miss Bustier's desk as he watched Marin and Alya walk-in at the end of the day. They both placed their gifts on her desk as their teacher looked so touched by the gesture.

"Oh! Thank you all, so sweet!" Miss Bustier said as her eyes welled up with tears, touched by her student's gesture. Every smiled in anticipation as she picked up the first gift, a familiar homemade box.

"Marin made that one." Alya said.

Adrien looked back at his friend who was smiling hopefully, giving him a thumbs-up as both of them heard Miss Bustier gasp. Everyone looked on in surprise as Miss Bustier forced a nervous smile. But Marin suddenly walked over to their teacher, looking down at his present in shock as then glared at Chloé angrily.

"I know you did this, Chloé!" He exclaimed as Adrien noticed the black marker on the make up bag, effectively destroying all his work.

"A 99.56% certainty," Max remarked as everyone nodded in agreement as all of them were witnesses to Chloé's previous blow up.

"How childish can you get?!" Marin snapped as Chloé retaliated with a smirk. Right next to her Sabrina held her head down, guiltily.

"Calm down. We don't want to get upset on my birthday, now, do we?" Miss Bustier said trying to calm down the class as Marin looked back at her in disbelief.

"What? You're going to let her get away with this?! Miss Bustier she's-" He was about to explain as their teacher clapped her hands.

"Marinus, you know my classroom is not a place for insults and defamation. Please come with me." Miss Bustier said as Marin hung his head in defeat.

Everyone whispered among themselves as Marin shut his eyes tightly for a moment walking out of the classroom rubbing his injuries as Miss Bustier followed close behind. "Alya. I'm relying on you to make sure things don't get out of hand while we're gone."

Alya nodded, "Okay, Miss." But as soon as the teacher left the room, she Adrien and Nino exchanged a concerned glance.

* * *

As soon as Miss Bustier closed the door behind her, Marin took a deep breath, trying to quell his anger. But couldn't as he saw the makeup bag still scribbled on with black marker, covering up almost all of the fabric and the embroidery.

"Don't worry Marin, you're not in trouble. I think this present is wonderful. It'll be my new cosmetics bag, then I'll be able to think of both of my wonderful students, every time I use it. Miss Bustier tried to reassure but only served to make Marin tensed up.

"Miss Bustier, it's so not fair! It was Chloé, pulling another...Chloé! I worked days on that gift and she ruined it just because she's insecure!" Marin retorted, slightly flinching as his teacher placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Marinus, as the class representative, I want you to set a good example for your classmates. Don't give into feelings of anger. Try to forgive Chloé instead." She said with a gentle smile, but Marin's anger only grew.

"Forgive her?" Miss Bustier, Chloé's bullied me for years, she's gone out of her way to make me miserable. I'm not going to just forgive her so easily, she's the one who should be apologizing to me." Marin said.

"Come on... There are much worse people in Paris right now than Chloé Bourgeois. I'm sure people like Chloé are capable of great things. The problem is, they only think of themselves. They don't understand the meaning of love, and we can't force them to change. But perhaps we can show them by setting a good example. That's why people like you are so important in today's world; because they have a lot of love to give. I'm counting on you." Miss Bustier said with a smile.

Marin sighed heavily. His anger subsiding slightly, but still lingering as his work had been all a waste, just because Chloé had to be the center of attention at all times. But he nodded his head, feeling a little better as Miss Bustier pulled him into a hug.

All of a sudden Marin's eyes widened as he could sense negative energy, looking behind him as an Akuma fluttered by. Miss Bustier gasped fearfull as she pulled him into his embrace trying to swat away the Akuma. "Go away! I won't let you possess one of my students!" But as she tried to protect him, the Akuma flew towards her growing fear. As she threw the bag at him the lip balm fell out as the Akuma possess it. Miss Bustier's grip on him went limp as she backed up into the wall, holding her head in pain trying to fight back against Hawkmoth. "No! No! I am not going to listen to you! You can't force me to do evil!"

Marin looked at his teacher anxiously, guilt-ridden as his anger was the catalyst that triggered the Akuma to begin with. "Don't give up! Think only positive thoughts!" He said, but his anxiety grew as his teacher stopped struggling. "Miss Bustier, please-" Marin pleaded as he reached out towards his teacher but recoiled back as he saw her transform before his eyes. "I won't stop until everyone on Earth feels love." Quickly he grabbed the lip balm before jumping down the stairs and sprinting into the locker room, locking the door behind him as his heart raced.

He heard a buzzing in his ears as it became hard to breathe, tears welling up in eyes as his chest tightened. He only really calmed down as Tikki flew out of his bag, hugging his face. He focused instead on her sensation, focusing on his breathing.

"Thank you Tikki." He said gratefully dropping the lip balm on the ground as he stomped on it, releasing the Akuma. Tikki quickly ate the Akuma, releasing a purified butterfly as the only thing that remained was the lip balm with a cracked shell. Marin sighed heavily, sitting down for a moment as he held his head in his hands. Tikki sat down on his leg for a moment, looking up at him in concern.

Marin took a moment to gather his thoughts, taking another deep breath as he mumbled under his breath. "Tikki, spots on." After he transformed, he used his yo-yo to jump out of the window and onto the roof. He spotted that his teacher had turned back to normal, being surrounded by his classmates. Ladybug looked at the lip balm in his hand, dropping it back into the school as he then jumped into the inner city.

* * *

"You did well today." Master Fu praised while Marinus held his head. Tikki and Wayzz had flown into the Miracle box under Master Fu's order as the two talked.

"I doubt it master, the only reason that Akuma was released was because I overreacted." He said as Master Fu poured tea for him.

"You're too hard on yourself," The Master said as he sat down. "Hawkmoth is vicious in his attacks, he'll take advantage of anyone he can. The important thing is that you reacted well, and nipped the problem in the bud before it had a chance to grow. Your training is paying off." He compliments as a small smile drew on Marin's face, holding the warm cup of tea in his hands.

"Master, have you ever tried to use the Ladybug Miraculous yourself to track down Hawkmoth?" Marin asked curiously. "If I can sense the Akuma within a limited range, then maybe a master like you could track down the source." he reasoned, but Master Fu shook his head.

"If I were to use the Ladybug Miraculous it would take years to even sense to even reach the point you have Marinus." He said as Marin's eyes widened with surprise. "When Miraculous are distributed, they are given to those who can bond easier to their specific Kwami. I was assigned Wayzz decades ago because as a Guardian it is my duty to protect the Miraculous above all else, no matter the cost. You were assigned Tikki, the Kwami of creation, not only because of your kind nature, but because of your creativity, and willingness to face even the most trying situations. Chat Noir received Plagg for similar reasons, but also because Plagg's partners were always people who could balance out his mischevious nature without trying to constrain him." He explained as he took a sip of his tea.

"Master, Hawkmoth is growing stronger by the day." Marin remarked, deep in thought for a moment until he lifted his head. "Maybe Chat Noir should know about this as well, about the grimoire, about the miracle box, about you?" He suggested carefully as Master Fu glanced at his student knowingly. "He's the most trustworthy person I know, loyal to a fault, and cares about protecting people. I think he deserves to know." Marin said sincerely.

Master Fu hummed for a moment, walking towards the window, recalling past years, past failures..."There is a reason I never introduced myself to either of you when we first met. Knowing about my existence is one thing, but making a direct connection, learning of my identity...there could be grave consequences to what you're proposing."

"But maybe it's all the more reason to bring Chat Noir into this, he can help us as well." Marin reasoned, "You're the one who chose him after all, Master. That has to count for something."

Fu closed his eyes for a moment, thinking about his chosen's words, stroking his beard. "Marinus, I trust your judgment," He said opening up his eyes. "if you decide to inform Chat Noir about everything, then I will support your decision.

Marin's eyes widened in surprise, a smile crossing his face before he coughed, trying to remain humble. "Thank you Master. I know that we won't regret this."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -The bag was right there, it was right there and Marinette didn't grab it, in the episode, so Marin did, and now we have a set up for an angst arc. :3


	42. One Way or a Backwarder, I'm gonna lose ya'

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marin makes a heavy decision for Ladybug and Chat Noir, while trying to do a good thing. Lesser to say, Hope ya'll had your fill of fluff because this is where the angst starts >:3

"You sure you're okay dude?" Nino asked behind the screen as he Marin, Adrien, and Alya were on a shared video call. Marin was sitting in his room surrounded by various crumple up papers and pens but was grateful none of it would show on camera. "You ducked out pretty fast the other day."

"Give me a little credit here, what would you have done if you saw an Akuma flying around. I'm not apologizing for getting the heck out of there." Marin said as-a-matter-like, crossing his arms defensively.

"Dude, once she put gum in his hair just on a whim. You think you'll ever grow out your hair life that again?" Nino asked.

"Probably not, it'd give me too much anxiety. Like, what if someone tries to cut it from behind?"

"Then call the police." Nino said simply.

"Wait, how long was his hair?" Alya asked suddenly interested Adrien looked curious as well.

"I don't think it's that important-"

"Mid-back, but he kept it braided up most of the time."

"Nino!" Marin snapped, trying to disregard his younger years of thinking it was a good idea.

"What?" Nino said innocently, even though he knew exactly what he did. "Every girl was heartbroken when you cut it, Rose especially. I got pictures, you guys want to see?" He asked as Alya immediately jumped on that train.

"So- Adrien would you like to maybe change the topic?" Marin asked anxiously as his tragic past was about to unburied.

"Heck no I wanna see pics."

"Adrien!" Marin snapped as Adrien giggled.

"Alright well, I'm going with my father and my friend Kagami to England this weekend for some wedding in a few hours."

Marin's stomach fell as he heard that, his previous shame almost gone. But even so, pushed a smile through despite the fact that the person he liked was going to a wedding with the girl he spent alot of time with. "Ooo a wedding, how romantic." He said cheekily, batting his eyelashes while resting his head on his hands.

"Lucky Kagami, getting to venture out with our Adrikins." Alya said with a sly smile, followed up by Nino banging on his desk.

"How could you cheat on us?! I thought we had something special!" He then turned away shedding crocodile tears as Adrien looked overwhelmed with his friends' jokes as he just sighed with a smile on his face.

"It's not like that, our parents are friends, besides Kagami's my fencing buddy."

"Hear that? He's trying to cover his tracks." Marin remarked as Adrien stared at him, as if to say, why are you like this? "Anyway, I have to work on something, see you guys." Marin waved as the call ended, leaving him in his room alone as he turned back to the various letters that he had written.

Marin chewed on the back of his pen, trying to formulate how exactly he should explain the situation to his partner. However, whatever he wrote didn't seem right, it was either underwhelming or too dramatic.

"You need to write from the heart." Tikki advised, sitting on his jewelry box, privy to all his previous failed attempts. "You're thinking pragmatically, like Ladybug. You think to think like Marinus."

"First of all, Marinus is a silly verb, and a name." He remarked now balancing his pen on the bridge of his nose. "Second, I can't take this lightly Tikki. Revealing the Master's identity to Chat Noir places him in danger if Hawkmoth ever decides to make contact. I don't even know if this is a good idea." He sighed resting his head on the back of his chair as Tikki then sat on his head.

"But you trust me don't you?" She asked, right in his sightline. "I would never advise you to do something that wasn't in your best interest." She remarked kissing his forehead as Marin smiled at his Kwami.

He took a deep breath, writing what was in his heart, fear along with sincerity, and the words flowed naturally until he was finally finished. He placed the letter in a plain white envelope as both he and Tikki were suddenly surprised.

"Marinus!"

They both turned to see a familiar green Kwami phasing through the wall and towards them with a concerned expression on his face.

" Wayzz?" Marin asked, "You're not supposed to be outside." He said pocketing the letter.

"You must come with me; Master Fu needs you!" The turtle Kwami said with haste as he then phased back out of the wall, leaving the two confused.

"Do you think it's serious?" Marinus asked.

"Master Fu wouldn't send Wayzz if it wasn't!"

Marin sighed, recalling the previous times Wayzz had visited, mostly because Master Fu had locked himself out of his house. But digressed as he then grabbed his messenger bag, walking out to check on his master.

* * *

Marin walked into the shop, growing concerned as he saw the Master lain down on the ground nearby a doctor who was writing something down. The master looked to be in pain as he groaned out.

" Marinuuussss!"

Marin quickly took off his shoes, kneeling down next to his Master. "Is he okay ma'am?" He asked.

"Who are you?" She asked curiously, slightly tilting her head.

"Uh...I'm his grandson." Marin said with a nervous smile as the doctor smiled at him.

"Don't worry, he'll just being a little dramatic."

"My time has come!" Master Fu groaned as then held his stomach in pain.

Marin sighed in relief as the doctor handed him a prescription. "Here you go; fetch this from the pharmacy and he'll be back on his feet in no time. And don't forget to eat more veggies, Mr. Chan. You need fiber, for guts' sake!" She chuckled as she left the room.

Marin grumbled to himself as Tikki flew out. " Again, "Mr. Chan?" I thought you said you were going to eat better." He scolded, but still adjusted his blankets until Master Fu placed his hand over his, looking at him seriously.

" Marinus, if anything happens to me, I want you to take care of the Miracle box — you'll be the new guardian and—"

"Come on, Master Fu, you're overreacting; it's just a little bellyache, that's all!" He said patting his hand in return.

"I am 186 years old, who knows when the day may come."

Marin smiled softly at him, "If you have enough strength to backtalk me then you'll be just fine. I'll go and fetch your medication then-"

"That's not why I called you here." He said as Wayzz flew over with a white letter in hand. "Go to the address written here down on the river banks at 11am. You'll see a woman there wearing a pretty brooch shaped like a Chinese ideogram. Give her this letter."

Marin looked over the letter, noticing it had the name, Marin, on the back. "Who is she, Master?"

Master Fu looked up at the ceiling with whistful eyes. "Someone I've always loved but have never seized the moment to tell. Perhaps I've waited far too long. But all I know is I don't know how much time I have left and I don't want to waste another moment." He said seriously as he then noticed Marin smiling down at him with glee.

"Master, you've got a sweetheart?!" Marin said excitedly.

"Is that the only thing you took from my story?!"

"Wayzz did you know?"

"Of course, a day hasn't gone past that he hasn't thought or talked about her." Wayzz said.

"Awww, that's so sweet." Marin remarked, standing up. "Don't worry about a thing today Master, you just rest." Marin said reassuringly as he placed the letter in his pocket.

* * *

Marin dashed out of the shop but abruptly ran into someone accidentally, not realizing one of the letters had fallen out of his pocket.

"OW!"

As Marin lifted his head, his face heated in embarrassment as he realized who he ran into. "Adrien?" He asked, as he helped the shorter boy to his feet. "I thought you were supposed to be on a train today.

Adrien nodded, surprised to see his friend, but not unhappy. "I am, but I wanted to pick up some camembert while the car is stuck in traffic. What are you doing here?"

"Oh uh," Marin mumbled, "Helping the elderly?" He offered as Adrien's expression lit up slightly.

"That's very kind of you considering how busy you always seem to be." He remarked as Marin felt a little shame even though he wasn't exactly lying.

"Well, I won't be keeping you, okay bye!" He said, then sprinting off trying to hide his red face.

Adrien watched his friend sprint away down the street as he noticed a white envelope on the ground. He looked over it, seeing that it had Marin's name on the back. He suddenly grew panicked, looking around for his friend who had disappeared.

"Uh oh."

* * *

Ladybug ran across the rooftops, using the momentum from his yo-yo to help him close the space between him and the river.

As he landed, he recognized who gasped in surprise but looked back him as his attention was focused on an elderly woman with the broach that Master Fu mentioned earlier.

"Hello ma'am." He greeted, falling down on one knee before her as he pulled a letter out of his yo-yo, handing it to her. "I uh, have a letter for you; the mailman asked me to give it to you because there was something wrong with hi—"

"I know perfectly well who sent you, young man." The elderly woman said with a smile as she gently patted his head as though he were a small child. "Thank you, Ladybug. I've been waiting for this moment for a very long time.

Ladybug nodded, standing up, "You're welcome, ma'am! It was very nice meeting you." He said politely, bowing his head respectfully before he used his yo-yo to jump towards the Pharmacy.

* * *

Adrien tapped his foot as he sat next to Kagami on the train, his father had stopped the train for some reason, so they probably weren't going anywhere for a while. No one would mind if he ducked out for a little bit.

"I, uh, need to use the restroom." He said as Kagami simply glanced at him, returning her attention back outside.

As soon as he entered the restroom be sighed heavily as Plagg flew out.

"Well? Aren't you going to open it?"

"I can't open it, it's not mine."

"But you're curious aren't you? It's not even sealed, so he'd not even going to know that you opened it." Plagg said in a tempting voice. "Here, I'll help." He said snatching the letter from Adrien's hands and flying up as high as he could out of reach.

"Hey- Plagg!" Adrien called out in annoyance.

Plagg skimmed the letter over but gagged as he finished, tossing the letter back down. "Yuck, it's just some dumb confession."

"Confession?" Adrien asked curiously as he picked up the letter in his hands. He read what was a heartfelt array of words, signed Fu at the end. He wasn't certain what to do with this information placed in front of him. So then sat down with the door to his back as Plagg flew down.

"Isn't it great though." The Kwami remarked as Adrien just stared at him.

"How is this great?" He asked bitterly, not certain as to why he felt sour. Probably because Marin was his friend, and friends probably shouldn't hide the fact that they were confessed to and then proceed to ignore the matter entirely. What if someone were to find the confession letter and the wrong idea about the context of the situation? This entire scenario was just going to get more complicated as Adrien realized that he had to return the letter, no matter how he felt about the contents within.

"Now you know what's in the letter." Plagg remarked with a cheeky smiled as Adrien sighed in exasperation at his Kwami.

* * *

Marin transformed back behind an alley, feeding Tikki a cookie within his bag as he turned into the Pharmacy. "Morning, ma'am!" He said as he handed out the prescription paper.

She looked over it, nodding as she walked deeper in the shop. Marin sighed in relief as he placed his hands in his pockets...feeling nothing. His eyes widened in a panic as he patted down his pockets again, but there was nothing. Meaning, his heartfelt, bittersweet letter was out there in the city. Suddenly, he sensed an Akuma nearby, turning towards the door as he saw a few cars being driven in reverse.

"Here you go." The pharmacist said, handing over a bag as Marin nodded his thanks. He placed the medicine in his bag as he ran back out onto the streets. His eyes widened in shock as a new villain jumped past him, feeling a pang of guilt as he recognized the emblem she bore. Running back into the alley, Tikki flew out of his bag, still chewing on her cookies.

"I've made a horrible mistake Tikki." He said panicked as he held his head shamefully. "Marianne must have gotten my letter to Chat Noir."

"How can you be so sure, maybe Fu's letter was just that bad?" Tikki suggested even though it didn't sound like she believed her own words.

Marin groaned into his hands before lifting his head. "This is my mess, I'll be the one to fix it. Tikki, spots on!"

* * *

At Place de la Concorde, the clockwork looking villain with cracks on her face, placed her can on the wheel, forcing it and all it's passengers to move backward. She quickly avoided Ladybug's attack as the two then jumped to the ground. Ladybug noticed one her cracks disappearing as she smiled at him sinisterly.

"There you are again, you ghastly bug! Once I've touched you, all I have to do is wait for you to transform back!" The Villain said pointing her weapon, a clock hand, towards him. "You're the key to reuniting me with my lost love, your Guardian." She said with a sinister smile as Ladybug's eyes widened in shock. Every Akumatized victim had direct contact with their creator, he learned that. Meaning...

"He's been hiding from me, under a false name for a long time, but now thanks to you, Hawk Moth, I'm going to find him again at last and make up for all that lost time." She said as she tried to stab him with her weapon, to which he evaded, jumping back as he threw his yo-yo in the air.

"Lucky charm!" He called out as a tube of paint fell into his hands. He looked over it for a moment curiously, humming to himself as the villain pointed her weapon towards him.

"Once I've defeated you, you'll lead me straight to my beloved." She stated as she charged towards Ladybug who seemingly had his guard down. But as she drew closer, Ladybug popped the cap off of the red paint, squeezing it all on to her face as he used his yo-yo to break her glass and her pin, releasing the Akuma.

"No more mischief from you little Akuma. Time to purify!" Ladybug said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion. Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. "Bye-bye, little butterfly. Miraculous Ladybug!" Ladybug called out, throwing up the lucky charm as everything turned back to normal.

Marianne looked around in confusion as Ladybug picked up the fallen pin, handing it back to her as he helped the elder woman to her feet, leading her towards a bench as he knelt before her.

"What happened to me?" She asked in confusion.

"I'm sorry ma'am, this is my fault. I accidentally gave you the wrong letter." He apologized, hanging his head in defeat.

"Then this..." She murmured as Ladybug gently took it from her hand.

"Was never meant to be ready by you." Ladybug finished. "I'm sorry, but I have no idea where the letter that Master wrote went. I...I won't ask for forgiveness as I can't do anything to change the past but, would you let me try to correct my mistake?" He asked, however, Marianne placed her hand under his chin, lifting up his head as she smiled gently at him. There was no anger, or sadness in her eyes, simply understanding as she gestured for him to sit down next to her. As he did so, she held his hand while holding the letter he gave her earlier.

"This letter is incredibly sad my dear. Won't you tell me what's wrong?" She asked gently as Ladybug's heart wavered, gripping her hand back.

"I...I wrote it for my partner, my Chat Noir." Ladybug stammered as he felt exposed. "I thought that we would be stronger together if he knew everything I did about the master and the Miraculous."

Marianne nodded, "What is it exactly are you scared about?"

Ladybug thought for a moment, his expression growing more sullen. "I'm afraid about what would happen if Hawkmoth were to track us down. If either Chat Noir or I or even Master Fu had to fight him alone. I failed my partner before because of my own mistake, and it was only because of someone else that he was actually saved. If I make another mistake like that again, if I crossed that line...I don't know what would happen. And I can't bear the thought of losing either of them..."He murmured as fear took hold of his heart. But the negativity was softened as Marienne placed her hand on his cheek, smiling.

"You're such a sweet boy." She remarked as Ladybug chuckled, feeling a semblance of comfort in her presence, starting to understand why Master Fu held a torch for her for so long. "So long as you can trust in yourself, and allow yourself to be vulnerable with your allies, I believe that you will be just fine." She said confidently as Ladybug smiled. He then flinched as he heard his Miraculous beep immediately, standing up.

"It was very lovely to meet you Ma'am." He said respectfully.

"The pleasure is all mine, Ladybug." Marianne said as she sighed with a content expression on her face.

* * *

_My dearest friend, when you care for someone you must never hold back from telling them the truth when you have the chance. Because one day you might realize that it's too late and that all your hopes and dreams are ruined with no way to go back in time and do it over. Even though may never know each other, I hope you don't think badly of me when you hear what I need to say._

_I've wanted to tell you the whole truth for a long time now, I thought I was being held back by my obligations, but I now realize that it was my own fear and weakness. I don't know what may happen in the future, but no matter what you think of me from now on. I sincerely hope that you will never blame yourself for what may come at the price of knowing that truth._

Marin read to himself. as he internally cringed at his own wording, the letter that got Marianne akumatised as he sat with his back to stone railing, overhearing the reunion of Master Fu and Marianne. He felt a pang of immense guilt, realizing that it was because of him that they couldn't be together anymore, even after being reunited after so many years.

"Why doesn't he just tell her?" Tikki inquired as she looked down at the two lovebirds.

"Because it's probably not the right time yet." Marin said as he placed the letter back in the envelope.

"How about you?" Tikki asked curiously. "Chat Noir can still be a powerful ally if you only let him in."

Marin closed his eyes, lifting his head and he focused his thoughts. Hawkmoth had found his direct connection to the master in Ladybug. The situation was different than before, he had compromised the master's safety, and with it had to accept any responsibility that came with it.

"I'm sorry, Tikki." He murmured under his breath as he ripped up the letter in two. As he stood up, he tossed it away in the trash as Tikki gasped. She looked up at her partner sadly before returning to his bag. He then faced forward, walking on home.

* * *

Marin went straight up to his room, throwing his bag to the side after Tikki flew out. She retreated to his bed for a nap while he sat down at his desktop with a heavy sigh. For a moment he rested his head in his hands, uncertain of what to do now.

All of a sudden, his computer played a few musical notes as a call icon popped up. Marin hummed for a moment; didn't particularly want to talk to anyone at the moment, then again maybe he could use a distraction. He clicked the green icon and was met with Adrien's face as he was calling from his cell phone from within a hotel room.

Marin wished he had ignored it as his face reddened. "Hi." He said simply as he clutched his pants.

"Okay you can't get mad." Adrien said, bluntly, surprising Marin.

The taller boy tilted his head curiously, "Alright?" He said, but then his heart raced as Adrien held up a familiar white envelope.

"I didn't steal it I swear. I found it when we bumped into each other this morning, and I had every intention of returning it." He explained nervously, "But I kinda got curious, so I opened it, and read it..." He admitted, looking guilty as he averted his gaze.

Marin sighed heavily, handing his head for a moment. "So that's where it went." He remarked, holding his head in his hands as Adrien looked at him in concern.

"I'm...sorry, I was going to call you earlier, but, y'know." He said.

"It's alright Adrien, it doesn't matter anymore." Marin said, feeling a pain in his heart. "You can rip it up for all I care." He said apathetically, shocking Adrien.

"Is everything alright?" He asked, worry now growing on his face, but Marin then slapped his cheeks.

" I'm alright." He chuckled, smiling at his friend. "I'm just realizing how scatterbrained I am for losing that." He said trying to reassure his friend, but only served to worry him further.

"You know, if anything's wrong, you can talk to me, I'm always here for you." Adrien said gently, but Marin shook his head, still smiling.

"It's fine, don't worry about. I'll see you Adrien." Marin said as Adrien looked conflicted for a moment but then nodded.

"Yeah, see you..." He said, but still stared down at his phone even when the call ended. He gripped the letter in his hand, uncertain of what to do with it now. It seemed like this piece of paper had caused his friend a lot of trouble today, simply tossing it seemed...underwhelming. He turned to his Kwami who was lazing around on the bed gnawing on a wheel of camembert.

"Hey Plagg do you wanna destroy something with no repercussions?" He asked as Plagg's ears perked up, his eyes practically sparkling as he flew towards him in glee.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Marianne and Fu are Marin's adoptive grandparents until told otherwise. I would add her more if she was a more prominent character.
> 
> \- I moved over a season 3 episode to this for story reasons, I think it builds up what I'm planning pretty well.


	43. Sigh-ren

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ladybug and Chat Noir unlock new powers as they are faced against a flooded city. But it seems to be the beginning of a much larger problem...
> 
> Concept Art for Aqua-Ladybug.  
\- https://aminoapps.com/c/miraculous/page/blog/miraculously-ladybug-chapter-update-sigh-ren/kR6L_G2iGup4gj21Gb1okv30oJkDjr5zBG

Marinus held his breath as long as he could, watching as the bubbles of escaping air danced to the surface. A few seconds later he pushed himself to the surface, taking a deep breath as he then rested his arms on the edge of the pool standing in the 4ft end of the pool. He sighed heavily, still catching his breath as he looked up at Kim and Ondine.

"What's this for again?" He asked, taking off his swim cap and goggles, trying to ignore Kim's laughs at now matted up hair.

"Controlling your breathing is one of the basics," Ondine said helpfully. "One you get the hand of that, maybe we can teach you how to swim without the floaties." He chuckled as Marin laughed along sarcastically.

"Ha ha, very funny. It's not my fault I sink, I'm made for sewing, not being a fish." He said lifting himself out of the pool to dry off, wearing black jammer trunks with pastel pink stripes in the side.

Ondine hummed to herself for a moment, "Are you pure muscle or something?"

"I dunno." He said sitting down next to her as he dried his hair with a towel.

"Hey, you wanna walk over to the movie together?" Kim asked holding up his phone to check the time.

"I can't I have chores," Marin remarked as he left the towel on his head. "Maybe I'll have some free time later on."

"Whaaat?" Kim remarked. "You say you're working all the time, you need to have some fun once in a while dude." Suddenly his eyes widened. "Hey, wanna see how fast you'll sink?" he asked seriously as Marin looked at him with a deadpanned expression.

"Yes Kim, I'd like to see how fast I'd sink." Marin said sarcastically but felt a sinking feeling as Kim's eyes lit up. "Kim. Kim no. Kim. KIM-" Marin called out, trying to escape. But unluckily, his friend wrapped his arms around his waist, easily picking him up.

"BONZAI!" Kim yelled out as Marin cried out in a panic as both of them ended up in the pool while laughter echoed through the pool hall.

* * *

Marin sighed heavily after he drank the hot tea within Master Fu's shop. He wore his cat hoodie and still smelled like chlorine, only hoping that he wouldn't fall sick after his make-shift swimming lesson. "Master what did you want to talk about today?" He asked as Tikki and Wayzz chased each other playfully around the shop.

Master Fu nodded towards him, gesturing him to follow. Marin placed the cup back on the table as he placed his hood over his head while Wayzz and Tikki followed. "Hold on." Master Fu said holding out his hand before the Kwami's. "You both stay here." He said sternly.

"Oh, Master, please!" They both pleaded, giving the master puppy dog eyes. But Master Fu was immune to their cuteness.

"Kwamis must never know the recipe that can modify their powers. Ever! Imagine what would happen if one of you were captured by a villain just like Nooroo."

Both Kwami's gasped fearfully, flying under the mattress as Marin's heart melted at their adorableness. As he walked into a strange part of the shop, filled with various jars filled with strange-looking ingredients.

"Uh, what are you cooking exactly?" Marin asked as Master Fu handed him a cup of hot tea.

"When fed with a specific blend of ingredients, the kwamis can grant special power. Each power's specific mix is listed here, encoded in the Grimoire. I've deciphered most of the ingredients; for example, to trigger aquatic powers you need a branch from the dragon king's garden — that's seaweed; then, a secret kept in a shell — that's an oyster pearl. But the last one still puzzles me: a tear of joy. I can't figure it out, and it's required for almost every blend. Oh! Maybe it could be some dancing ant honeydew." He thought out loud as he picked up a nearby bottle, placing one drop from the bottle into the brew, producing a small blast. Marin flinched back in surprise as Master Fu smile. "think I may have finally got the right mix." He said eagerly pouring some of the brew into a small vile.

As they walked back into the main room, Tikki and Wayzz flew to Marinus, hiding in his pockets for security.

"Wayzz." Master Fu called out as the turtle Kwami flew before his partner. He looked curiously at the vial as he drank a little bit from it, savoring the taste. "Does this taste familiar?"

Wayzz hummed for a moment, "Mmmm, there's a slight flavor to it. Yes, I remember it being a lot like this." He said with a smile as Master Fu smiled holding up his Miraculous. "Wayzz, power up!"

Wayzz stiffened for a moment, but then fell as he didn't change, shrugging his little Kwami shoulders. "A little more salt, maybe?" He suggested as Master Fu sighed.

"Well, back to the drawing board." The Master muttered, handing his head.

Marin stepped towards Wayzz, nuzzling his cheek as he smiled at his touch, effectively improving his mood. But all of them turned towards the Master as when he opened the door, water flooded in, knocking him back. Marin was stunned for a moment before he helped Master Fu to his feet, starting to feel fear as he saw the water slowly rise.

* * *

Adrien narrowed his eyes as he watched a new report on the previous day's Akuma attack. He felt guilty as he was unable to help his partner, but at the same time, felt somewhat pointless as Ladybug hadn't needed his help to defeat the villain once more.

However, he pushed those thoughts back as he noticed his shoes were wet, realizing that his room was slowly filling with water.

"Plagg? Plagg!" He called out looking for his Kwami. His panic grew as he looked all over his room slowly flooding, but sighed in relief as he found Plagg napping in his dirty laundry basket.

"Plagg, claws out!" Adrien exclaimed as Plagg suddenly woke up, trying to grab onto the basket, but was ultimately sucked into the ring.

* * *

Marin placed the last jar on the roof of the building, helping Master Fu in transporting his ingredients to safety. He then looked out towards the city now flooded, growing more anxious. "There's no way Chat Noir or I will be able to handle this...change in scenery." He remarked turning back towards Master Fu who held the grimoire in his hands.

"I know, and unfortunately I haven't found the correct blend that could help you both out." He sighed heavily. "I'm afraid I've failed you both."

"No way!" Marin immediately said, "We are gonna find that last ingredient!" Wayzz and Tikki nodded in agreement before Marin took the grimoire from the Master's hands, and they turned their back to him. He looked down at the tablet questioningly as Master Fu turned back to his brew.

" I've tried everything: water from the Laughing Fountain, melted snow from the Mountain of Jubilation, drops of pure chocolate extract."

"But have you tried a real tear of joy?" Marin asked as Master Fu looked at him questingly.

"Come on, tell me a really funny joke!" The tall boy insisted.

"Do you think this is really the time to have fun?" The master asked, clearly on edge due to the situation at hand.

"Okay, why did the pepper put on a sweater?"

Master Fu tilted his head in confusion. "I don't know."

"Because he was a little, Chili," Marin said with great expectation but felt a little undermined as Master Fu didn't laugh. "Okay, well. What goes up, but doesn't move? Stairs!"What does a snail say when it's riding on a turtle's back? Wooohooo!" Again, Fu didn't laugh, almost looking sorry as neither of the Kwami's laughed either, their faces laden with sympathy.

Then, Marin slapped his own forehead in defeat as he remembered, he wasn't funny. So instead, a smile came over his face as he gestured the two Kwami's come over. They rested in his palms as Marin turned his back to the Master who looked at them curiously.

"Okay NOW!" Marin shouted as the two Kwami flew towards that master, tickling him furiously as Master Fu couldn't hold back his laughter. He even fell to the ground as the Kwami's were merciless, even laughing along with him. Marin smiled victoriously, as he saw a tear falling from Master Fu's eyes, quickly wiping it off as he carefully transferred it into the brew. The potion suddenly burst into green fire as the tickling stopped and Master Fu immediately jumped to his feet.

"I think you have just found the magic ingredient, Marinus." He said cheerfully as he scooped some of the green potion into a spoon, gesturing Tikki to approach him. The red Kwami drank the portion, licking her lips

"Mmm! Yummy!" She said as the black dot on her head started to glow.

Marin smiled at his Kwami as he and Master Fu nodded in victoriously. "Tikki, power up!"

Tikki started to glow, her entire body is enveloped by light as she gained fins. "Aqua-Tikki!" She remarked as Marin walked up to his Kwami smiling brightly.

"Woah," He said in amazement as he gently touched his Tikki's cheek, noticing that she had gained scales instead of skin. "Ohhh I wanna take picture of you so much sugar cube." He said as he looked at her lovingly while Tikki giggled.

"Firsts thing first Marinus." Master Fu reminded as Marin nodded.

"Aqua-Tikki, spots on!" He said, transforming. His new form had scales as well, relacing the spots. Then turned to see he gained more fins on his arms and feet, his scarf had also transformed into a makeshift fin on his back, leading off into what appeared to be a koi tail-like design. His hair also had appeared to have changed, having light pink highlights at the tips and was more similar to his usual bedhead as his hair had grown out longer. For a moment he admired the new transform as he turned back to the master. Master Fu handed him a green vial that was radiating some light, containing the potion.

Chat Noir's share.

"Be careful Ladybug." Wayzz said as he hugged his friend's cheek for a moment.

"I will, don't worry." Ladybug said reassuringly as he placed the vial in his yo-yo, then jumped into the flooded city. For a few moments, he held his breath, beginning to sink as he saw air bubbles escape to the surface. But when he finally couldn't hold his breath anymore, he realized that he could breathe easily. And within his new form, he wasn't completely hopeless in the water, kicking his legs as Ondine and Kim had taught him. A smile touched his face as could actually swim through the water without fear of drowning, his vision clear as it was on land.

* * *

Chat Noir leapt between roofs with his staff, looking out over the city but he couldn't see any sign of his partner. "Where is that guy?" He murmured to himself as he shortened his staff, activating it's phone mode as the hero dialed Ladybug up once more. He tapped his foot impatiently, frustration growing as this was the tenth time, but then dropped the call as he spotted his friends and a few other people on top of the movie theatre. He paid it little mind until he spotted Kim jumping into the water, yelling something out happily until a dorsal fin started swimming towards him at great speed.

Chat Noir's ears twitched as he immediately raced towards his friend, using the momentum of his staff to hit the water just as Kim was snatched from under. Chat Noir's vision went hazy for a moment as the saltwater made his vision fuzzy. He could make out Kim's orange jacket as well as something else that was brightly colored, probably another Akumatized villain as he used his staff to breathe underwater. He swam towards the two trying to reach Kim but was kicked back by the new villain who knocked him to a nearby wall, making him lose grip on his staff and sight of his friend.

As he tried to look around for his staff his vision quickly fading, he panicked as he saw something draw closer to him. Something large and grey with many teeth, trying to swim away, more air escaped his breath, which made him panic. Until all of a sudden, he saw a flash of red, the giant fish swam away fearfully as Chat Noir suddenly could breathe as something was pressed to his mouth. He realized he was holding Ladybug's yo-yo in hand as his partner wrapped his arm around his waist, leading him to the surface.

Chat Noir coughed, as the yo-yo was removed, looking at his partner in surprise as his appearance was different from his normal form, more, scaley. "Ladybug?" He was speechless for a moment until he smiled cheekily. "Or should I call you my Merbug?" he asked chuckled before he started coughing, still having some water in his lungs as Ladybug helped him onto a nearby roof. "You didn't tell me we were going swimming today." He remarked as he handed Ladybug's yo-yo back.

"I wasn't planning on it; this Ladybug isn't exactly cut out for deep-sea diving." He remarked opening his yo-yo up.

"Could've fooled me, what's with this?" He asked gesturing to his partner's new form. "You're looking a little under the sea." He remarked chuckling to himself as Ladybug held out a vial of a glowing green liquid.

"Here." Ladybug said simply.

"Uh, what's this?" He asked looking at it curiously.

"Your Kwami needs to drink it." Ladybug explained as he turned his back towards him, sitting at the edge of the roof with his legs crossed.

Chat Noir shrugged his shoulders, "Alright but no peaking." He remarked, not receiving a response from his partner. "Plagg, claws in." He said, as he smiled at his annoyed Kwami who looked away from him, still angry about earlier.

"Plagg?" Adrien said sweetly as he folded his hands behind him, "I have something for you." He said, smirking in amusement as Plagg looked at him for a moment and groaned at the vial.

"Ughhh, I hate transforming." He grimaced, but then looked back at the vial in surprise then towards Ladybug. "I thought the master said neither of us was suppose to meet him." He said as Ladybug then froze for a moment, feeling both his partner and Plagg's gazes on his back, sighing heavily as the cat was out of the bag. So to speak.

"It's a long story." He said, hoping that they would take him at his word.

"Who is the master?" Adrien asked.

"The Master of the Miraculous, if he'd made the potion then it means that he has the-"

"Plagg." Ladybug said sternly, silencing him as Plagg obeyed.

"Has the what?" Adrien asked now growing frustrated.

"We don't have time to go over every detail, trust me on this." Ladybug asked with his back still turned.

Adrien's gaze lingered for a moment as he handed the vial over to Plagg who gagged before chugging it down. The black Kwami began to glow as his new form traded his paws and tail for fins. "Aqua-Plagg!"

Adrien gasped in amazement at his Kwami's new from, wishing that he could take a photo as smiled. "Aqua-Plagg, claws out!" Once Chat Noir transformed he noticed he had gained extra fins, though his transformation wasn't as colorful as Ladybugs.

"Well, this helps, but how do you suppose we track down our Syren in the flooded city?" He asked stretching his arms over his head.

Ladybug though for a moment, placing his hand over his mouth as he closed his eyes, seemingly trying to recall something. "Wasn't Kim taken?" Ladybug recalled as Chat Noir nodded his head. Ladybug's eyes widened with realization as Chat Noir spoke again, realizing the only person who could have taken Kim in this situation.

"Yeah, Syren grabbed him." Chat Noir remembered as Ladybug faced him.

"I know where they are." He said, jumping into the water closely followed by Chat Noir.

* * *

Ladybug and Chat Noir swam directly towards the public pool, surprising Chat Noir as they closed in. "It wouldn't be that obvious right?" Chat Noir asked as his ears suddenly twitched, hearing something inside as the two swam faster inside.

"Wait! Does this mean I never get to see Mecha Monkeys vs. Cyber Sharks 3?" They overheard Kim said as Syren held his face in her hands, but recoiled back as she looked flabbergasted.

"What?!" She snapped as she was suddenly knocked back by Chat Noir's staff as the two heroes placed themselves between Kim and the villain. "I think you'll be able to make the next showing." Ladybug remarked.

"Ooo, the three of us can go together. I'll even share my popcorn." He remarked with a smirked as Chat Noir swam towards Syren at great speed, keeping her distracted while Ladybug turned towards Kim.

"Your new outfits are so cool!" He said excitedly as Ladybug handed him his yo-yo.

"You can breathe through this." Ladybug directed as he took Kim's hand, helping him enter the water again as they swam out of the building.

Syren glanced at the two, growing angered as she swam towards them, "Kim!"

"Hey! We're not done yet!" Chat Noir called out in annoyance as he swam after her.

* * *

Ladybug picked on the fact that he couldn't outswim Syren, so instead, he jumped onto the room with Kim in his arms. He yelped in surprise as Ladybug placed him safely on the ground.

"Stay here, I'll save your friend," Ladybug promised about to jump back into the water.

"Uh Ladybug," Kim said guiltily as Ladybug stopped for a moment. " It's kind of my fault this happened. See, me and my friend Ondine were playing a game of secrets, and I think she was trying to tell me that I'm the boy she likes. But, I was a doofus and didn't realize.

"Game of secrets?" Ladybug questioned, "What kind?"

"It's a game Ondine invented." Kim explained, "You write down a secret and put it inside the bracelet's capsule. It's awesome! You wanna know my secret?" He asked but Ladybug shook his head.

"Some other time maybe." He said throwing up his yo-yo in the air. "Aqua Lucky Charm!" He said, and a pair of car keys fell in his hand, a smile drew on his face as he glanced back at all the cars partially submerged in the water.

* * *

Chat Noir kept his eyes trained on Syren, as they raced through the underwater city. He kept his eyes trained on her, even within his new Aqua form, Syren was much faster than him. But his attention was then stolen by Ladybug who floated in the middle of the street, seemingly waiting for them.

"Ladybug! What have you done to my prince?" Syren demanded as Ladybug simply winked at her, making her grow more enraged as she chased after him. "I won't let you steal him from me! Kim is mine!"

Meanwhile, Chat Noir, cut across the rooftops to catch up to his partner, spotting Kim hidden on the rooftops as he dived back into the water, now closer to his partner a few meters away. Ladybug spotted him, holding up a pair of car keys to which Chat Noir nodded to with realization, hanging back for a moment as Syren almost caught up. She held out her arm slowly closing the gap between herself and Ladybug as he suddenly swam through a car.

Chat Noir hit it with the full force of his bow staff, triggering the airbag as Syren was trapped. Both Chat Noir and Ladybug closed both doors, locking it as Ladybug then tied his yo-yo to the spoiler. He swam up to the surface with Chat Noir, the two of them landing on the roof as Chat Noir took the yo-yo from Ladybug's hand and tying it to his extended staff, holding it like a fishing rod.

"Oh, looks like I got a nibble!" He remarked playfully as he pulled the car out of the water and onto the roof.

Syren glared at the two as Ladybug opened the door releasing all the water as he broke her bracelet as an Akuma few out.

"No more mischief from you little Akuma. Time to purify!" Ladybug said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion. Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. "Bye-bye, little butterfly. Miraculous Ladybug!" He said and everything turned back to normal.

Ladybug and Chat Noir bumped their fists together victoriously as Ondine transformed back to normal. She looked around in confusion as Ladybug handed back her bracelet. She looked down the bracelet sadly, but then lifted his head as Ladybug helped her to her feet.

"I'm sorry Ladybug, Chat Noir, this is because of a silly crush of mine."

"Have you asked Kim directly how he feels?" Ladybug advised as Ondine looked up at him in surprise, just as his Miraculous beeped. "Chat, would you mind taking Ondine back to the pool?" He asked walking past him, but Chat Noir held his arm, glancing at him.

"I want to know more about today, about the person you got this potion from." Chat Noir remarked, but was surprised as Ladybug pulled his arm away.

"There's nothing to say." He said, in a monotone voice, bangs hiding his expression as he said. "Tikki, power down." He said as he turned back into his normal form, trying to ignore the hurt expression on Chat Noir's face.

* * *

Marin sneezed into his handkerchief as Master Fu held a rack with seven vials containing potions of different colors within his potions room.

"Each blend corresponds to a new power. You should keep these vials with you at all times, just in case." He advised as Marin looked over them apprehensively.

"Hm." Marin hummed to himself placing his handkerchief back in his pocket. "It's not very practical."

"Only the ingredients matter. They could be contained in anything." He said grabbing a piece of paper and handing it to Marin who looked over the ingredients with a smile, placing both the vials and the paper in his bag.

"Leave this to me Master, I'm not a baker's son for nothing." He remarked with a swell of pride as he walked towards the door. His hand was on the handle as Master Fu spoke up once more.

"Marinus," Master Fu said seriously. "You know Chat Noir will need these powers as well." He said knowingly as Marinu's smile fell for a moment recalling his previous coldness to his partner. However, a smile broke back out on his face once more, a little more sullen, but still retained it's reassurance.

"Like I said Master, leave it to me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- Both Chat Noir and Ladybug are written more selfishly in their hero forms to an extent. But in very different ways.  
\- Marin still can't swim after this episode, but he's trying.


	44. Troubled-baker

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jagged Stone comes to the Dupain Cheung bakery to shoot a show, but things almost immediately go wrong for Marin. Meanwhile, Adrien takes a break from trying to get the truth from his Kwami and ends up with a surprise the more he watches.

Marin walked down the street holding a magazine in his hand, one that had Adrien on the cover as he read through the articles. He eyed one, in particular, that was about Gabriel Agreste. Familiar feelings of distrust began to bubble to the surface as he skimmed over the parts where repeated cookie-cutter phrases.

I work alone.

The only inspiration I have is my muse.

The fashion world is a cutthroat industry, however, the rewards are worth it.

Of course, my son will continue his career in modeling. He shows great promise so long as he can hold his composure; he is his mother's son after all.

Marin hummed for a moment, gripping the magazine in his hands as he then sighed, placing the magazine in his bag.

"You're not still thinking about Gabriel Agreste are you?" Tikki asked as he popped out of his bag just as Marin arrived on his doorstep. "I thought you decided that he wasn't a suspect anymore." She remarked as Marin averted his gaze.

"I can't directly link them..." He admitted. He promised himself that we wouldn't pursue the idea anymore a few weeks ago, but the idea never left him. If only he could maybe find some clues in his house, or try and track down an Akuma's source... "UGH!" Marin groaned as he ruffled his own hair in frustration, his bed head only getting messier as a few of his hairpins came loose.

"I've been Ladybug for months Tikki and what do I have to show for it?" Marin grimaced as he rested his head on the front door. Tikki hovered nearby.

"Plenty, you've saved so many people, you've been a positive influence on the city, you've become very good at sensing Akuma's, not to mention that even the Master has praised you many times for your skill."

"Yeah, but I've given Hawkmoth a way to track down the Master, my partner is losing trust in me because I don't want to place him in danger, not to mention I'm slowly going crazy over the one person who I think is Hawkmoth- who is the man I admire greatly. Not to mention the fact that I can't even think about seriously investigating Agriel Agreste without my stupid heart racing every time I think about him." Marin groaned as he banged his head on the door a few times.

He was seriously some kind of creep, picking up the habit standing before the Agreste manor, always standing on the edge as he thought about breaking in and searching everywhere for any trace of Hawkmoth. But he couldn't because Adrien was his friend, he was the only hurdle that stood between him and a serious investigation. Marin then sighed heavily, "This is getting to be some kind of bad addiction." He remarked as Tikki sat on his shoulder for a moment. He smiled at his Kwami, petting her head as he then walked into his stop, but suddenly was met with a gator knocking him to the ground as he wagged his tail happily.

"Wha- Fang?" He questioned as he heard multiple footsteps, reacting quickly as he turned towards his Kwami. "Tikki, my room, now!" He harshly whispered as his Kwami obeyed, just in time to see Penny walking towards him with worry on her face.

"I'm so sorry! Fang down!" She apologized as she pushed the gator off of him as she pulled Marin to his feet.

Marin yelped in surprise as Fang curled around his legs, wagging his tail so hard that it wiggled his entire body. The sighed was so adorable that any previous negativity faded as Marin knelt down to pet the little cutie, who soaked up the attention.

"What are you doing here Miss Rolling?" Marin asked as Fang nuzzled his face.

" is shooting a show in this shop at my suggestion," Penny informed as she picked up Fang's leash. "Were you not informed?"

Marin stared ahead blankly for a few moments, then grimaced in realization, yes, he was told there would be filming in the shop today. But he didn't think it would be some big celebrity. He chuckled nervously as Fang nuzzled his bag. "Who wants a treat?" Marin asked as he took out a pink macaroon with white spots as he stood up. Fang's eyes lit up as he rolled onto his belly, still wagging his tail happily. "Gentle." Marin said as Fang licked up the treat from his hand, licking his lips as Penny sighed.

"Why can't he always act like that?" She sighed as she couldn't help but smile at the young boy fondly petting Fang.

* * *

"No! I invoke my right to be silent!" Plagg proclaimed as he flew up to the second floor of Adrien's room, much to his partner's annoyance.

"Come on Plagg," Adrien called out, "what's so secret that you and Ladybug can't even tell me?" He asked as Plagg's ears flattened.

"I told you a hundred times, I'm not supposed to tell you!"

"Why? Did Ladybug put you up to this?"

"No of course not. I have more agency than that!" Plagg spat back as he crossed his arms.

"But not enough to actually tell me how Ladybug knew of a way for us both to transform. Something that you've apparently done before?" Adrien pointed out, growing annoyed. "All I want to know is why it's origin has to be a secret. Ladybug's hardly talked to me these past few days, more than usual, now you don't want to be your usual chatterbox self?"

Plagg grumbled to himself, flying down towards his partner. "Hasn't anyone ever told you knowing the truth isn't always the best?"

Adrien looked away for a moment, thinking about his Kwami's works before sternly facing him again. "It's better than being abandoned like this." He said as he then took notice of Plagg's body language. His Kwami's ears were lowered instead of being at attention, and he was almost curled up into a ball, giving off a feeling of defensiveness.

Adrien sighed heavily.

"Alright, I'll stop asking for now, but I do want to know what's going on." He remarked as he turned on the tv, flipping through channels as Plagg hesitantly landed on the table nearby. Adrien suddenly stopped flipping through as he saw Marin's father on television with Jagged Stone of all people, along with announcer Alec.

"Welcome to Fill My Shoes! You're joining us live in a new episode, and our guest today is the one and only Jagged Stone!"

"Rock and Roll, yeah!" Jagged Stone sang out, playing an air guitar as he radiated charisma.

"Filling the shoes of...a baker!" Alec announced as he turned the attention towards Marin's father who looked nervous on camera, a far cry from his own stone-faced dad. "And a big thanks to Tom Dupain for having us here in his bakery, the best in Paris, I might add."

"Uhh...hello!" He waved nervously. "Uh today, we will be...making some bread!" He remarked, taking out some dough out of a bowl.

"OH! I know this!" Jagged remarked as he started punching the dough aggressively much to Tom's chagrin.

" You have the right energy, Jagged. But you just need to be gentle." He remarked, gently pushing the rock star away, starting to kneed the sough. "More like this." He showed as Adrien watched intently, his mouth watering as he could almost smell the bread.

"Oh, come on! Are you going to put cheese on that bread or what? Since when do you have any interest in this show?" Plagg asked in annoyance as the tension between them was dissolved.

"The show's being shot at Marin's." Adrien said with a smile as he rested his head on his hands watching with great interest. But even more so as Jagged waved to someone off-camera.

"Yo, Marin! My favorite little buddy, come over and rock out with us!" He said as the camera pointed towards Adrien's friend who was on his knees fondly rubbing Fang's belly before he looked up in surprise, stunned by all the attention now on him. He nervously chuckled as he complied, rubbed the back of his neck as he walked over to the rock star who greeted him with a half hug. "Marin's really talented, Alec; he did the artwork for my latest album, and he's only in high school!" Jagged said as the album appeared at the bottom of the screen.

Adrien smiled happily as he glanced at the same CD sitting on his shelf, signed by the original artist, one of his best friends.

"Wow, impressive! A true family of artists. A talented young designer and a gifted patissier." Alec announced.

"Not to mention my son is the best baker in Paris." Tim boldly claimed as Marin's face reddened with embarrassment.

"He's, exaggerating-" Marin said trying to backtrack but then Jagged's eyes lit up.

"Really?! That's so metal!" He proclaimed as he ruffled Marin's hair playfully.

"It's true, my bakes the best macaroon in all of Paris." Tom continued to praise as Jagged listened intently while Marin looked like he was about to faint. "Marin, why don't you give us a demonstration?" Tom asked as his son's eyes widened like a deer in the headlights.

"Oh, very rock and roll!" Jagged proclaimed as he pushed Marin in the center frame as he chuckled nervously.

"Uh well," He mumbled folding his hands together. "The most important part of baking macaroons is deciding the flavor, so you can prepare the filling while the cookies themselves rest." He said clapping his hands together while clearly trying not to fall apart on live television.

Jagged hummed for a moment. "Why not make Fang's favorite flavor? He loves the cookies from this bakery especially." Jagged remarked as the camera turned to Fang happily eating pink polka-dotted macaroon cookies off of a plate on the ground.

"Oh, those are just regular cookies that I decorated," Marin said as he put a pastel pink apron on. "They're a little complicated to make, but once you have it down it's actually quite simple."

"Wow, seems like our special guest is full of surprises," Alec remarked as he popped on screen for a moment.

"No, not really," Marin said humbly, not trying to attract any more attention than necessary, but it was a rather hard feat when on live television. "First things first, you need the basic ingredients; eggs, almond meal, and powdered sugar." He said as he walked off-screen.

"While my son is getting the dry ingredients, I'll show you how to whip the eggs into a meringue, which can make or break how the cookies themselves turn out." Tom explained as he placed a carton of eggs on the table along with a blender. Jagged looked on in excitement as he picked up one of the eggs. "Now, for beginners, the best way to separate the yolks from the eggs is to break all three into one bowl and then remove the yolks by hand. Remember everyone, always keep your hands clean within the kitchen." Tom informed as he followed his own instructions. But as he was about to start whipping the yolks, Marin suddenly tripped back into the frame as the camera showed Fang jumping onto him, making him spill the powdered sugar and almond flour all over the rock star.

Adrien couldn't help but chuckle at the scene as Fang was licking Marin's face, not letting him escape while Jagged Stone laughing heartily.

"Hey, look! I look like a ghost! Rock and Boo-Hoo!" Jagged laughed as Marin profusely apologized from the ground.

"Making pastries is obviously no piece of cake! Stay tuned; we'll be right back after this commercial break!" Alec announced as Jagged then jumped on him playfully.

"Boo!"

The show then stopped for a few moments as Adrien laughed aloud. "That's Main for you." He remarked as he lost track of how many times his friend caused an accident due to his own clumsiness. But no one ever really minded except for Marin himself.

Adrien picked up his phone as he texted Alya and Nino.

(Adrikins: Hey, you guys seeing Marin on TV right now?)

A new seconds passed as he saw his two other friends furiously typing.

(Cupcake: WHT. WHAT CHANNEL?!)

(Cookie: Why's he on TV? Did he ever mention this? )

(Adrikins: No, I don't think so. I just happened to see it when I was flipping through channels. Also, it's on Kids+) Adrien typed as he wished he could text Marin as well. (Adrikins: You guys need to see it, Marin is baking macaroon with Jagged Stone. He's being super adorable-) Adrien stopped himself for a moment as his face burned red, quickly erasing the last sentence.

Sure his friend was cute, but no one wants to hear their friends calling them adorable. That was weird. Maybe Chat Noir could pull it off, but Adrien Agreste? No way. Besides, Marin probably didn't even think about him outside of their school interactions. Even when he visited him as Chat Noir during the night, Marin always seemed to successfully diverge the conversation from his friends and to something else. He was quite skillful that way, distracting him with snacks.

Adrien sighed heavily to himself for a moment as the show went came back from commercial. Alec was on the screen as it appeared that they were taking the camera's upstairs.

"And we're back on the air with Jagged Stone filling the shoes of a baker. Let's see how this rockstar cleans off all that flour."

Jagged: Hey, there are more photos of this dude than of me! I think the baker's son's got a little crush." Jagged Stone said as he winked playfully.

Adrien's mouth dropped in shock as he was surprised by all the photos Marin kept of him surrounding his desk. All of them, magazine clippings from his monthly shoots. He knew that Marin kept a collage of pictures of himself and all his friends next to his bed, but he had no idea that he had amassed quite the collection.

Adrien felt immense guilt as he continued to watch what seemed like a serious invasion of privacy. There would be no way that Marin would ever allow anyone in his room without permission, let along a live TV crew. But he couldn't tear his face away as everyone admired the clothes that were on display, especially a bright red bomber jacket that was still midway through assembly.

But Adrien overheard some dialogue behind the camera as Jagged turned towards someone off-camera, suddenly feeling anxious for his friend.

"Hey Marin, you want me to sign this poster of me?" The rockstar asked as the camera turned to Marin standing next to Penny, his face partially covered with powdered sugar, looking extremely anxious.

"No, thank you! I just need everyone to please leave!" He asked as politely, as he could, still wearing his apron, as Penny immediately cut off the feed without a second thought.

Adrien sat there, still stunned as the live footage was replaced with some kind of car commercial. Not even glancing at his Kwami who was laughing in amusement.

"Looks like someone, has another secret admirer," he remarked as Adrien's face reddened at the accusation.

* * *

"Hey Penny, you just cut us off the air!" A cameraman snapped but recoiled as Penny glared at him as she tossed the wires on the ground.

"Penny, give me that cable! We're live!" Alec said trying to grab the wires, but was stopped as Penny placed her foot over them.

Jagged then sneezed, "Choo! Penny, was that flour organic? You know I'm allergic to the non-organic flour."

"Penny, the cable!" Alec called.

"Penny, do you realize we've got no picture?" Bob snapped as he walked up the stairs, pushing Marin back into a corner as he confronted Penny who was clicking her pen more rapidly as more people surrounded her.

" Penny, do you have a tissue? Ah-ah-ah-choo!"

Marin glanced as Penny before him, wanting to reach out, but was too mortified by the entire situation to properly respond.

"THAT'S IT!" She suddenly yelled out. "EVERYONE OUT!" She ordered as she then herded everyone out of Marin's room and down the stairs, slamming the door behind her.

Marin rested his back against the wall as he placed his hands against his ears, hearing a buzzing sound.

"Keep calm, Marin; it's not a big deal." Tikki tried to console as she flew down from his bed, hovering before him.

He took a deep breath, trying to follow his Kwami's advice. "You're right, it's not like anyone would recognize my room anyway, right?" Marin tried to reason, trying to prevent the panic from taking hold. "It's not like Adrien watches shows like this and saw all those pictures and is going to reason that holy heck my friend is a total stalker-weirdo," Marin said as he paced in his room as Tikki watched him.

"Hey, but look at the bright side." She tried to reason. "...At least he'll finally know that you're in love with him." She said trying to be helpful, but was taken aback as Marin stared at his Kwami with an expression that screamed, why me? But suddenly grew defensive.

"I'm not in love with him!" He tried to defend, but his ears were growing redder by the second. "I just...we're friends, I just...admire him alot." He murmured as he then he laid down on the ground, curling up into a ball as he tried to regulate his hitched breathing.

"This is fine..." He muttered as Tikki landed next to him.

"Just breathe! Everything's gonna be okay!" She said as Marin focused on his Kwami.

"Is it?" He asked hopefully, but then his heart raced as he could feel a negative presence.

He jumped to his feet, quickly opening the door downstairs just in time to see an Akuma phase through the window, towards Penny who hung her head. Marin quickly nodded to Tikki who intercepted the Akuma swallowing it before it even had a chance to get close to Penny. Still holding the Akuma in her mouth, she phased back up into Marin's room as he walked down the stairs.

"Um, ?" Marin asked hesitantly as he knelt down next to the woman who had always been kind to him. She didn't respond for a moment but eventually looked up at him with tears welling up in her eyes. She wiped them away before they had a chance to fall.

"I'm terribly sorry for causing you so much embarrassment Marin, you're such a sweet boy." She said quietly as Marin averted his gaze for a moment.

"It's okay." He said, sitting down next to her, holding hugging his knees to his chest. "You looked like you were under a lot of pressure."

Penny nodded. "Yes, it's hard to please everyone, I always have to do my best for everyone and make them happy. I can't ever complain about it because it's my job." She sighed heavily.

"But what about what makes you happy?" Marin asked in concern.

"I'm just happy to work with Jagged." Penny said no longer clicking her pen. "He's an amazing man to work with."

"You must really love him." Marin remarked with a smile asPEnny quickly tuned towards him in shock.

"What? No I mean, I don't dislike him, and I just don't, like, him-" She said stumbling through her words as Marin smiled her innocently.

"Of course not, aren't you a fan of his?"

Penny then calmed down as she realized what Marin was originally implying, "Oh, yes of course." She said, with a smile, "He's...amazing." She swooned as Marin nodded in agreement. "So? Are you a fan of Adrien Agreste?" She lightly teased as Marin hung his head for a moment.

"He's one of my friends." He rambled. "I was actually making him something special because I missed his birthday, so I tried to get as many reference photos as I could to try and get his measurements without asking him directly..." He said sheepishly as Penny chuckled to herself.

"Are you sure that's all it is?" She asked playfully as she stood up, pulling Marin to his feet.

Marin only chuckled cutely, trying not to explode with embarrassment as Penny then hugged him, much to his surprise. "Uh, ?" He asked as the elder woman pulled away with a relaxed smile on her face.

"Penny," She said. "You can call me Penny from now on."

"Doesn't that seem a little disrespectful?" Marin asked suddenly growing uncomfortable once more, but for different reasons.

"Well, no more than me allowing cameramen to film on live tv in your room." She responded cheekily. Penny then stretched her arms over her head as she placed a hand on the door. "Are you coming down to continue the baking segment?"

Marin hesitated for a moment as every molecule in his body begged him to run back upstairs and curl up in his bed and probably search for airline tickets out of the continent. But he took a deep breath, nodding as he followed Penny down the stairs.

* * *

Adrien replayed the rest of yesterday's live show on his phone as he sat in the locker room. A small smile drew on his face as the live show ended with Jagged and Marin feeding a large macaroon to Fang who consumed it quickly. He quickly shut off the video as he saw Marin opening his locker, taking a deep breath before he walked, over, placing himself between his friend and the locker door.

A rush of amusement bubbled in his chest when Marin closed the door he yelled in surprise as Adrien was standing there.

"Adrien-" HE said just before he almost tripped over his feet while backing up. But Adrien caught his hand, pulling him back to balance just as he saw Marin's face redden with embarrassment.

"Hey, Marin!" He greeted normally. "How's it going? After what happened at your place last night, I was worried that—" He was about to say, he was worried about his friend, but almost immediately Marin covered his friend's mouth with both of his hands.

"Please don't tease me." He begged as Adrien's heart faced at his embarrassed face. But kept his calm composure, silently thanking all the modeling lessons he had been forced to take as he removed Marin's hands from his face.

"I'm not. I was just going to say," Adrien said with an innocent expression. "If you wanted pictures of me for your room you could've just asked." He said knowing exactly what he was doing as Marin then covered his own face, sliding down to the ground with his back to the lockers. Adrien sat down next to him thoughtfully.

"It-it's not what you think," Marin said meekly as he hugged his bag to his chest. "See...I'm really into fashion, and, umm..."

Adrien smirked, leaning towards his friend with a cheeky smile. "Are you lying?" He asked as Marin held up his bag between them to hide his face. "I'm not offended you know, it's actually kinda flattering that you're a fan of mine while also being one of my closest friends." He said earnestly as a light blush dusted his cheeks. But he snapped to attention as Marin suddenly stood up, his face still red, pointing a finger in Adrien's face.

"Listen because I'm only going to say this once." He said clearly still embarrassed but trying his best to put an authoritative front. "You absolutely cannot ask about this ever again!" He ordered as he didn't waste time walking away, still hugging his bag as he left Adrien stunned.

But only for a moment as he then called out. "So do I sign you up for my fan club or-?" But laughed as he heard Marin scream into his bag, still walking away as Adrien was extremely pleased with himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- I care for Penny.
> 
> -No Akuma this time, but I hope the fluff will be able to make up for it.
> 
> \- If you're wondering how this will affect Gamer 2.0, do not worry, I have a plan for that.


	45. A Tale of Two Queens

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marin gets cold feet when he attends a fashion show but gets far more than he bargained for. Meanwhile, Adrien is in the same boat as he begins to question the love of his life's commitment to their relationship as partners. 
> 
> Also Happy New Years. :D

Marin removed a few of his hair barrettes, placing a bee shaped comb in his hair as a yellow ball of light materialized before him, transforming into a bee Kwami who bowed her head respectfully towards him.

"It is very lovely to finally see you again Ladybug. The other Kwamis have been speaking of you quite fondly." Pollen said politely as Marin held out his hand, allowing the Kwami to rest upon his palm as she looked up at him with a smile. "Perchance did you maybe bring..." She asked shyly but smiled brightly as Marin placed a box from his parent's bakery on the table. Removing the lid to reveal beautifully decorated cakes that the Kwami's quickly surrounded with glee.

"Pollen is the Kwami of subjection." Master Fu explained as he reached for one of the mini honey cheesecakes that Marin had brought, but retracted as he received glares from almost everyone in the room save for Pollen. Instead, he grabbed his teacup, sipping his green tea bitterly as he watched Marin feed Pollen who smiled happily. "She has the ability to immobilize any person with the power Venom. Though it may seem weak, when given to the right user it can become quite powerful, similar to your Lucky Charm." Master Fu said as he enviously watched as Wayzz and Tikki also began to eating happily.

Marin hesitated for a moment, "Master...what can you tell me about Plagg?" He asked suddenly as Pollen rested on his shoulder.

Master Fu hummed for a moment, but before he could say anything Tikki spoke up.

"He's irresponsible and irritating, and gross!" She said crossing her arms as Marin looked at his usually sweet Kwami in surprise as Master Fu cleared his throat.

"Ah-hem, I believe what Tikki means is that Plagg is a free spirit. Even though what Tikki says is correct; he, like the other Kwamis, are extremely loyal. Why do you ask?" Master Fu inquired.

"I was just wondering," Marin remarked as he fed Pollen another spoon of cake, wiping away the mess on her face with his handkerchief as he then did the same for Tikki and Wayzz. " I've met almost everyone else, except for him. I guess I was just a little curious about what kind of partner Chat Noir has." He remarked with a sullen expression. But before Master Fu to ask about it any further Marin's eyes widened as he saw the time.

"Ah, sorry to leave so suddenly Master," Marin apologized as he pocketed his hairpins, "I'm going to be late for a fashion show! Bye Pollen, it was nice to meet you." Marin said nuzzling the soft Kwami as she giggled.

"It is I who should be thanking you." She said politely just before Marin removed the Miraculous, handing it back to Master Fu. As Tikki flew into his bag Marin petted Wayzz's head affectionately, then picked up a pink hatbox about to leave.

"I'm afraid I don't know much about fashion but good luck." Master Fu said, placing Pollen's Miraculous back into the box. He waited until Marin finally closed the door to reach for the remaining sweets...

"No cakes Master Fu, remember what your doctor said!" Marin called out as Master Fu snapped his fingers in annoyance, chiding at how well his apprentice knew him.

* * *

"Tonight, the Grand Palais hosts the most eagerly awaited event of the year! The sensational fashion show of the famous designer Gabriel Agreste! And a major event always brings prestigious guests: Mayor of Paris, André Bourgeois, is expected to attend the show with his wife, the great and highly respected fashion queen-"

Marin overheard on nearby televisions as he kept the news as he carried the weight of the world in his hands.

"Honestly, Marin, it's perfect the way it is!" Tikki said poking her head out of his bag, as Marin sighed heavily, gripping the pink hatbox in his hands.

"It can't just be perfect Tikki, it has to be more than that." Marin remarked. "Adrien is supposed to model it in front of everyone, if even a single thing goes wrong, he'll resent me for it. Why the heck did I design a stupid bird hat?!" He grimaced as he rested his head on the back of his chair.

"Because you're a great designer, Marin. Besides, if your hat was so ugly, why did Gabriel Agreste hand-pick it for his fashion show?" Tikki reasoned as she munched on a cookie.

Marin groaned as he as much as he wanted to change everything and then probably jump out of a window later, he took a deep breath. The sign of a great artist was knowing when to stop. But then he saw who was walking down on the red carpet, immediately stopping in his tracks.

"Oh no! It's Audrey Bourgeois!" Marin said fearfully as he took cover behind a pillar.

"Who?" Tikki questioned.

"Only the harshest fashion critic in the entire world. I didn't know she was coming!" Marin harshly whispered as he looked at her taking an interview with Nadja.

"Audrey, like the slogan of your magazine says "If it's in good taste; it's in "Style Queen!" So, what's in good taste this year?" The reporter asked as Audrey radiated an antagonistic aura, as though she would rein down judgment on anyone who dared to enter her direct proximity.

"Judging by the way you're dressed, you obviously don't know my dear. For your information, the trend this year is glitter." She remarked as Marin whimpered.

"This is fine." Marin said to himself as he began walking away from the venue.

"Where are you going?!" Tikki asked.

"You heard Audrey Bourgeois, didn't you? There's no way they'd let Adrien model this hat; there's not glitter on it; zero trend-potential-OW!" Marin yelped as Tikki pinched him. "What was that for?!"

"Becuase you weren't snapping out of it." Tikki said. "Your designs are beyond any trend, everyone know it!" the Kwami said supportively as she suddenly hid away at the sound of someone approaching.

Marin flinched as someone placed their hand on his shoulder, he turned back to see Nathalie looking down at him. " There you are, Marin. Everyone's waiting for you."

"Uh, but-uh- actually-I, uh-" Marin stammered but couldn't escape as Nathalie guided him directly into the one place that he was trying to avoid.

* * *

Adrien fixed his jacket, within the mirror he saw Plagg sitting a few feet away gobbling down cheese. "I feel ridiculous wearing this." He admitted.

"That's probably because you look ridiculous," Plagg remarked cheekily as Adrien sighed. Both of them flinched as somebody then knocked on the trailer door. Adrien waited until Plagg was properly hidden before he opened it. A smile immediately settled on his face as he saw his friend standing before him with a pink hatbox in his hands.

"Hello, Marin." Adrien greeted politely as he took a step back.

Marin glanced up at him shyly, waving in greeting. "Oh, uh— Hel-" he was about to greet but had not accounted for the height difference on the last step as he tripped right into Adrien's arms. Averting his gaze after looking up at Adrien's face for a moment too long. "Sorry!" He immediately said, holding his head apologetically as the hatbox slipped from his hands.

Adrien's expression softened as he glanced at his friend. "No worries." He said as they both bumped their heads into each other trying to pick up the box, glancing at each other again before chuckling. Adrien picked up the hat, handing it over to Marin who had picked up the feather. "I hope it's not too hard to fix it." Adrien said in concern, noticing his friend's sullen expression.

"Don't worry about it." Marin said fixing it easily as he handed it back to Adrien.

"What's wrong?" Adrien asked, holding the hat in his hands.

"It's nothing." Marin remarked, "Good luck out there." He said about to leave if Adrien didn't immediately intercept him by shutting the door, and looking up at his friend with a cheeky grin.

"What's wrong?" He asked again, this time leaning against the door frame as Marin groaned at his friend.

"Why are you like this?"

"Why are you sad?" Adrien retorted as Marin shot a glare at him.

"Oh, you know, it doesn't really matter that the hat is a complete failure," Marin said bitterly as he rested his back against the wall adjacent to Adrien who looked at him in surprise.

"What, no it's not. Why would you say that?"

"Because…" Marin mumbled under his breath but then sighed. "I'm sorry, Adrien. Please don't put the hat on, it'll be a disaster I just know it. You know how unlucky I am."

Adrien smiled at his friend. "Oh, would you take a look at this." He remarked, placing the hat on as he walked around with his hands folded behind his back. "I'm perfectly fine, I dare say...not a disaster." He said looking over his shoulder at his friend who rolled his eyes in amusement as he then laughed. Adrien's heart couldn't help but swell as he had made his friend smile. "Marin, everything's gonna be fine. Your hat looks great; I think it's awesome; so does my father. Otherwise, he wouldn't have picked it for me."

The two smiled fondly at each other until someone coughed behind the door. Marin blushed furiously as he opened the door to reveal Nathalie still standing there. "Bye Adrien!" He said, closing the door behind him as he kept his gaze to the ground the entire walk to the sitting area. He clutched the straps of his bag, as he flinched at Nathalie's voice.

"You and Adrien seem, rather close." She remarked as Marin kept his eyes glued to the ground.

"He's just being nice." He said, his sullen expression returning as the secretary guided him toward his seat in the front row. He felt some relief as he saw his parents and Alya waiting for him.

However just before he could reach the seat, someone else in between them with a sour expression. "How dilapidated is this place? And I have to share the front row with this group of low-lifes? Ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous." Audrey Bourgeois remarked crossing her arms.

"Uh, sorry, but that seat is reserved for Marin." Alya spoke up in annoyance as Marin edged away, about to run but was held back by Nathalie who retained her stern expression.

Audrey glanced at Alya. "What is a Marin?" She asked snidely.

"Let me handle this, mother. Hey losers, do you know who my mother is? She's Miss Style Queen: the most powerful woman in the world of fashion. This show is for her, okay? So, get lost!" Chloé snapped with a satisfied expression on her face, until Nathalie walked up with her hand on Marin's shoulder.

"Mrs. Bourgeois. Mr. Agreste has reserved a seat for you…" She began to say.

"Ah, finally." Audrey remarked with a satisfied expression, that quickly soured.

"…in the second row." Nathalie clarified, holding her composure even when Audrey was yelling in her face.

"What?! This is unacceptable! Gabriel cannot do this to me! I'm the one who discovered him. Without me, he'd still be drawing his unworthy designs in his dismal, grim studio!"

"I can offer your seat to someone else if you don't want it." Nathalie offered, but that only serves to make Audrey even angrier.

"How dare you? You're fired!"

"I don't work for you, I work for Mr. Agreste."

"We'll see about that!" She remarked, taking out her phone as Nathalie gestured to Marin to sit down, which he did as he and everyone else had to watch the two argue over seating until Audrey walked away angrily, followed by the rest of her family.

Marin sighed heavily as Alya placed her hand on his shoulder. "All cool, cutie?" She asked in concern as he nodded at her with his hand clawing his shirt. The show then started as Marin noticed that Nino was playing the music for the show, no doubt because of Adrien. Marin couldn't help but smile as he saw Adrien walking down the catwalk stylishly as he gracefully struck a few poses for the camera. For a moment, he spotted Marin in the audience, winking at him as if to say, told you it would be okay.

And then something landed before him, surprising the entire crowd as they looked up to a woman made entirely out of Glitter. "A fashion show without the queen of style? Glitteraly unacceptable!" She remarked as she looked around angrily. "Where is that ungrateful Gabriel Agreste? I demand that he kneels before me!"

"My father isn't here!" Adrien said, as Marin could feel the blood drain from his face at stunned his friend's boldness.

Style Queen smirked evilly, "Well then. If fashion-disaster daddy isn't here, I'll just have to settle for Agreste Junior! You're fired!" She said holding her staff towards him as he was blasted with glitter, turning into a golden statue.

"Adrien!" Marin called out fearfully as everyone began panicking, giving Marin the cover he needed to escape. He ran into a nearby closet as Tikki flew out of his bag. "Tikki, spots on!" He said with a serious expression.

* * *

Ladybug swung on top of the rafters of the building as he looked down at the scene of Chloé begging her mother to become her assistant.

"If you want to find Gabriel Agreste, I know where he lives. You can take care of Ladybug and Chat Noir later, they're worthless anyway." She remarked as Ladybug narrowed his eyes.

" Hmm— It's not a completely idiotic idea." Style Queen admitted as she smashed her wand on the ground. Ladybug could only watch in shock as Adrien's statue crumbled and was sucked into the wand; Acting quickly he removed a tracker from his yo-yo, throwing it on Chloé's jacket just as she was dragged along with her mother.

"Chat Noir, please hurry up." Ladybug hoped aloud, fearful of what would happen to Adrien if his partner held onto his anger and decided not to show up.

* * *

Ladybug tracked Style Queen to the Agreste manor first, but saw that she had changed course towards the Eiffel tower. He easily traversed the railing, stealthily landing on the rafters as he saw Adrien trapped behind a forcefield, slowly disintegrating as Chloé tried to break him out to no avail. He noticed the rose in Adrien's mouth, it was the same one that Audrey Agrete had on her hat...Ladybug's eyes widened with realization as he dialed up his partner, hoping that he would be able to get the message at least.

"Chat Noir...please, I need your help. Adrien Agreste's life is on the line-AGH!" Ladybug said just as he was blasted with glitter, slammed against the railing as Style Queen smiled at him in amusement.

He glared at her as he threw up his yo-yo in the air. "Lucky Charm!" He cried out as a mallet fell into his hands. But just as he recognized it, he was blasted once more by Style Queen, pinned to the ground as she planted a heel on his chest. "Ladybug, hand over those awful earrings and let's get this over with." She demanded as she reached down to take his earings, only to be met with Ladybug trying to punch her. However, his arm was stuck in her body, as he struggled to escape she laughed. "You still don't get it, huh, fashion victim? I am invincible! My power is only equaled by my sense of fashion. I am invincible!" She stated with confidence as she pointed her staff directly at his face. But just before he was about to be turned into a statue Chloé pushed her mother, dispersing the golden dust as she turned her daughter to stone. Shocking Ladybug even though he was free now.

How could she do that to her own daughter?

"It's really impossible to find qualified staff these days." Style Queen remarked as she turned back towards Ladybug, but was annoyed to see he had disappeared.

* * *

Marin transformed back in an alley near the shop. As he barged into the shop he saw the Master's back turned towards him. "Master Fu, Chat Noir has disappeared. I can't beat Style Queen without him! And the Lucky Charm told me to come here..." Marin mumbled off as he glanced at his Master in confusion.

"Don't worry, Chat Noir is fine. He's just lost his Miraculous." Master Fu said as he turned back towards him with a reassuring smile. Marin stared at him for a few moments as Tikki hovered nearby, both of them waiting for an explanation as Marin sat before the master.

"Yup, that tomcat's really gotten himself stuck up in a tree this time." A voice behind the Master said as Master Fu moved to the side to reveal a black cat-like Kwami.

Marin blinked in surprise, "Uh— Lemme guess, you're Chat Noir's Kwami?"

Plagg finished off the cheese as he hovered before Marin's face. Marin noticed that the small Kwami radiated the smell of camembert, making Tikki gag as she flew back into his bag and back to the safety of cookies. "Yes, he tends to copy me a bit too much. Yet, lately, he's been doing really silly things. In five thousand years I've never experienced such an irresponsible Miraculous owner. As a result, he's lost his ring and it's just me that's able to help you out."

"No! It's out of the question, Plagg. You are way too dangerous without an owner." Master Fu said calmly as Plagg scoffed.

" Dangerous? Me? How so?"

"Does the disappearance of Atlantis ring a bell with you?" Master Fu said as Marin's eyes widened for a moment.

"Wait, Atlantis is rea-"

"I'd had too much cheese." Plagg interrupted.

"The Leaning Tower of Pisa?" Master Fu pointed out, crossing his arms.

" I didn't see it."

"The Dinosaurs?!" Master Fu snapped as Marin stared at the cute cat Kwami before him, wondering if Chat Noir knew how dangerous his partner was.

" Oh!" Plagg remarked as he admitted his fault. "Yeah… okay. No, I— I… did go too far there. But I was young."

Master Fu sighed heavily, "Neither Chat Noir nor Plagg can help you today." He said as Marin averted his gaze, noticing that Plagg was staring at him as well as they both had the same thought. However, their attention turned towards Master Fu as he took out the Miracle box.

"Marinus Dupain-Cheng, pick an ally you can trust to fight alongside you on this mission. Choose wisely; such powers are meant to serve the greater good. Once the mission is over you will retrieve the Miraculous from them."

Marin narrowed his eyes, "I need someone who can actually immobilize my opponent..." He murmured to himself as he picked up the bee Miraculous.

"Do you have someone in mind, Marinus?" Master Fu asked as he handed his apprentice a Miraculous box.

"Yes Master, I think I do." He said as he nodded his head in thanks. Racing out of the door as Plagg eyed him nervously.

* * *

Ladybug raced up the tower, landing on a set of stairs as he prevented Alya from going any further. "Miss Césaire, I would advise you not to get so close to Style Queen, it's too dangerous." He warned, but know exactly how his best friend would respond as she smirked at him with determination in her eyes.

"It's hard to get a scoop when you're not in the middle of the action, Ladybug." She remarked holding up her phone towards her favorite hero, but was surprised as Ladybug held a Miraculous before her.

"Alya Césaire, this is the Miraculous of the Bee which grants the power of subjection. You will use it for the greater good and once the mission is over, you will return the Miraculous to me. Can I trust you?"

Alya's eyes lit up as she nodded, "Always." About to take the Miraculous until Style Queen materialized before them, Alya immediately pushed Ladybug out of the way, knocking the Miraculous out of his hands, as she herself was turned into a statue.

Ladybug gasped in dismay as the Miraculous that held Pollen was falling to the ground, then turning to see his friend turned to a statue. Ladybug's brow furrowed as he glared at Style Queen angrily.

"Where's Chat Noir? Oh, lemme guess. He's hiding because he's ashamed of his outfit." Style Queen laughed as Ladybug threw his yo-yo into the air.

"Lucky Charm!" He cried out, activating his power as a tube of super glue fell into his hands. He looked around for a moment, spotting exactly what he needed. As Style Queen dispersed into glitter Ladybug was just about to touch a nearby flag, but unluckily he was scooped up by Style Queen's glitter, and thrown against the orb that held his friend captive.

"Poor little bitty bug." Style Queen chastised as she pointed her weapon at his throat, forcing him to look at her, moments before his imminent demise. "You really are nothing without your kitty cat."

Ladybug glared at her as all of a sudden, something flew through Style Queen, placing himself between the two.

"Stay away from the Ladybug!" He said defensively as Ladybug stared at his savior in surprise.

"Plagg?!"

Style Queen scoffed at the sight. "Agh, my, my. What do we have here? A talking rat?"

"Meow. Style faux pas. Cataclysm!" Plagg remarked as he stuck out his tongue, careful not to use his full power as be booped the floor. But the entire city seemed to shake as the tower started to collapse.

"Plagg what did you do!?" Ladybug remarked as he noticed the force field around Adrien had weakened. Quickly he punched a hole in it, retrieving the flower as he lost his balance for a few seconds.

"You better hurry and fix everything," Plagg warned as he handed Ladybug his fallen Lucky Charm.

Ladybug snapped the flower in two as Style Queen cried out in agony, releasing the Akuma.

"No more mischief from you little Akuma. Time to purify!" Ladybug said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion. Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. "Bye-bye, little butterfly. Miraculous Ladybug!" Ladybug called out, throwing up the lucky charm as everything turned back to normal.

Ladybug sighed in relief as Adrien turned back to normal along with Style Queen's other victims looking down from the rafters as he Chloé hugged him in relief and the two tended to Audrey who still had a sour expression on her face.

Ladybug and Plagg smiled at each other as they pounded fists. But the smile faded as a thought occurred to the hero. "...Did Chat Noir actually lose his Miraculous?"

Plagg looked away with a sullen expression on his face, "He's kind of mad at you, and me because he's the only one still in the dark about the Master and everything else about the Miraculous."

"I'm sorry for putting you in that position Plagg." Ladybug apologized as the Kwami sighed, crossing his arms.

"You don't need to apologize, I've told every holder of mine that their duty was to support Ladybug. Some were good at it, some weren't, but at the end of the day I was still proud to call them my partners. Each Ladybug that came before had their own burden they had to shoulder, it's up to you if it's one that you want to share." Plagg explained as Ladybug smiled fondly at him.

"I'm glad that Chat Noir has someone like you on his side as he scratched Plagg under his chin, making the cat Kwami purr for a few moments before he shook it off, trying to retain a semblance of composure as he coughed.

"Don't worry about Chat Noir, I'll be on him like mold on cheese from now on." He remarked as Ladybug turned his attention downward, back on Adrien who looked out from the tower nervously.

"Mister Agreste." He called out as Adrien turned towards him in surprise. "I'm glad you're okay." He said, but noticed as Adrien turned his head away for a moment, before forcing a smile. Something that shocked the hero as he could feel an underlying coldness coming from him.

"I'm glad to see you too Ladybug. Thank you very much for your help." He said, politely.

Ladybug couldn't help but feel a little hurt, but shook it off quickly, there was no reason to press something that he shouldn't care about. Adrien wasn't Ladybug's friend, he was Marin's.

"Why didn't you go back with your friend?"

"Oh, uh," Adrien mumbled, "I didn't really want to go back with them, they can be a little...much."

"I can give you a lift if you want, it's on my way back." Ladybug offered as he held out his hand. Adrien hesitated for a moment but accepted the offer as he wrapped his arms around the hero's neck while Ladybug placed his hand around Adrien's waist. Making sure he was secure before he jumped off the tower and towards the city.

* * *

Ladybug landed near the venue, gently placing Adrien on his feet, as Adrien's touch lingered on his shoulder.

"Thank you, Ladybug. For the lift and also… for saving my life." Adrien said as he stepped away from the hero. He winced for a moment as he heard Ladybug's Miraculous beep.

"Stay safe." Ladybug said simply as he used his yo-yo to jump away, not noticing Adrien's lingering glance as he felt a mess of emotions threatening to surface, but he simply took a deep breath as he turned to walk back into the building.

As he walked into the venus, he heard spotted a familiar face as a smile of relief broke out on his face.

"Plagg!" He said happily as he hugged his Kwami behind a pillar, away from the eyes from the public. "I was so worried about you." He said as his Plagg smirked.

"Hmph, worried about me? I'll have you know that I was on my best behavior!" He remarked as just then, Adrien looked at a nearby screen, showing the news report of Paris almost being destroyed as the Eiffel Tower fell towards civilians. Staring at it for a few moments before he turned back to his Kwami with a disapproving expression, as if to say, you-were-saying? As Plagg chuckled nervously.

"For the record, I saved Ladybug's life, doesn't that count for anything?!" He tried to reason as Adrien glanced down at his Kwami. A familiar feeling of uncertainty rising as he turned away for a moment as the modded tensed for a moment. "He does care you know," Plagg remarked as Adrien smiled down at his partner, opening his jacket so Plagg could fly in.

"I know."

* * *

Marin sighed as he transformed back to normal as Tikki fell into his hands, exhausted. She took small bites as Marin handed her a shortbread cookie.

"Marin, aren't you forgetting something? You have to bring the Miraculous back to Master Fu." She said as Marin could feel shock settle through his body.

"But the magic ladybugs already brought it back, didn't they?!"

Tikki shook her head. "Anything effected by the Akuma goes back to normal, you dropped the Miraculous of your own accord." She explained.

"Oh no, I abandoned Pollen!" Marin grimaced as he started panicking, thinking of every worst-case scenario, about to run back to the Effiel tower. But he bumped into the worse person to run into within this scenario, who sighed in relief at the sighed of him.

"Mio bambino, there you are!" Marin's father said as he hugged him tightly, even lifting him up as his mother sighed in relief. "We've been looking for you everywhere in the Grand Palais. Are you okay, sweety?" He asked in concerned as Marin had a little trouble breathing. He loved his dad, but his hugs were sometimes a little too smothering.

"Ah, I'm fine papa. Please, let me down?" He asked as his father chuckled, ruffling his hair gently as he guided his wife and son back into the hall.

"We're finally going to get to watch the fashion show and witness the success of our darling son and his amazing hat." Time said proudly as Marin grew more anxious.

"Uh, papa- I actually, forgot something at home-" Marin tried to explain.

"Come on! We can't miss the beginning, you little friend Adrien is already on the catwalk, he and the rest of your friends were worried about you too you know."

As soon as his father said that Marin would feel his will wavering as he had made his friends worry. But he couldn't sit still he was worried out of his mind for little Pollen out there on her own, trapped in her Miraculous on the outside world, and it was all his fault.

* * *

As Adrien pushed the guilt of not being there for his partner, as well as the anger, hurt, and general animosity being near his friend seemed to generate, he was grateful for any kind of distraction. Even if it was walking up and down a catwalk. But he couldn't help but notice Marin's worried expression as he gripped the sash of his messenger bag, clearly worried over something. But he was distracted for a moment as Alya pointed a camera in his face, smiling shyly as he waved.

"Scoop. The hat Adrien Agreste is wearing was made by my BFF, Marin! Anything you'd like to say during my livestream?" All of a sudden, everyone's attention was led to the entrance of the catwalk as Adrien turned around, his eyes widening in shock as there, standing before him was his father. Out in the open for the first time since...

"Ladybloggers, a huge update! That's Gabriel Agreste; he hasn't been in public in ages." Alya narrated as she kept her stream running.

Adrien was frozen in place as his father walked up to him. Uncertain of what else to do, Adrien removed his hat, but was shaken as his father hugged him. Adrien gasped for a moment, feeling the weight of the situation, but accepted it for whatever it was as all eyes were on them. All that mattered was that his father was here, and he was there for him...

* * *

"This was Gabriel Agreste's first public appearance since his wife disappeared. This fashion week is full of surprises and shockers." Nadja announced nearby as Adrien and his father walked past the news team.

Adrien stood next to his father as he talked to Audrey, the two squabbled for a moment until Audrey smirked.

"Let's not overdo it. Huh Gabriel?" She said knowingly as she glanced at Adrien, more specifically the hat on his head.

"Did you enjoy the show?" Gabriel asked.

"So, so." Audrey remarked as she took the hat off Adrien's head, observing it more closely. The style of this hat is clearly not an original "Gabriel Agreste". Has your isolation provided you with new inspiration?" Audrey inquired as she scanned over the hat more closely.

"Unfortunately no, it was designed by one of Adrien's classmates." He said as Gabriel glanced at his son, who took the hint as he immediately scanned for his friend. Spotting Marin trying to sneak away from the crowd. Adrien ran over to him, grabbing his arm as Marin yelped in surprise turning to face his face.

"Adrie-"

"Audrey Bourgeois wants to meet you!" He said excitedly as Marin processed that information for a moment.

"What, why?" He asked now panicked.

"Because she saw your hat! Come on."

"But I have to-"

"It'll just be a few minutes, promise!" Adrien said with a reassuring smile as he dragged his friend back to where he was standing previously.

"So, are you the designer of this?" Audrey asked with a condescending tone.

Marin looked up at her nervously, glancing back at Adrien who nodded at him encouragingly. "I… I'm the one who created it." Marin said smiling nervously. "I was inspired by style and Paris herself."

"Marinus Dupain-Cheung was the winner of one of my fashion design competitions," Gabriel explained as he placed a hand on Marin's shoulder.

Audrey lifted her glasses to get a better look at the hat, narrowing her eyes. "It's the most…exceptional thing I've ever seen! You're a visionary, Marin! Glitter's had its day. Feathers are the trend of tomorrow! I haven't felt this much emotion since… " She remarked, then her gaze settled on Gabriel, "you."

"He does have a very rare potential," Gabriel admitted.

Adrien was smiling out of his mind as he saw his father glance at Marin proudly, having to hold back his pure glee for his friend as he was being praised by the fashion world's most renown icons. But more importantly, his friend had gotten his father to smile, an almost impossible feat.

"You wanna be a fashion designer, right?" Audrey inquired as Marin nodded nervously.

"Yes ma'am."

Audrey hummed to herself as she placed the hat back on Adrien's head. "Then come to New York with me! I'll make you the biggest name in fashion! I'm sure you'll even upstage Gabriel.

Adrien's smile dropped for a moment as Audrey said that. Marin? One of his closest friends in the world moving overseas? The thought made him sad but Adrien's smile returned as Marin glanced back at him nervously. "I'd be able to model one of your designs!" he said encouragingly

"My helicopter will be leaving for the airport at 8 p.m. tonight," Audrey said placing her sunglasses back on. "make your choice before then."

Adrien then turned his head away towards his childhood friend. "Isn't this awesome for Marin, Chloé?" He asked by noticed that Chloé hung her head for a few moments before she lifted it, seething with rage.

"It's... It's ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous! I've never been to New York with you and you're taking Marin Dupain-Cheng!?" Chloé snapped angrily in a rage that Adrien hadn't seen before, at least as long as he had known her.

"I'm taking him because he's exceptional Claudette. Uh— Chloé." Audrey said.

Chloé winced back as she started to tear up, "I-I'm exceptional, too!" She insisted.

But Audrey paid no mind to her daughter's emotional distress. "The only exceptional thing about you, my dear… is your mother." She said rather harshly as Marin and Adrien exchanged as worried expression. Even though they had different opinions about Chloé, they both telepathically agreed that her mother had gone too far.

"Audrey, dear-" Chloé's father tried to comfort his daughter while also trying to be reasonable with his wife, but Chloé pushed him away.

"Ugh! I'll show you how exceptional I can be!" Chloé exclaimed as she took out a familiar-looking black box with a red emblem. When she opened it, a yellow ball of light appeared before all of them as a yellow Kwami materialized before them. Adrien was stunned, there was no possible way that Ladybug, or anyone would ever willingly give Chloé a Miraculous. Yet here was the exact scene occurring right before his eyes.

"How may I please you, my Queen?" The yellow Kwami asked as Chloé smiled sinisterly.

"What is that thing?" Audrey asked apathetically, disinterested in the literal magical being before her eyes.

"Chloé, what are you doing?!" Adrien asked as his childhood friend tossed away her glasses and placed the Miraculous in her hair.

"Pollen, Buzz On!" Chloé proclaimed as she transformed before their eyes. She glared at Marin for a few moments before Adrien protectively stood between them, knowing all too well the grudge Chloé held for their classmate. However, she instead jumped atop nearby scaffolding overlooking the venue. "I am Chloé Bourgeois and from now on I'll be your new superhero, Queen Bee! We'll soon see if you think Dupain-Cheng is still more exceptional than moi! Spinning Top!" Chloé exclaimed as she used her Top to exit the Grand Palais, stunning everyone for a moment.

"What is happening to our beloved daughter?!" The mayor yelled out in confusion and worry as his wife brushed it off.

"She always was such a show-off. See you tonight, Marin. I'll meet you at my helicopter." Audrey said as she walked out of the building.

"We best be going home, Adrien." Gabriel said as he placed his hand on his son's shoulder, guiding him out of the building as Adrien glanced at Marin for a moment before he was escorted to his car.

As Marin watched his friend leave, he stood there for a moment trying to process everything that happened. But couldn't as he had made a horrible mistake, and now little Pollen was in Chloé's hands. Chloé, who was the worst person to place as sweet little Kwami into the hands of.

But he couldn't think about what a horrible, horrible person he was. He had to think about where Chloé...where Queen Bee was going to be. She definitely wanted attention, to impress her mother desperately...but how would she do that? He then turned his head as he overheard a conversation between Nadja and someone else.

"Come one, we have to get to the subway!" The reported said ask Marin had an extremely bad feeling...

But he snapped out of it as he was hugged from behind.

"OHHH, my little Bambino's growing up!" Tom said happily as he placed his son back onto the ground, then placing his hand on his and Sabine's shoulders. "We'll open a bakery in New York and introduce our Dupain-Cheng pastries to the Americans!"

" Are you sure about that Tom? You've always been afraid of flying." His mother said as she smiled at her son supportively.

"I'd fly to the moon and open a bakery for my boy if I had to." Tom said confidently as Marin looked away for a moment.

"But what about everyone who lives here? What about Nonna?" He asked as Tom looked down at him reassuringly.

"I know your grandmother would travel anywhere you were mio figlio piccolo, she loves you very much." Tom said honestly, "She may even come to stay with us if its in a new city, wouldn't that be nice?" He asked.

Marin wavered for a moment, it would be nice to see his grandmother more often than just through letters or postcards. Even so... "What about gramps?"

Tom looked taken aback for a moment, exchanging a glance with his mother who spoke up.

["Don't worry about grandpa my heart, I know you think he's frail but he's very independent just like Nonna."] Sabine said with a smile as she held Marin's face in her hands. ["We want to do what's best for you, always."] She said as she lifted herself on her toes to his cheek. But Marin's expression wasn't deterred from worry.

"Nothing will come between my darling son and his dreams." Tom remarked as he Kissed his son's head. His family radiated kindness and support, but it didn't sit right with Marin who took a step back.

"I-uh, need to find Alya. I'll meet you at home." He said as his parents nodded.

["Come home safely."] His mother said as his father guided her out of the venue with his hand on her shoulder while she placed her hand on his back.

Marin hung his head for a few moments before he then slapped his cheeks. "I can't lose focus." He said as he searched for a place to transform.

* * *

Adrien looked out the window of the car as he grew more anxious for his childhood friends and the rest of Paris's safety "I hope Chloé doesn't do anything foolish." He said glancing at his father.

"I'm sure Ladybug and Chat Noir will deal with her." His father said simply as Adrien turned back to his window noticing Ladybug running along the rooftops and jumping into the subway.

Adrien gasped at the sight of the hero, wanting to run down there with him. But he was also mad at his, but Chloé needed help, but the safety of the people was more important, but shouldn't he try and so what was best for himself?

Adrien sighed at his overthinking. Don't hesitate. He thought to himself, and the answer became all too clear just as they pulled into the driveway of the manor.

* * *

Ladybug jumped onto the runaway train that was running at high speeds. As he made his way to the front Chat Noir jumped up right next to him much to his surprise. The two didn't talk to each other as they walked to the front, looking down at Queen Bee trying to stop the train by herself, not realizing the power each Miraculous held. The Bee Miraculous may have given her heightened speed and agility, but it wasn't the strongest.

"Need a helping paw?" Chat Noir asked as Queen Bee glared at them, just as her Miraculous began to beep.

" Sto-o-op sta-aring! Ca-an't you se-e-e you're distracting me-e-e?" She asked, her voice shaking due to the sleepers on the tracks.

Ladybug narrowed his eyes as he nodded at Chat Noir, jumping towards the back of the train while Chat Noir extended his staff, waiting for the right moment. As soon as he felt the train slow down due to Ladybug Chat Noir threw out his baton, which was kept in place due to the length of the extension. He quickly saved Queen Bee just before she was sandwiched between the two, pulling her to safety as the train came to an abrupt stop. Chat Noir then jumped down to check on the passengers.

"Thanks for your co-operation, people. Please, keep on being paw-some and evacuate the station calmly." Chat Noir directed as he made sure no one was seriously injured.

Meanwhile out of the corner of his eye he noticed Queen Bee doing an interview on live television, rolling his eyes as he then noticed Ladybug walked out of the conductor's car. He probably used his yo-yo to travel there after the train had stopped, but Chat Noir paid him no mind until he started to speak.

"Queen Bee. This was your doing." Ladybug said with a serious tone, one that sent shivers up Chat Noir's spine as he had never seen his partner radiate this kind of animosity. But it was something that Queen Bee didn't seem to pick up on as she smiled at him happily.

"Oh, Ladybug, you're too kind. This was teamwork. Oh, how amazing is this?! We're a team now!"

"You paralyzed the metro driver, you used your power to create this situation just to make yourself look good. Chloé, you endangered lives all for a selfish reason."

Queen Bee looked between the hero and the growing animosity nervously as even Chat Noir turned towards her with a frown on his face. "Who cares? We saved them, didn't we?" She reasoned.

"Queen Bee, or rather, Chloé Bourgeois, we're on the air with your mother, Audrey Bourgeois. Audrey, do you have anything to say, live, on TV?" Nadja asked as she held up a tablet with Audrey on the other side.

"What? Regarding my daughter's ineptitude? I think it speaks for itself, doesn't it?" She said as Chloé looked away sadly.

"Chloé, give me back the Miraculous," Ladybug ordered as he held out his hand.

Queen Bee glared at him angrily, protecting the Miraculous in her hair. "Finders keepers, losers wheepers!" She said then stuck her tongue out like she was a child.

Chat Noir's eyes widened in shock, just as he was picking up his staff. " Did you… lose a Miraculous?"

Ladybug ignored him, "Now Chloé." Ladybug demanded, but suddenly, Chloé shoved him away as she ran back onto the train. Which was still in service apparently as it was running on an auto function. Ladybug slapped his forehead angrily as he ran out of the Subway and towards the next stop. However, he was followed by his partner, much to his chagrin.

"If you think we're not going to talk about you losing a Miraculous then you are sorely mistaken!" Chat Noir remarked, and he and Ladybug jumped on to the rooftops.

* * *

They headed to the Grand Paris hotel directly as it would be the most likely place for Chloé to return to. Ladybug and Chat Noir landed on the roof. Chat Noir had been trying to get him to talk to him for a while, but Ladybug remained silent as they walked through the hotel, eventually making it to the first floor where a large number of people were immobilized. They were completely frozen as both heroes took notice of the single black marks on their bodies.

"What's that, an insect bite?" Chat Noir asked as Ladybug quickly put two and two together. He quickly grabbed Chat Noir's arm as he heard a buzzing sound, using his yo-yo to quickly jump onto the rooftops.

"Hey! What's going on?!" Chat Noir asked but when he didn't receive and answer, he stopped running, gripping Ladybug's hand as he pinned him to a nearby wall, looking up at his partner. "You need to talk to me." He said bluntly as Ladybug averted his gaze for a moment.

"Chloé's been Akumatized in her Queen Bee form. When an Akuma possesses a Miraculous like that it can enhance it's power greatly, meaning that Queen Bee can use her power however many times as she wants with no repercussions."

"How do you know this?" Chat Noir asked as his ears twitched again, hearing a buzzing as he and Ladybug looked up to an Akumatized Queen Bee with a smile on her face.

"Your reign is over, Ladybug and Chat Noir! I don't even care if you don't give me your Miraculous; my wasps will paralyze you and I'll simply take them myself. Then, Queen Wasp will reign supreme!" She laughed evilly as she sent her swarms after the two heroes.

Chat Noir gripped Ladybug's hand as he could see where his partner was guiding him towards. The two of them jumped into the river, still holding hands as they used their weapons as rebreathers. As Chat Noir tried to swim, he noticed Ladybug was having trouble, so he strengthed his grip, pulling them both towards a boat as Chat Noir helped his partner up onto relative dry land.

"So? Were you ever going to mention that you weren't part waterbug?" Chat Noir asked as Ladybug threw his yo-yo into the air.

"Lucky Charm!" He said and a snorkel fell into his hands.

"Your Lucky Charm has a great sense of humor: at least you won't drown." Chat Noir joked as Ladybug looked around, eyeing a duck floaty and a hose. As he turned back towards his partner, Chat Noir lowered his ears nervously, recognizing that look on his friend's face.

* * *

Somehow moving trash bin's was not a problem as they snuck back into the hotel. At the top Queen Wasp was floating with the help of her wasps. She was looking out into the city as though she already owned the place. As they approached she turned about with a look of disgust on her face, as she saw the approaching trash bins.

"Now!" Ladybug signaled as he and Chat Noir threw their bins at Queen Wasp, who recoiled, trying to protect her Miraculous.

"You'll never get it back!" Queen Wasp said as Chat Noir jumped on her, shoving the snorkel into her mouth as Ladybug wrapped his yo-yo around the two, tying them together as their combined weight knocked Queen Wasp into the river.

"Cataclysm!" Chat Noir yelled out before they hit the water, placing his rebreather on.

Underwater, Queen Bee tried to struggle against Chat Noir's grasp, was no match for his heightened strength as he easily destroyed her Miraculous. Queen Wasp reverted back to Queen Bee for a moment before she transformed back into Chloé. Chat Noir then grabbed his partner's arm as he removed his rebreather, extending his pole as all three of them flew out of the water, landing roughly on the sidewalk nearby.

Ladybug untied his partner and Chloé from each other as he spotted the Akuma flying overhead. "No more mischief from you little Akuma. Time to purify!" Ladybug said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion. Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. "Bye-bye, little butterfly. Miraculous Ladybug!" Ladybug called out, throwing up the lucky charm as everything turned back to normal.

As the magic ladybug's dispersed, Ladybug and Chat Noir glanced at each other for a moment before turning their heads away from each other, turning their attention towards Chloé.

"I need the Miraculous back, Chloé." LAdybug said as he held out his hand towards his classmate, just as Nadja's van arrived on the scene.

"Give me a second chance, please!" Chloé begged as she hugged the Miraculous in her hands. But just as Ladybug was about to speak up again, Nadja stepped forward holding up a tablet with Audrey's face on it.

"Audrey Bourgeois, tell us live how you feel about what just happened," Nadja said.

"According to me, Chloé just clearly demonstrated that there is nothing exceptional about-" But before she could finish her sentence Ladybug disconnected the call.

"Do you mind?" Ladybug asked curtly, in no mood for entertaining the new reporters to got the message, turning off their cameras while Chat Noir knelt next to Chloé, placing his hand on her shoulder.

"I know that you did the things you did to impress your mother. But what matters is that you try and fix them, don't make the mistake of holding onto your pride. Show everyone how exceptional you can be." Chat Noir with a reassuring smile.

Chloé nodded as she handed her Miraculous to Chat Noir who glanced at Ladybug, the two turning to leave.

"Ladybug? Chat Noir?" Chloé suddenly said, getting the attention of the two heroes. "I'm sorry." She said sincerely as Chat Noir smiled at her, while Ladybug nodded towards her. The two of them jumped on to the rooftops, escaping view as both of their Miraculous beeped.

Chat Noir who looked down at the Miraculous in his hand feeling the weight of his in his palm as he noticed Ladybug averted his gaze. He could see how much Ladybug desperately wanted to get the Miraculous back but at the same time, he was vulnerable. Chat Noirs mind began to wander for a moment, wondering if he could blackmail his partner for information. But quickly shook those thoughts that even scared himself.

"Here." He said surprising Ladybug as he so easily handed it over. "I'm not going to let the Kwamis get involved in our...squabble." He said, then crossing his arms as Ladybug took the Miraculous.

Ladybug hugged the bee Miraculous close to his heart, sighing in relief as Chat Noir's expression softened for a moment. He loved these parts of Ladybug, his sincerity that always seemed to slip through when he let his guard down.

"Thank you Chat Noir." Ladybug said gratefully as his Miraculous beeped for the final time just as he jumped into the alley. Chat Noir could see the light of his de-transformation. He bit the bottom of his lip as his annoyance returned, but held himself back as he ran in the other direction.

* * *

Marin rested his back against the alley wall as he glanced down at the Bee Miraculous. Tikki rested on his shoulder eating a cookie.

"I think I almost lost my mind when you told me Pollen wouldn't have returned to the Master." Marin admitted as he took a deep breath. Tikki looked up her partner for a moment before a sad understanding took hold.

"Are you really okay with this, Marin?" Tikki asked as she hovered before his face.

"Huh, what do you mean?"

"You didn't choose to become Ladybug, you even tried to give away your Miraculous when it began too much for you." She said as she rested on the palm of his hand next to the bee Miraculous. "Everyone would miss you, but this could be your chance."

"My chance?"

"To leave everything behind, you wouldn't have to stay up worrying about Hawkmoth, Chat Noir, the rest of the Kwami, or even Master Fu." She said, "If you escaped Hawkmoth's proximity then you would be free. I've seen the pressure that being Ladybug has put on you."

"But..." Marin murmured, looking at his precious Kwami in worry.

"It breaks my heart to see much you've given up for our sake. But it doesn't have to be like that anymore. You've done enough." She said reassuringly. "I know the Master wouldn't try to stop you either, I'm sure he feels the same way."

Marin didn't know what to say, so instead, he petted Tikki's head as he placed her and the bee Miraculous into his bag. He wished he had a hood to place over his head as he felt exposed to everyone's gaze. Instead, he reached into his back pocket, untying the lucky charm that he had gotten on his birthday. He wasn't sure who it was from, but it served as a form of comfort when he was really down. Tying it around his wrist, he rubbed gently, hoping it would trigger some kind of luck.

An opportunity like this had never come up before. He was certain that his friends at school would probably say the same thing, they'd miss him, but they'd want what was best for him. Alya and Nino would especially be supportive, their friendship probably wouldn't waver as they talked over phone and texted so soften even when he was ill.

But then he heard the sounds of melodic playing, lifting his head up to see a familiar figure sitting at the edge of the riverbank.

"Luka?" Marin said in surprise as he walked up to his friend who held with his guitar in his hands. He was strumming a few chords, glancing up at Marin for a moment as a smile drew on his face.

"Hello Mar." He greeted, as he stopped playing for a moment. "What brings you out here?" He asked as he gestured for Marin to sit down next to him. Marin complied as he looked down at his hands, sighing heavily.

"I don't know, seemed like a nice day to walk around and think I suppose." He said.

"Is something wrong?" Luka asked, placing his guitar behind him as he turned to his friend.

Marin shrugged his shoulders, wondering if he should burden Luka with his own problems. It would probably be the same story all over again, but even so... "I was invited to under Audrey Bourgeois, it's a once in a lifetime offer..." He informed.

"That's amazing Mar."

"But the problem is that it's in New York, and I have to leave by today in a few hours." He said with a sigh, hanging his head. "It's...almost unreal."

"So what's the problem?" Luka asked, tilting his head slightly, "This is what you want isn't it?"

Marin nodded slightly. "It's something that I've only dreamed about for practically my whole life, studying abroad like this with someone who's built their career on their passion. But, everyone's telling me that it's alright to leave, and even though I should be upset, maybe...I don't know, I think I'm...relieved?" He admitted as Luka placed his hand on his shoulder, flashing him a reassuring smile.

"Am I being selfish about this? Being happy when I have a chance to leave everything behind? Shouldn't I be more torn up about this?" He asked slowly growing desperate as Luka pulled him into a half hug.

"Are you looking for a reason to stay?" He asked, as Marin rested his head on his shoulder and image of Adrien flashing in his mind as he pushed those thoughts away.

"Maybe." Marin sighed, "I don't know when I would come back, if ever."

"Then try to look at it this way, if you go you'll probably lead a very successful, very happy life. But if you decide to stay, you'll have to work a lot harder but," Luka said, pulling back from the hug. "I'll try and make you just as happy." He said earnestly, playing a few playful notes on his guitar as Marin chuckled at his joke.

He had a whistful expression on his face as he stood up, brushing the dirt from his pants. "I think I know what to do." He said as he walked down the lane.

Luka returned to playing his guitar, but stopped as he heard a series of footsteps, then was hugged from behind as Marin hugged him. Careful to make sure he wouldn't fall over.

"Thank you Luka." He said sincerely with a bright smile, before he ran back down the street in a hurry. Not noticing Luka's warm smile as he placed his hand on Marin's lingering touch.

* * *

Marin took a deep breath as he walked up to Audrey who had her arms crossed.

"Well, well. It's about time. We can take off, now." She remarked turning back towards the helicopter.

Marin placed his hand on his bracelet. " I won't be coming to New York with you. I still have too much-unfinished business here, and all the people I love are here as well."

"You're making a mistake, Marinus." Audrey warned but was surprised as Marin shook his head.

"I think you're wrong. A huge part of your life is here in Paris, too." He said boldly as Audrey looked at him in surprise.

"What are you talking about?" She asked narrowing her eyes.

"You're also wrong about your daughter, about Chloé not being exceptional. In fact, Chloé is exceptionally mean. She's the worst person I've ever met. She may be more heinous, pompous and childish than you." He said as-a-matter-of-fact-like as Audrey gasped. "Frankly, it seems a little ridiculous, utterly ridiculous that you haven't ever thought about staying here instead of in New York." He said with a cheeky grin as he suddenly grew fearful at Audrey's lack of a temper. Instead, she narrowed her eyes at him as she smirked in amusement.

"I see what Gabriel mean when he spoke of you earlier." She remarked as Marin's composure feel for a moment as she walked up to Marin, standing beside him for a moment as her hands were on her hips. "Perhaps you will become equally as exceptional as he has become someday." She said, but Marin was uncertain if he wanted to accept that as a compliment as he watched her walk away back into the city.

Just when he thought he knew who exactly Gabriel Agreste was, the man seemed to throw him off balance every time they met. But one thing Marin knew for certain was that there was something inside that would always prevent him from trusting him.

* * *

Marin bowed his head humbly before his master as Tikki mirrored her partner in support. Master Fu sat across from him, composed as Wayzz placed the Bee Miraculous back within the box, then hovered near his partner's side.

"You don't have to hang your head." Master Fu said reassuringly, but Marin didn't waver.

"I lost Pollen Master, even worse I allowed her to be misused. If I made another misstep like that again today would have ended far more terribly."

"Marinus," Master Fu said as Marin slowly lifted his head, "Mistakes are part of who we are as people. I know you care for others deeply, and it may be hard for you to hear, but mistakes can make us who we are." He said as Marin gripped his fists. "It's important that we never allow them to linger long enough for them to take over." He said as Wayzz and Tikki sat on Marin's shoulder, acting as a form of comfort as he smiled warmly at the two.

"Now, how about we have some cake-" Master Fu said, pulling out the honey cakes from earlier, but was immediately met with resistance.

"No cake Master." Marin, Tikki, and Wayzz said together as Master Fu pouted.

* * *

The next day at school, the moment Marin stepped into the room, he was immediately hugged by Alya.

"Whos !" He yelped as he froze for a moment, but before he could return the hug she pulled back, placing her hands on his shoulders. "Were you going to tell me that you were thinking about abandoning me to pursue a successful life in America?!" But before he could respond Nino then hugged him as well, following Alya's shtick as he pulled back before Marin could return the hug.

"For the record, Alya cried, I didn't." He said as Alya whacked his head playfully with her phone. "Adrien probably cried too." He remarked as Marin glanced as Adrien walked over, glaring at his friend.

"Stop making stuff up." He remarked with a smirk as Marin chuckled. "So you didn't leave?" He asked.

"No." Marin shook his head as Alya stood next to him with her hand on his back as he rested his arm on her shoulders. "I got too many reasons to say." He said, his face slightly red as Adrien noticed that he was wearing the charm that he had gifted to him on his birthday.

A soft smile broke out on his face as his heart swell with warmth, happy that his friend had acknowledged the gift. "Well, I'm happy that you decided to stay." He said as he saw Marin smiling cheekily.

"Sure, not like you'd be sad if the best bakery in Paris relocated to American, right?"

Adrien smirked in amusement, "Yup, you caught me, I was only friends with you for the benefits." He remarked as Nino snapped at him playfully.

"Aw dude, we weren't supposed to tell him!" He remarked, crossing his arms as he looked away, clearly betrayed but his best friend's honesty.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes:
> 
> -All of the Kwami are Marin's kids, he loves them all very much and spoils them alot. 
> 
> \- This chapter is basically the, I’ve abandoned my son.” Meme 
> 
> \- Luka is very patient with Marin's oblivious nature, but love does that I guess. ;) (will write more hugs with them in the future) 
> 
> \- I kinda want Audrey to be a slightly better person. 
> 
> \- Both Ladybug and Chat Noir are valid in the argument with each other, but Ladybug is being a little more selfish when all Chat wants is honesty. More on it later on though. 
> 
> \- Master Fu is a good grandpa


	46. The Frozer Never Bothered Me Anyway

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien ponders if he should begin changing his target, enlisting Marin for help. However, a cold air begans both heroes begins to pick up as a new Akumatized villain appears. 
> 
> (Also yay, more Luka and Kagami)

Adrien's feet felt like lead during his practice, his head was hazy and he certainly wasn't at his best when Kagami utterly school him all of the practice. He hung his head as Kagami sat down next to him.

"What's going on, Adrien? I usually enjoy defeating you, but it's no fun when you make it that easy." She remarked, already changed into her school uniform as Adrien removed his fencing helmet.

"Do you ever get the feeling that you're stuck, Kagami? That no matter what you do, it's the same old story over and over again and you'll never be able to close the distance?" He asked as Kagami placed her hand on his cheek, turning his head towards her. Kagami's eyes reflected a calm certainty, something that Adrien felt at ease look at as she spoke.

"Adrien, the biggest mistake a fencer can make isn't choosing the wrong technique; It's choosing the wrong target. Change targets." She said simply, then kissed his cheek as she turned to leave the room. Stunning Adrien for a moment as he touched the spot where it lingered.

"Well, well, Casanova. Got yourself a new contender?" Plagg asked as he poked his head out of Adrien's gym bag.

Adrien expression dropped for a moment, folding his hands together as he blushed slightly.

Plagg took notice of his silence. "You know since Ladybug isn't returning your feelings, maybe it's about time you changed your tune." He suggested as Adrien's eyes widened slightly, glancing down at his Kwami.

"Why would it be different with Kagami? I must not have the right technique, that's all." He asked sullenly as Plagg sighed.

"At least it's clear that she likes giving you some attention at least." The Kwami said as-a-matter-of-fact-like. "I don't know much about human girls, but whenever I meet a beautiful Camembert, I introduce myself. Hello, Camembert. I'm Plagg. So very nice to eat you." He narrated, holding up a slice as cheese and then consumed it just as rapidly.

Adrien chuckled at his Kwami. "Thanks, but I'll get love advice from someone else." Adrien said, but then realized that he had no idea who to ask for love advice.

* * *

Marin sighed in relief as he finished sewing sleeves on the jacket he was making, blushing pridefully as it was all coming together. But then immediately panicked as he saw people walking to school outside his window.

"Oh crap!" He suddenly yelled out as he grabbed his messenger bag sitting on his chair, looking around rapidly. "Tikki?!"

"Here!" He sighed in relief as his Kwami popped out of his jacket pocket cutely. Then he jumped down both flights of stairs of his family's apartment, dashing to school while abiding by safety regulations when crossing the street. As he ran onto campus he looked around for Alya, not seeing the person before him as he knocked them over. His heart almost exploded out of his chest as he saw how close his face was to Adrien whose eyes lit up the moment they rested on his friend.

" I'm so sorry!" Marin said, quickly backing away as his face ran red with embarrassment, pulling Adrien to his feet. "I wasn't looking where-"

"Marin! Perfect timing!" Adrien said with a smile as Marin was confused.

"Huh?"

Adrien then chuckled as he took his friend's hand, "I need some advice right now. Can we talk?" He asked, walking over to a nearby bench after Marin nodded.

"Okay, well... I'm sorry, this is a bit awkward for me because it's about a girl."

Marin froze for a moment as he nodded his head again.

"We see each other all the time because we study together. We've just been friends, you know. Until recently. I kinda feel like we could be more..." He said. "Now I'm starting to see her differently. She's special. Very pretty. She's got dark silky hair, deep and mysterious eyes..."

Marin's brow furrowed as he gripped the wrist that tie was tied to, digging his nails into the fabric. "She sounds...perfect." He said with a smile, his expression softened as he could see the smile drawn on Adrien's face, how heartfelt it was.

It made him feel sick to his stomach.

"Has the same thing ever happened to you?" Adrien asked curiously as Marin turned his head away.

He hesitated for a moment as he shook his head. "No, never."

"What do you think I should do about her? About Kagami I mean?" Adrien clarified as he noticed Marin biting his bottom lip, shutting his eyes tightly for a moment before turning back towards him, composed.

"What does she like?"

"Kinda seems like she trains alot, we have fun fencing together. But she doesn't really talk about anything else, not really. She's pretty hardcore."

Marin nodded, thinking to himself for a moment, "Well, maybe you show her a new experience, something you two could do together." He said as Adrien thought for a moment, suddenly his eyes widened with realization as he his eyes lit up with excitement.

"The ice rink?" He asked, but then looked away for a moment, uncertain, "But I think I'd be too shy to go there with her by myself. Could you come with us, with me? For moral support?" He asked, holding Marin's hands together in his.

Marin blinked for a moment, "Come on Adrien, no one would want their first date to be a threesome." He informed. "You're pretty cool-headed about these kinda things, what do you need me for?"

"This is my first real date, I don't want to mess it up." Adrien explained, dropping his grip as he turned his head away. "Kagami's special, I just want to do the best I can."

Marin groaned, holding his head in his hands. "Alright, I'll go with you." He sighed but was taken off guard as Adrien suddenly hugged him.

"I can't wait to go to the ice rink together. Thanks!"

Marin sighed, "That's what friends are for." He replied as Adrien then took off, waving as he ran off to class. Marin smiled until Adrien was out of sight, then rested his head in his hands. But then lifted his head as he realized, he had never skated once in his life.

* * *

"Why did I agree to this?" Marin asked himself as Alya placed her hand on his shoulder as they sat down on the stairs at the end of the day.

"Because you're a good friend cutie pie." Alya replied.

"But what's the point if you and Nino can't be there?" Marin whimpered as he rested his head on his best friend's shoulder as she pulled him into a half hug.

"Sorry, we have an actual date that day. But don't worry, you can come along if you want." She offered as Marin pulled himself from her grasp.

"Nah, as much as I'd like to watch you two being adorable together, I should really stick this out." He sighed heavily.

"Don't forget, you can interrupt us anything if something goes wrong." Alya reminded as Marin chuckled for a moment as she kissed his cheek.

"Don't worry about me cupcake, I'll figure out some way to handle this." He said reassuringly as he stood up to walk back into the school. He walked up to the art room, stopping for a moment as he heard music inside. Opening the door he saw that Juleka, Rose, and Luka were sitting together. The siblings were playing their guitar and bass respectively as Rose was listening with a content expression. Until she then spotted Marin, and immediately hugged him garnering the attention of the two caffeine siblings.

"Hey Mar." Luka said with a smile as Jukela mumbled a greeting as well.

"Sorry, am I interrupting?" He ashed as Rose released him from her hug, resting her back on him as he rested his arms on her shoulders.

"Of course not, we were just bouncing ideas off of each other for Kitty Section's new song!" Rose explained looking up at him cutely as Marin smiled down at his petite friend.

"Can you give some input?" Luka asked, "I've heard you-"

"LISTENING TO MUSIC YOU MEAN." Marin suddenly interrupted as everyone looked at him in confusion, but he didn't care, even when his face ran red with embarrassment, recalling the first time he and Luka actually met. "I listen to music, but I would not be helpful, because I don't know a thing about said, topic. Okay bye." He remarked suddenly releasing Rose as he back away, but as he turned he hit the door frame. Then rubbed his forehead as he escaped the room, he covered his ears as he could feel them burn, trying to not think about that specific memory.

That was until he yelped at someone poking his back, immediately turning to see Luka smiling in amusement at him. Marin tried to plan an escape route, but it was useless as Luka stepped towards him, with an impish glint in his eye.

"So, you wanna talk about that back there?" He asked, knowing exactly what he was doing.

"HA, no. What? No, you don't know what you're talking about." Marin said easily, as he could feel his anxiety rise all too quickly, gripping the slash of his messenger bag as he averted his gaze, hoping that Luka wouldn't ask.

"Because it seemed like you didn't want me to talk about when you played-" Luka was about to point out, but stopped suddenly as Marin covered his mouth with both of his hands.

"I mean it Luka, I'm won't ever forgive you!" Marin said, growing desperate to shelve away his shame as he could see Luka's eyes lighting up in amusement. Luka instead, took a step back, resting his back against the railing of the second floor as Marin walked over, resting his arms against the railing.

"You seem pretty talented at almost anything you do." Luka remarked as Marin scoffed.

"Hardly," He remarked, then an idea popped into his head as he glanced at his friend, hesitating for a moment, "Hey, do you know how to skate?"

"A little." Luka said with a smile on his face, resting his head on his hand as he gazed at his friend.

* * *

Adrien peaked out of his room, careful not to make a sound as he walked down the stairs and towards the front door. Almost to touching the bandle when he voice from behind him.

"Adrien." His father called out as Adrien froze, looking back at his father standing atop the staircase. "Aren't you supposed to be working on your fencing moves? Mr. D'Argencourt said he was very disappointed at your last session."

"Yes, Father. I'm heading out for a one-on-one lesson with my strongest partner: Kagami." Adrien said, but was anxious as his father narrowed his eyes at him. The tension only lifting as his father nodded to his bodyguard.

Adrien sighed, only smiling under his breath as he was out of the house. Just as he was about to enter the car he looked up at his bodyguard with a nervous smile. "If you don't mind, could you drive me to the ice rink? I told him I was going for a one-on-one lesson but I didn't say it was a fencing lesson."

His bodyguard glared at him for a moment before nodding, closing the door as Adrien glanced at the rose in his bag, looking forward to the day that was planned ahead.

* * *

Marin was waiting at the ice rink first, waiting outside as he rested his back to the wall. He lifted his head as he spotting Kagami walking towards him after stepping out of a bright red car.

"Um, hi-" He was about to greet before she bowed his head to him.

He was surprised for a moment before mirroring her actions.

"Marin I presume." She said, to which he nodded hesitantly. "Adrien informed me, that you would be coming along, however, I must inform you that your presence will not be necessary." She remarked bluntly.

"Oh, uh, I'm just here for...myself, don't worry, I'm not going to be bugging you guys or anything," Marin said nervously as he felt like a cornered animal under Kagami's gaze. She narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously as she then turned away from him, facing toward the road at attention.

"So...Adrien said that you train alot-" Marin said trying to spark a conversation.

"It is expected of me to succeed in anything I do, practicing often is a given." Kagami stated bluntly.

"Oh." Marin whimpered out as he felt intimidated simply being within Kagami's presence. "Well, what do you like to do for fun?" He asked hesitantly but noticed that she didn't answer immediately.

"I have found some enjoyment training with Adrien if that is what you are implying."

Marin gripped the sash of his bag tighter, wondering if Adrien would mind if he just ran away right now-

"Hey guys!"

Marin noticed Kagami's eyes light up as Adrien stepped out of his car, waving to them with a smile on his face.

"Were you two waiting long?" He asked looking between them.

"I arrived just recently, Marin was here longer than I." She said formally as Marin averted his gaze.

"Sorry for being late I guess." Adrien chuckled, "Should we head inside now?"

"Actually," Marin said, speaking up, "I invited Luka as well, so I think I'll wait out here for him. You two can go on ahead." He said rubbing the back of his head nervously.

"We can wait out here for a little longer." Adrien offered.

"No no, you and Kagami need to rent out your skates right? Don't worry about me." Marin smiled as Adrien nodded.

"Alright, see you inside I guess," Adrien said, but waited a few moments as Kagami walked ahead of him, bringing his voice down to a whisper. "I don't know what to do about Kagami. Should I offer to hold her hand?" He asked nervously.

Marin glanced towards her behind the door, renting out her skates, " She seems to be pretty put together. Just relax and be yourself, she already likes you." Marin said reassuringly as Adrien took a deep breath.

"Alright, see you inside." He said, as he walked into the building, not noticing Marin's expression fall as soon as he closed the door.

* * *

Adrien glanced at Kagami who was putting on her skates and gloves. Having already placed his on, he stood before her, taking a deep breath.

"Ka-"

"Don't be scared. I won't tell anyone." She remarked as she looked up at him.

"Huh? About what?" He asked as she fell on her knees as he realized that the laces that he tied weren't tight enough.

"That you don't know how to tie your laces," Kagami smirked in amusement. "C'mon." She said, taking his hand as she guided him towards the rink. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that Marin had walked in, and was sitting nearby, as Luka walked up to him holding two pairs of skates. Adrien waved to him with a smile as he placed his focus back on Kagami.

Kagami followed his gaze, narrowing her eyes lightly. "Did you invite him because you were scared of being alone with me?" She asked as Adrien shook his head immediately.

"Of course not. It's just that I asked Marin to come to return a favor."

"What favor?" Kagami inquired.

"Uh... he helped me out with fencing, so I thought it would be cool if I showed him how to skate." Adrien said blindly, internally screaming as he yelled at himself for saying that. "He's can actually hold his own with a saber."

Kagami narrowed her eyes at him, then glanced at Marin who was stepping onto the ice, shivering like a newborn deer as he looked at Luka with a panicked expression. "Him?" She asked in disbelief.

"Yeah," Adrien nodded, noticing her glare, "He actually almost became part of our team." Adrien remarked as Kagami looked up at him.

"Really?" She said now interested, "Why didn't he join?"

Adrien hummed for a moment, " Actually, I'm not sure-" She said as the owner of the rink skated nearby.

"You have what it takes to be a champion. The style. The talent. Let me be your private coach." He offered, holding up membership papers.

"I only practice noble arts like archery or fencing. (skates away) Ice skating's just for fun." She replied bluntly as she skated off with Adrien.

* * *

Marin sighed heavily as he gripped his lucky charm in his hand. Wondering why he ever agreed to this when someone poked his shoulder.

"AH!" He yelped, then grew annoyed almost immediately. "Lu-ka!" Marin remarked clawing his heart as his friend smiled innocently at him.

"Hi Mar." He greeted. "Were you waiting long?" He asked, his smile turning more apologetic.

He did, he had been standing outside for about half an hour after Kagami and Adrien arrived, and even longer in waiting for Luka. "No." He said as they walked inside. Marin immediately felt a chill as he walked in, silently wishing that he had brought a thicker jacket as he hugged his arms.

"I'll get the skates." Luka offered, but Marin shook his head, holding up his hands defensively.

"That's okay, I'll just...watch from afar, safe on steady ground." He said as Luka smiled at him, walking over to the skate rentals. As Marin looked out onto the rink, observing Kagami and Adrien skating together in sync, he sighed again as he took off his bracelet and placing it in his bag right next to Tikki's cookie bag. He sat down, putting on his gloves and knee pads just as Luka walked up tow him holding two sets of skates.

"You okay?"

"Yup." Marin said, as he tried not to let to show how uncomfortable he was around large sharp blades as he placed the skates on."Just sitting here safely and not on the dangerous slippery ice with dangerous shoes with sharpened knives on the bottom." He said breathing into his gloves to try and at least stop his fingers from growing numb.

"First time here? No problem, I'll give you a week's worth of lessons for free!" The owner of the rink suddenly said as he popped up between them, holding up membership papers. "Just a few hours a day and you'll be a star!"

Marin stared at him for a moment started but then shook his head, "Thanks, but I'm already very busy as it is." He said apologetically as the man walked away looking dejected.

"Come on, it's easier than you think." Luka said as he knelt before Marin, tying his laces together.

"Easy for you to say." Marin remarked.

"I may not be a great teacher, but I can promise you that I'll try." He offered, holding out his hand to his friend as Marin gave in, hesitating for a moment before a grasped his hand. But almost fell over as he stood up, falling into Luka's arms as Marin look up at his face.

"See what you're working with?" He said suddenly as he gripped Luka's shoulders trying to regain his balance.

"Yes." Luka said with a soft smile on his face as he guided Marin over to the rink with his hand on his back. He stepped out onto the rink first as Marin followed more slowly, more carefully as his entire body trembled. Luka skated backward as he acting like an anchor as they glided on the ice.

All Marin kept his eyes trained on the ground, only lifting his head as Luka started skating beside him, still holding his hand for comfort.

"You pretty good at this. Marin complimented, to which friend responded by showing off a few higher-level tricks, surprising Marin. Just as the Luka was about to take his hand again they were interrupted by the rink owner once more.

"Hey, young man! Have you ever thought about signing up for ice skating lessons? The judges wouldn't be able to resist that sparkling smile of yours." He praised.

"That's nice of you, sir, but my life is already filled with music. And I might have a brand new song to write, so..." Luka answered as he turned his face towards Marin, quickly taking his hand as they gained speed.

"Music's an important part of skating, you know. Think about it!" He called out as Marin looked towards his friend, confused for a moment until he remembered-

"Oh yeah, you were working on that new Kitty Section song earlier," Marin remarked as Luka gave him a smile. "How's it turning out?"

"I believe it will turn out well, but I do think it'll need outside input. Would you mind coming by sometime to listen to it?" He asked as Marin nodded, growing excited at the prospect.

"Course, all you guys are my friends, so it'll probably be fun." Marin said as out of the corner of his eyes he noticed Adrien and Kagami growing closer. Instinctively, he drew his hand back from Luka, lowering his head as he placed his hands on the sash of his bag.

* * *

Adrien smiled at Kagami as he noticed a small smile was drawn on her face the more they skated together, their hands clasped together until Adrien's attention was stolen by the rink owner.

"Adrien Agreste, I can see it now. Grace and style model, and professional ice skating champion. If you take lessons with me, I'll have you shining like the candles on a birthday cake!" He promised as Adrien looked up at him uncertainly.

"Uh... maybe." He nervously said until Kagami cut in.

"He already does fencing with me." She said defensively, taking his hand as they skated away together.

Adrien couldn't help but smile at her in relief until they both hear a loud bang. Turning towards the source his heart sank as he saw Marin fallen over, holding his face. Luka was already kneeling at his side on the ice as Marin had his eyes shut tightly, clearly in pain.

"Are you okay?" Adrien asked, uncertain of what to do in this situation as Marin groaned in pain.

He was hesitant for a moment, opening one of his eyes lightly as he grimaced at the red stain on his white glove. "Crap." Marin groaned as Luka helped him up, trying his best to reassure his friends. "I'm fine, I just bumped my face." He said, taking out a handkerchief from his back pocket as Kagami took his wrist.

"He'll be fine. I'm certified in first aid." She said guiding him off the rink as Luka and Adrien lingered behind.

"I'm sorry, Philippe, but the ice rink will be closed down tonight." Adrien overheard the mayor saying as he and Luka skated past them, noticing the sad expression on the man's face.

* * *

"Sorry," Marin apologized, "I wasn't looking where I was going," Marin said as Kagami guided him towards the bathroom, seeing that there was a bench between the two halls.

She didn't say anything as she placed him down at the bench, holding his head in her hands as she checked the severity of his wound. "It doesn't look too bad, just keep that handkerchief on your nose for a little while." She informed as he lowered his head.

"Thank you, you can go back with Adrien, I'll be okay." He said, noticing her hesitation for a moment.

"I think it's best we call it a day." She said as Marin's heart fell.

"No, no, it's really okay, I'll just head home after this." He said, worried that he ruined everything, like usual, but noticed froze as Kagami, leaned down, whispering in his ear.

"The only reason you can't stay on your feet is your hesitation. I never hesitate." She said, pulling back.

Marin was speechless looking up Kagami who radiated pure confidence, easily intimidating anyone in her presence. However, his eyes widened in shock as he saw Plagg flying towards them. "I uh- I'm going to get some more tissues!" He suddenly said, wobbling as he walked into the bathroom and locked the door behind him just as Plagg phased through the door.

"Plagg! You're not supposed to-"

"We have bigger problems than that!" He informed as Marin's eyes widened for a moment as his heart raced, sensing an Akuma nearby. Quickly he threw off his skates, peering out for a moment as he saw a new Villain take form, spreading ice quickly throughout the building. He ran out without thinking, taking Kagami's hand as he shoved her into the bathroom.

"Hide here!" He ordered, not waiting for an answer as he ran back into the men's restroom, taking out a small box as the pit of his stomach grew.

"There's only one serving of magic macaroon." He said, backing up against the wall as he saw the ice start to seep in. Marin took a deep breath, trying to process the situation.

No hesitation.

"Take this to Chat Noir." He said handing over the cookie as Plagg looked at him in worry.

"Are you crazy? What about you?!" He asked as Marin smiled at him reassuringly.

"I'll be alright, you just look after your partner." He said as Plagg nodded, putting the cookie in his mouth as he then flew out of the bathroom. Marin stood on top of the toilet seat, trying to buy some time as Tikki hovered nearby.

"Without the transformation, you won't be protected again the cold!" She warned, growing worried as the ice closed in on them. Even though Marin was nervous about what he was doing, he spotted the ice skates he had dropped earlier, noticing that they weren't freezing with the rest of the building.

"Don't worry sugar cube, I know what I'm doing." He said, jumping off. "Tikki, spots on!"

* * *

Adrien untied his skated next to Luka as he glanced at where Marin and Kagami walked off to. He felt a little bad, after all, he knew Marin wasn't the best at coordination, heck he'd even invited Luka to help him out. But even so, Adrien appreciated his friend for trying to be courteous, even though it could be severely annoying sometimes.

He'd have to scold and apologize later.

Suddenly, his eyes widened as Luka grabbed his arm, running as he noticed as new Akumatized villain. Immediately, Adrien broke away, yelling out, "We have to split up!" As Luka nodded, the two going in separate directions as Adrien hid for cover in a closet, opening up his jacket.

"Plagg. Plagg!?" He called out, but his Kwami was nowhere in sight.

As he backed against the wall, seeing everything freeze in blue ice, Plagg suddenly phased through the door towards his partner, chewing something in his mouth.

"Plagg, were you snacking?!" Adrien had to ask as his Kwami scowled at him.

"Of course not, I just got a power-up!" He remarked as Adrien's eyes widened in surprise. The only person he could've gotten it from was...

"Well hurry up and say it!" Plagg demanded as their time was growing short.

"Right. Plagg, power up!" Adrien said as Plagg began to glow, gaining a cute little ice crown.

"Plagg-Glacier." The black Kwami said as the ice started to approach them.

"Plagg-Glacier, claws out!"

* * *

Chat Noir landed on top of the rooves in his new form, looking around at the newly frozen city as Ladybug landed nearby in his normal form, save for the pair of white ice skates that he was wearing.

"Looks like I'm the only one who dressed up for the occasion." He remarked as Ladybug looked up towards the Eiffel Tower.

"We need to set up a trap for whoever turned the city into a giant ice rink." He said throwing his yo-yo towards the inner part of the city.

Chat Noir turned his head away, "My feline instincts prefer to track and observe before I attack. You go your way, I'll go mine." He said coldly as Ladybug turned towards him.

As much as Ladybug wanted to yell at his partner that there wasn't much time, he didn't, instead deciding to try and be reasonable. "Chat, we need to think logically about this, don't tell me you're still upset."

Chat Noir scoffed, "There may be a certain chill now between us." He said fully turning his back to his partner. "We don't always have to do everything together, after all. It's not like we're a couple." He remarked, skating away.

Ladybug sighed heavily, seeing a cloud of white breath dissipate before his eyes. For a moment he gave in, trembling terribly as his suite, starting to feel numb as his skates were turning to ice, and soon enough he would as well.

"Silly kitty." He sighed, taking a deep breath to stop himself from trembling against the cold.

* * *

Chat Noir narrowed his eyes as he noticed the villains blades on the ice, smiling to himself as he followed them carefully. The trail led him to the center of the city, the place where Ladybug was already headed, hiding behind a van he noticed that Ladybug had surrounded himself in a circle of rock salt, not enough to fill in the circle, but enough to line if as he stood in the center with his head down, holding his yo-yo in his hand.

Chat Noir's eyes widened as he saw Ladybug's legs began to turn freeze. He had removed his skates and had an empty black-spotted bag attached to his belt. Chat Noir realized that his partner hadn't used the magic potion on himself as the ice began to slowly consume him. Despite this, Ladybug retained his stance as the odds were quickly turning against him. Chat Noir cursed his partner's carelessness, but couldn't move as he instinctively picked up on the plan. Chat Noir's ears twitched as he heard something, time seemed to slow down for a moment as he spotted the freezing villain glide past at full speed, grinning evilly as he suddenly jumped to avoid the concrete, about to slam down if it weren't for Ladybug lifting his head.

In one swift motion, the ice shattered around him as he tied up the villain's legs, making him fall to the ground as Chat Noir jumped into action, holding his arm over his head.

"Cataclysm!" He cried out, destroying the villain's skates as he released the Akuma. Chat Noir stared at it for a moment as he noticed that Ladybug fell to his kneed, turning to ice as he was trembling from the sub-zero temperatures. As Chat Noir held out his hand towards him, Ladybug forced himself to stand up, his entire body beginning to turn pale as he let out a breath of white air.

"No more mischief from you little Akuma. Time to purify!" Ladybug said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion. Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. "Bye-bye, little butterfly." He said but lost his balance for a moment as Chat Noir had to steady his partner, holding his hand. However, Ladybug took a step back, distancing himself from his partner. "Miraculous Ladybug!" Ladybug called out, throwing up the lucky charm as everything turned back to normal.

The rink owner looked around in confusion while it was Chat Noirs turn to be off-balance. Now it was Ladybug's turn to balance his partner who looked away angrily.

"You have to say; Plagg, power down." Ladybug informed. "Don't worry, you're not going to de-transform yourself." He said as Chat Noirs ears flattened, annoyed that his partner knew exactly what to do.

"Plagg...power down." He repeated as he turned back to his normal form, but lost his partner's touch as LAdybug jumped back onto the rooftops using his yo-yo.

Chat Noir followed him as there was still a sub-zero air between them. "I don't understand why you're being so difficult about this." He remarked in annoyance, "I'd drop it if you'd just give me something at least, but you can't even do that bare minimum?!" Chat Noir asked growing desperate, "You're the one who said I was important to you, so why are you trying to make me believe otherwise?" His ears twitched as Ladybug suddenly stopped walking noticing that he gripped the yo-yo in his hand, keeping his back to his partner.

"It's only natural for things to change when you come into new information Chat Noir." Ladybug said as he could feel his partner's anger on his back. He knew enough about Chat Noir to know that he was the person of action, nothing he could say would ever sway his thought process. Ladybug had realized long ago that he was being selfish about this entire thing. There was a growing knot in his heart, squeezing his chest every day when he thought about how much he was hurting his friend.

"I'll see you." He only said, leaving as he left his partner behind on the rooftop alone.

* * *

Adrien took a selfie on himself and the rink own, typing up a caption to post on his Instagram account. "This is Philippe at the ice rink. He makes skating so much fun." He said aloud as Philippe smiled gratefully.

"Thank you, Adrien." The man said gratefully as Adrien posted it.

"I hope this helps you get more students to sign up." Adrien remarked as he walked towards his car.

"You still keep doing what other people want you to do." She remarked, but Adrien shook his head.

"No, I just want him to be happy." He said as he stood before his car. For a moment, he hesitated as he took out the rose from his bag handing it to her. "I don't think I'm changing my target just yet. Just because I've failed a few times doesn't mean I have to give up. Even if it means failing over and over again for now, one day I know I will succeed." He said confidently as Kagami accepted the rose, her cheeks reddening for a moment.

She glanced at Marin for a moment, sneezing as Luka looked at him with worry as his friend tried to brush it off.

"The day you realize you've got the wrong target, I'll be here." She said, kissing his cheek as Adrien then entered his car with a smile on his face. However, he noticed Marin walking up to Kagami just as he was leaving, incredibly curious for a moment before they were out of sight.

* * *

"Kagami?" Marin asked walking towards her just as she was about to enter her cair. She glanced towards him with no emotion written on her face, even when he bowed his head to her humbly. "I'm sorry for ruining your date." Marin said. "I shouldn't have come at all."

"Hm?" Kagami looked at him in confusion as he averted his gaze, raising his head.

"I'm...kind of bad luck. It follows me like a rain cloud." He informed but Kagami shook her head.

"You are completely wrong. The only reason you fell was because of your discoordination." She said with a deadpanned expression, opening the door for herself. "Nothing is out of your control Marin. I was raised never to believe in the intervention of outside forces, that the only thing that limits our strength is our own fear, perhaps you should consider it as well. " She said simply before bowing her head slightly. " And second, I had fun today. It was nice to meet a friend of Adrien's." She said before entering her car and driving away.

Marin stared after her for a few moments, his heart racing as a small smile drew on his face.

"Something up?" Luka asked as he walked up to his friend.

"Nothing, just..." Marin looked at him thoughtfully as he rubbed the back of his head. "Some new perspective I guess." He said, but then sneezed again.

"How easily fo you get sick?" Luka asked in concern.

"Let's just say, this is me being healthy," Marin remarked. "Sorry about, you know." He said shrugging his shoulders.

"You can make it up to me later," He said playfully as he walked into the direction of the underground. "wanna take the subway together, Marin?"

"I...can't, there's something I have to do. But, I'll see you later?" He asked hopefully as Luka nodded with a soft smile on his face. His gaze lingering as Marin disappeared from sight around a corner. Luka sighed as he then turned towards the subway, humming a tune to himself.

* * *

As night fell Marin stood on top of his balcony, wearing his cat hood over his head, over his pajamas as he closed his eyes. He focused carefully as he then smiled as he could sense a presence.

"Found you." He said with a smile as he turned to see Plagg hovering behind him with his arms crossed.

"How unfair," The Kwami pouted as Marin chuckled.

"Sorry little kitty, but you're very easy to sense when you smell like that."

"Hey! I'll have you know I smell like a prized delicacy." He remarked proudly but his pride fell as Marin scratched him behind his ears. Then he began purring as Marin nuzzled his belly. "Nya~" He meowed but then swatted Marin's hand back to retain some semblance of dignity. "Ah-hem! Do you have it?" He asked as Marin nodded, pulling out a small white box from his pocket, revealing multiple colored Camembert cheese.

"Remember, you can't eat these like you would other Camembert cheese little kitty, alright?" Marin informed as Plagg scoffed.

"Like I'd want to transform while savoring my beloved Camembert." He said as he balanced the box on his head.

"You also have to inform Chat Noir on everything regarding this Plagg since I can't properly do it myself."

"Yeah about that, why not just do it?" He asked. "You'd be saving everyone a lot of time."

"Plagg." Marin said sternly as he placed his hands on his hips as the Kwami sighed.

"Yeah yeah I know, but next time I expect something a little more substantial than magic cheese!" He said as Marin nodded in agreement, watching as the small Kwami flew away under the cover of night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- Writing this chapter I realized that I never wrote a scene where Ladybug realizes that Chat Noir is in love with him...gonna have ta' keep that in my pocket for now.
> 
> \- I promise their argument will come to a "sort of" conclusion. They're having some relationship issues.
> 
> \- I like Kagami x Marinette alot and like them together. But won't be pushing the within this just as I will not for Luka x Adrien (even though both are adorable). Though I will write them as very good friends.
> 
> \- Luka is in the midst of falling in the love, Kagami has her eye on Adrien.


	47. Anansi, Anan-do

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang goes to see the fireworks, unlucky for them, Alya's sister Nora decides to tag along.

At the Césaire apartment in the living room. Alya and Nino danced in front of the television while Marin watched fondly from behind, next to him on Nino's phone was Adrien on videocall.

"They're so in sync with each other." Adrien remarked on the phone as he and Marin looked at Nino and Alya dancing in her living room, getting perfect scores every round they played.

"They play this game almost every day," Marin sighed, recalling every failed attempt he made at dancing at this game in particular. Luckily his friends didn't mind. "I'm just surprised that they're not joined at the hip already."

Adrien laughed at his friends' joke, "That could apply to all three of you." He remarked as Marin glanced down at his friend confused for a second. "You know, because you're usually with either Alya and Nino, you three are pretty close."

"Aww, we love you just as much Adrikins." Marin giggled as Adrien rolled his eyes.

"I _wish_ you guys loved me as much as you love each other." Then Adrien averted his gaze for a moment. "You know some people thought you three were a thing for a while." He said, as he wasn't one of those people, totally not.

"Who thought that?" Marin inquired, "I thought it was pretty clear that Nino and Alya were openly dating."

"Yes well, some people, were thrown off by all the skinship, and the nicknames, and the cuddling," Adrien said but noticed Marin holding back his laughter. "Stop-"

"Awww, you're so sweet." He laughed as Adrien sighed.

"I do hope that someday I hope I'll find someone I can share everything with… like they do. But until my father starts letting me go out more often, that probably won't be happening."

Marin's expression softened, "Are you sure your dad won't let you come? We wouldn't mind if your bodyguard came along to the fireworks.

Adrien leaned back on his chair, resting his hands behind his head. "You know how overprotective he is. One day he'll realize I'm not a child anymore, but we're not quite there yet."

"Big finish, here we go!" Nino called out, as he and Alya finished off the song. Position in an Arabesque ballet pose for a few moments as Marin and Adrien clapped for their friends.

Suddenly the door closed as they heard laughter.

"Aw, shoot. Did I miss the ballet?"

Alya's previous amusement turned into displeasure as she spotted her sister. "Nora, is your match over already?" She asked as her sister threw her bag in her room.

"First round: total knockout, as usual." Nora said, walking to the fridge. "And I told you a hundred times not to call me Nora in front of people, little sis. The name is Anansi, like a spider."

Alya rolled her eyes. "Sure, I'll call you Anansi when you stop calling me 'little sis'."

"Anyway, what are you all still doing here this late? Don't you have school tomorrow?"

Both Marin and Nino avert their eyes as Alya stepped forward.

"We're waiting for it to get dark. It's the World Cup fireworks show tonight, remember? We're gonna watch from the Place de la Concorde Ferris wheel." She said with a smile on her face, clearly excited for the evening's plans.

Nora spot out the milk she was drinking. "Oh no you're not. Baker boy and Cappy can go with Cellphone if they want, but you're staying here. It's way too dangerous."

"But it'll be safe, we're going as a group after all." Marin pointed out.

"Yeah, no way we're not going without Alya!" Nino said.

Alya sighed at her sister, "Listen, I appreciate you worrying about me and all, but I'm not a little girl anymore. Besides, Mom and Dad are totally cool with it."

Nora shook her head. "There have been way too many Akumatized peeps in Paris these last few weeks. Look how many times you've been in direct danger just by going outside. So you're staying home, safe and sound, period!" She ordered as Alya grew more angered. Even though Nora had a point.

"That's so ridiculous! The twins were Akumatized right here at home!" Alya pointed out.

"Which would've never happened on my watch. I won't let anybody mess with my family."

Alya then crossed her arms with an unamused expression on her face. "You mean like the other day at the square?" As Nora averted her gaze in embarrassment.

"What happened at the square?" Adrien asked looking up towards Marin.

" Well… we came across a man handing out flyers for your perfume. Nora thought the man was Akumatized and wanted to turn Alya into a banana-zombie."

"How was I supposed to know it was some stupid costume? And besides, what would happen if the Ferris wheel stopped working 'cause some Akumatized dude refused to pay his fare? Once you fly-weights can actually defend yourselves like me we'll talk about it."

"I believe that running and hiding is the best defense," Marin said as Nora laughed.

"Right, and you think Alya would ever run away if there was an Akuma flying around?" Nora remarked.

"Nora, I can take care of myself," she said confidently while Marin averted his gaze for a moment recalling every single time Alya went after Akuma's for a scoop, and usually paid for it.

Nino then stood forward. "I can protect Alya if I have to!" She proclaimed as Nora started laughing so hard a tear fell from her eye.

"Oh yeah Cappy? And how exactly are you planning to defeat the villain? A dance-off?"

"I'd… do anything to protect Alya." Nino murmured under his breath as Alya glanced at him in worry.

"Please, even little Baker Boy over there could protect Alya better than you, at least he knows when to turn tail and hide, like a little mouse." She chided as Marin shrugged his shoulders, he wished he could run whenever an Akuma showed up. Alas, it was ingrained in him not to be a quitter, he thought to himself as he thanked his mother.

Nora mused for a moment, "Okay, Alya can go out with you guys if… you beat me at an arm wrestle."

"Please, don't arm-wrestle on my account. I don't need to be protected." She said as Nino stepped forward, but Marin grabbed his arm, shaking his head in warning as Adrien spoke up.

"Nino, you don't stand a chance against Anansi; she's way too strong."

"Dude, you are a stick," Marin remarked.

"And that's coming from a toothpick," Adrien remarked as Nino glared at his two friends.

"Dude!"

Alya glanced at her friend, reserved as she watched them bicker. "You guys go without me, if you don't leave now then you'll miss the fireworks." She said as her friends gasped at her.

"No way!" Nino argued as Adrien noticed Marin thinking for a moment before a smug smile drew on his face.

"Okay, Nino will arm-wrestle you." Marin suddenly said with a smile on his face as his friends stared at him in shock.

"What?" They shouted as Nora smirked.

"Nino will prove his worth to us that he can defend Alya and every one of us, because-" He thought for a moment. "Because… uhh, because love and, uh, friendship, makes you stronger." He said as Nino's eyes lit up.

Nino flexed his arms, a look of determination drawn on his face as he sat down at the table. "Yeah, thanks Marin." He said as Nora sat down before him.

Marin placed the phone with Adrien between them, backing away and standing behind Alya. "All right! In position. Ready. Set. Go!" Adrien announced as almost immediately, it was clear that Nino was no match for the boxer. He struggled furiously

"Really? Is that all you got?" Nora smirked as she enjoyed watching Nino struggle desperately for the sake of his girlfriend.

"She's gonna rip his arm off." Alya said as Marin removed one of his hairpins, holding it behind his back as he felt it being taken.

Suddenly, he gasped overdramatically, pointing out the window. "Over there, an Akuma!"

"What?!" Nora cried out looking in the direction but suddenly she wavered as she felt a prick in her side. "OW!" for a moment she lost focus as Nino pushed her hand down.

"And the winner is… Nino!" Adrien proclaimed as Marin held back his smirk, "Oops, my bad; it was just a pigeon." He said, but then grabbed Nino's arm who looked stunned at the turnout. "Come on, let's go. If we leave now we'll get there just in time-" He said trying to leave as soon as possible, but then Nora slammed her hand on the table angrily.

"You're a bunch of cheaters!" She said standing in their way as she towered before them. "There's no way I could've been beaten by that fly-weight. If I hadn't been distracted, I—"

"That's it, Nora!" Alya suddenly snapped. "You lost the challenge, so deal with it. I've had it with your overprotective big-sis-smothering. I'm going out with my boys and I don't care what you think!" She said taking Marin's wrist as he dragged Nino along, who grabbed Adrien as they all ran out of the apartment.

Nora gripped her fist tightly, then noticing a familiar hairpin on the ground, picking it up as her anger only increased.

* * *

At Place de la Concorde, Ferris wheel. Marin held Nino's phone as he looked up at how high the Ferris wheel was and promptly got cold feet.

"You know what, I never realized how high that the Ferris wheel went, you three go on ahead I'll just-" He was about to say but both Alya and Nino grabbed his hands as they entered the pod. He felt his just deserts as he saw how high they were going, sitting next to Alya as she in-between her two timid friends.

"Is it starting? What's going on?" Adrien questioned as Marin looked at Alya helplessly until she jabbed his side with her elbow, tilting her head as Marin then sighed. He stood, up, holding the phone to the glass as Adrien gasped in awe at the sight.

"Whoa! It's beautiful, thank you for showing me this." Adrien said as Marin grew more nervous the higher they went. "I can't believe how amazing this is." He said as Marin turned the phone back to him.

"Easy for the person safe on the ground to say." Marin sighed.

"Hm?" Adrien suddenly hummed as Marin looked at him curiously.

"What's up?" He asked, looking around.

"I thought I saw something-" Adrien said as his eyes widened in shock, "Marin behind you! I saw something go by!" He notified as Marin suddenly turned around, looking out the window.

"I don't see anything. Maybe it was a bird." He said as he stumbled when the Ferris wheel came to a sudden stop. Nino hugged Alya as Marin grabbed a nearby safety bar, both trying to find some stability.

"Dude, please don't tell me we're gonna be stuck up here!" Nino whimpered as Marin nodded in agreement.

Alya turned towards her boyfriend with a smug expression, "I thought you said you were going to protect us." She remarked, slightly teasing him as Marin gasped, looking down at a newly Akumatized villain.

"Over there!" He pointed out as Adrien gasped behind the camera, seeing a giant spider.

Alya immediately took out her phone recording with a bright smile on her face as Nino looked down, terrified as he could see how high they were. Uh, may-maybe you shouldn't film her, Alya? You don't wanna attract her over here."

Alya scoffed, "This is a new scoop for the Ladyblog. Where there's an Akuma there's Ladybug and Chat Noir." She pointed out as Marin looked around frantically for any kind of escape. But unluckily these pods were built for people to travel within safely, meaning they were locked from the outside. Meaning that there were stuck in there, if Chat Noir didn't show up, he'd most certainly be a goner.

"Uh… uh… I think my wifi is losing signal!" Adrien suddenly said as he turned off the call. Marin pocketed Nino's phone as he could only look down helplessly at the approaching villain.

* * *

Chat Noir raced across the city, attacking the villain just as she was about to punch through the glass of his friend's pod. She was thrown to the ground as Chat Noir landed on the ground next to her.

"Tut tut, didn't you read the regulations? No hands or feet outside the ride at any time, no matter how many you have." He remarked as the spider woman glared at him.

"You're the only one whose going to need a hand against Anansi!" She remarked as she shot her web goo at him, but Chat Noir evaded her attacks with a smirk. Kicking her back easily as they were easily matched in strength. He could easily evade her attacks, using his staff to close the distance between them when she couldn't. When she tried to grab his staff he evaded, following up with a series of punches and fake outs that slow made Anansi grew angrier.

Chat Noir chuckled, "As I recall, didn't the Anansi have a little trouble with black cats?" He remarked smugly as Anansi glared at him.

" Pesky vermin." She remarked, throwing a car at him. Chat Noir easily evaded it, turning his attention back to the villain.

"Is that all you got-" He said as Anansi then jumped up high, making her way back up the Ferris wheel as she reached the pod his friends were in.

"Hey! Get away from there!" Chat Noir demanded, using his staff to jump up as he heard Alya cry out.

"Nora! Let him go!"

Alya demanded as a fury started to brew in the pit of Chat Noir's stomach, seeing Anansi grab Marin who couldn't struggle against her grasp.

Anansi smiled mischievously. " Oh, I intend to." She said as Chat Noir gritted his teeth, grasping his staff in hand.

"See a bird now Baker boy?" Anansi asked as she gripped him tighter, enough for him to gasp at her strength."

" No...not really." He rasped as Chat Noir grew closer, hopping on top of one of the pods.

"Drop him, spider" Chat Noir demanded, but then regretted his choice of words as Anansi smiled a toothy grin at him.

"If you say so." She said flexing her multiple arms as Chat Noir grew panicked. "Go long kitty cat!" She laughed as Chat Noir chased after his friend, distracted as she grabbed the pod her sister was in.

Chat Noir ran on all fours as he extended his baton, luckily intercepting Marin before he hit the river, catching him in his arms. But then he gasped as his back hit the wall near the riverside, falling on his friend as he was winded at the impact.

"Chat Noir!" Marin said in worry.

But Chat Noir forced himself to smile as he pushed himself up, hovering over his friend's worried expression. "You keep falling for me like this and you'll make Ladybug jealous Macaroon." He said with a playful smirk as Marin then sat him, immediately hugging him even though his body still trembled with fear. Chat Noir returned the hug with a gentle smile on his face before then pulling Marin to his feet. He kissed the back of his hand flirtatiously as he smiled at his friend who still had a look of worry. "Don't make such a sad face my Prince, I wouldn't be wearing this costume if I couldn't handle getting tossed around a little." He remarked, winking playfully as he lunged back towards the Ferris wheel using his staff.

" What was close." Tikki said flying into sight as Marin ran towards a nearby bridge, hiding under it.

"Don't hold your breath sugar cube. Tikki, spots on!"

* * *

Ladybug jumped across the rooftops as he heard someone screaming through the air. Quickly, he used his yo-yo to catch Nino who had been sent flying, catching him in his arms. Nino was stunned for a moment before he yelled back towards where Anansi was.

"This isn't over spider!" He called out as Ladybug placed him on the ground safely before he jumped towards the Arc de Triomphe, where Anansi had built her web, having captured Alya, and threw Chat Noir towards it as well.

The two heroes glanced at each other for a moment before turning their expressions away.

"Looks like I've already got a catch." Anansi smirked. "You'll be next, beetle." She said charging towards him, but Ladybug evaded her attacks with ease, jumping back on to a car as he threw up his yo-yo.

"Lucky Charm!" He called out, and a candle fell into his hands. He hummed to himself for a moment as he evaded another one of Anansi's attacks, noticing Chat Noir's fallen baton sitting nearby. His eyes widened with realization as he grabbed it, and then Nino who came back for round 2, using his yo-yo to jumped behind some cars.

"Can you be a distraction?" Ladybug asked bluntly as Nino was stunned for a moment. "Chat Noir is disabled and I can't handle Anansi on my own without help," He said holding out Chat Noir's baton towards him.

Nino looked as though he were about to accept it, but faltered. "I'm no superhero. I couldn't save my friend Marin or my girlfriend Alya…but I guess I'm not strong enough." He said with a sullen expression on his face. Lifting it as Ladybug pressed the baton into his hand.

"Let me tell you a secret," Ladybug said with a gentle smile, " When you're facing a supervillain, physical strength isn't always the deciding factor. All I need is for you to make sure Anansi can't get Chat Noir's Miraculous. He can protect himself for a few minutes using his Cataclysm but it's a last resort, use this to defend yourself and distract her. I won't be long..."

"Oh, Nino, Nino Lahiffe." He introduced as Ladybug nodded supportively, using his yo-yo to leap away as Nino looked up in awe at the superhero.

* * *

Ladybug detransformed in the alley behind the Master's shop, quickly handing Tikki a Macaroon as he used the back door to enter the shop.

"Master!" He called out in a panic, "Nino won't hold off Anansi for long. She's about to get a hold of Chat Noir's Miraculous!" He said as Master Fu nodded, about to turn to grab the Miracle Box.

"We can't let that happen." He said, but stopped as Nino spoke up again.

"Wait Master, I just need Wayzz." He said bluntly as Master turned towards him in surprise, exchanging a glance with his Kwami, but then nodded as he removed his charm.

"Do you have someone in mind, Marinus?" He asked as Marin took the bracelet from him.

"Of course Master." Marin said with a smile on his face.

* * *

Chat Noir watched as Nino used his baton to defend again Anansi, holding his own for a little while until he was knocked away again, crashing into a car as Anansi turned her attention back towards him.

"You're like a cat caught in a spider's web." Anansi remarked as she climbed up her spider web.

Chat Noir chuckled nervously, "Technically speaking, spiders don't actually eat cats." He said, then suddenly yelped in pain as she grabbed one of his ears.

"Where did you hide your earrings, kitty cat?" She asked in annoyance as Chat Noir stared at her dumbfounded for a moment as he saw her face light up for a moment with Hawkmoth's emblem.

"Why didn't you just say so?" She snapped at the villain through their telepathic communication as she then reached for his ring, but was stopped as he cried out.

"Cataclysm!" Effectively stopping her for taking his ring for a little while, but he knew he didn't have long. Internally wishing for his partner to hurry up and save him.

"Hey arachnid!" Nino yelled out, panting with wounds covering his body, but still standing as Chat Noir looked towards his friend in worry.

"So you've decided to come back, huh Cappy?" Anansi laughed as she jumped down.

"All right, big boy." She remarked, cracking her knuckles as she knocked down Nino more and more, however, in defiance he still stood up, attacking her over and over again until he finally fell to his knees, holding Chat Noir's staff in his hands to regain his balance.

Anansi laughed at the sight. "I suggest you stay down." She remarked, walking closer as Nino pressed a button on the staff, which extended and hit Anansi's chin, stunning her for a few moments as she then grew enraged. You're gonna regret this, big time!" She said, about to barrage him with punches, but then Nino was pulled to safety, evading the attack just as Anansi cracked the concrete under her feet.

"Where did you go coward?!" She demanded as Alya and Chat Noir exchanged an uncertain glance.

* * *

Nino leaned on Ladybug for a few moments as he caught his breath.

"I'm gonna need your help again. Do you still wanna save your friend?" Ladybug asked, noticing all the wounds on Nino's body.

Nino simply nodded. "I'll do anything for her." He said simply as Ladybug held out a black box before him.

" Nino Lahiffe, this is the Miraculous of the turtle, which grants the power of protection. You will use it for the greater good and once the mission is over, you will return the Miraculous to me. Can I trust you?"

Nino nodded as he took the box from the hero. When he opened it, he saw a green ball of light materialize before him, transforming into a small turtle who smiled up at him. "Whoa, dude!" He remarked in amazement.

"Hello, my name is Wayzz." The small green Kwami introduced.

"Hey little guy, what are you, a genie like in those fairy tales?" Nino asked curiously.

"I am a Kwami." Wayzz explained, "I can't grant wishes, but I can give you superpowers." He said with a smile as Nino placed the bracelet on his wrist among his other bracelets. "All you have to say is: "Wayzz, shell on!"

"Wayzz, shell on!"

* * *

"So, are you and Ladybug fighting?" Chat Noir heard Alya ask as Anansi was waiting for him to transform back.

"Just a partners squabble. Nothing to worry about." Chat Noir reassured as suddenly, Anansi was knocked off the web by a shield. Chat Noir looked in shock as he say Ladybug bug standing next to a new hero who caught his shield as it returned to him.

"Change of pet? You replaced your kitty with a turtle?" Anansi taunted as Chat Noir's ears flattened.

Ladybug merely threw his yo-yo towards her as Anansi easily evaded it by jumping back on her web.

" Ha! Missed me." She mocked, but Chat Noir quickly picked up on what his partner was doing. Ladybug removed his scarf, allowing it to fall as his new partner tightened the boxing gloves on this hands.

"Are you serious?" Anansi laughed. "A bug-weight like you taking me on one-on-one!?" She cackled in amusement as Ladybug looked up towards her.

"You scared to win fair a square?" He remarked with a smirk as Anansi's laughter stopped. She grinned in amusement as she jumped back into the make-shift ring as Ladybug mirrored her actions. The two bumped mitts as Anansi smiled victoriously. "I'll devour you, li'l nasty bug." She remarked as the new hero used his shield as a bell, banging Chat Noir's baton on it as the match began.

"One punch will be enough!" Anansi said, but missed with no effort from Ladybug, punching one of the pillars. This kept up as Anansi kept missing, growing angrier as Ladybug kept silent, not even defending his face as Anansi kept missing.

"Stay still!" She demanded, punching the final pillar as she saw Ladybug smirk, backing into his yo-yo's wires that began to cut through the cracked pillars. She looked up at the falling debris for a moment but got trapped under some fallen debris as the Ladybug assisted his partner, locking his hands together as his new partner had an extra boost to jump onto the net, landing next to Alya as Ladybug kept pulling at the wires.

"Now!" He called out as the new hero nodded.

"At your service, dude" He remarked, but then backtracked as he saw Alya eye him nervously. "Uh, Ladybug. Shellter!" He yelled out, creating a large shield around all three of them as Ladybug tumbled away at the last moment to avoid the falling debris. He looked up in a panic for a moment as he saw his friends were covered in debris, but then sighed in relief as he saw all three were safe as Nino deactivated his power.

As Ladybug ran over to them, he mistakenly had his guard dropped as he was suddenly grabbed by an enraged Anansi, holding him up by his neck as she growled at him.

"I'll crush you like the bug you are!" She threatened as he could feel his breath thin, grasping onto her hands as suddenly Chat Noir sprung into action, using his cataclysm to destroy her helmet as the Akuma was released. Catching his partner before he fell onto the debris.

Ladybug coughed for a moment trying to catch his breath as Chat Noir placed him on the ground. The two glanced at each other for a moment as Chat Noir turned his gaze away. A sullen expression drew on Ladybug's face as he took out his yo-yo.

"No more mischief from you little Akuma. Time to purify!" Ladybug said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion. Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. "Bye-bye, little butterfly. Miraculous Ladybug!" Ladybug called out, throwing up the lucky charm as everything turned back to normal. Nora was transformed back to normal, looking around in confusion as Ladybug's, Chat Noir's, and Nino's Miraculous beeped at the same time. Ladybug watched as his partner turned to leave, but stopped for a moment as he noticed his partner lingering for a moment.

"Chat Noir."

He called out as he saw Chat Noir's ears twitch as he heard his partner speak up from behind him. "You're irreplaceable." He said sincerely, noticing Chat Noir grip his fist for a moment before running off on all fours. Ladybug turned towards Nino who was smiling happily, holding out his first as Ladybug reciprocated the gesture.

"Good job-" He was about to praise but then Alya popped up between them.

"Whoa, this is a first for the Ladyblog. A brand new superhero! What's your name?" She asked in excitement

Nino looked at her for a moment glancing at Ladybug who nodded supportively. "Uh…Carapace. Call me Carapace." He said proudly before dashing away with Ladybug.

"It was lovely to see you again Miss Césaire," Ladybug said as he wrapped his arm around Carapace's waist, using his yo-yo to escape as Alya smiled up at them fondly

* * *

"Shell off." Carapace said as he transformed back to normal. He removed the bracelet, placing it back in the box as Wayzz disappeared within his Miraculous. "Thank you for trusting me." He said gratefully as he handed the box back to Ladybug.

Ladybug nodded, "You did great." Ladybug complimented as his Miraculous began to beep. He nodded towards Nino who looked up at him in awe, then turned to go find his friends.

* * *

Marin handed back Wayzz's Miraculous as a smile broke out on Master Fu's face.

"Thank you Marinus, you did well today." He complimented.

"My friend Nino deserves some of the credit as well Master. He wielded the turtle Miraculous like a pro." Marin said as Master Fu placed his bracelet back on.

"Then you've chosen well." He said as his Kwami appeared before him. "I've had Wayzz for almost all of my life, he is very dear to me." He said as Wayzz rested on his shoulder. "If ever the day comes that I can no longer keep his company-"

"It won't Master." Marin said, interrupting him. "You don't have to worry about losing Wayzz or any of the Miraculous." He said with a smile as Master Fu could feel some reassurance from his apprentice.

Suddenly, Marin reached for his back pocket as he felt something buzz, realizing that he still had Nino's phone, he saw the caller ID read, Cupcake with a picture of his best friend with icing on her nose.

"Uh, I have to take this, I'll see you soon Master, Wayzz." He said, bowing his head slightly as he quickly left, answering the face time call from Alya.

"Hey! What happened to you?!" Alya yelled out as she and Nino looked at him in worry.

Marin chuckled nervously as he essentially ditched his friend, but it was for a relatively good reason. "I did as mice do, I found myself a hiding spot and left the saving to Ladybug and Chat Noir." He said. "Is everything okay now?" He asked as Nora then took the phone from her sister.

"Hey, baker boy." She said as Marin suddenly drew more nervous, recalling what he did to her. He thought she might yell for a moment, but instead, she sighed, "I did lose the match…and my cool. Sorry about everything that went down." She apologized.

"I'm not completely blameless in this Anansi, I was the one who messed you up." He admitted as Nora looked at him in surprise. "I helped Nino to win by distracting you. I'm sorry."

"Wait a sec," She remarked, thinking for a moment, "I saw one of your hairpins on the ground, how the heck did you use it to prick me when you were standing behind Alya?" She questioned as Marin laughed off his nervousness.

"This little mouse has his secrets." He remarked as Nora smirked in amusement at him.

"Alright, it's no big deal. You and Cappy proved that you don't need muscles to be strong." She admitted as Alya took her phone back.

"Hey, let's meet up at the ice cream shop, there are still a few hours left in the day." She said as Marin nodded.

"On my way." He said happily as he ran out of Master Fu's shop.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- I don't know ballet pose moves
> 
> \- Tikki helped Marin cheat, she may not approve but she's the ride or die friend 
> 
> \- Did I write Chat Noir and Ladybug to be sensitive to each other to the point where they can almost read each other's minds by picking up on social cues? Perhaps.


	48. Maledik-dad-tor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chloe leaves to move to new york and everyone rejoices...well, almost everyone. But now Ladybug is placed within a precarious situation, as a new Villain does away with his partner, now having to ask for aid in the last person he ever wanted to ask for assistance. 
> 
> Also there's some angst-fluff. That's always nice.

Marin bit the bottom of his lip as hard as he could, trying to endure Chloé's presentation, where she played both Queen Bee, interlacing edited audio footage himself as she was trying to stroke her own ego. He was relieved as Ivan spoke up first.

"That's not Ladybug, that's you, Chloé!" He pointed out as the entire class began to laugh as Chloé glared at him.

"Of course that's the real Ladybug!" Chloé retorted.

"But Chloé, could you tell me why you chose to do an assignment about yourself? Uh— I mean: about Queen Bee?" Miss Bustier asked gently.

Chloé crossed his arms. "Our assignment was to choose an important person in French history and I actually saved France. Even Ladybug says so…" She said, playing the video as Marin blocked out the image, sinking into his chair as he was completely embarrassed having hos alter ego being placed on the spot like this.

"Chloé, it's so obvious that you doctored the footage. You didn't even bother lipsyncing the audio properly."

Chloé looked at the class in a panic, "Uh… he… uh…" She stammered but grew angry again as the class laughed at her, stomping back to her seat. "Ugh, you're all a bunch of losers! Except you, Adrikins." She pointed out for a moment, her anger disappearing for a moment before she started yelling again. " None of you deserve to see the rest of my documentary!"

"Oh, what a shame." Marin muttered aloud as everyone started laughing harder. Realizing what he had done Marin covered his mouth in embarrassment as Chloé growled at him, but then turned towards Sabrina as she saw that her friend was laughing as well.

"I saw you laughing with the other idiots; you're fired!" Chloé snapped as Sabrina started crying almost immediately as Rose ran to check on her.

"How could you not laugh, Sabrina? The whole superhero sitch has totally gone to her head." Alya defended as she pulled up a video clip from the news.

"You paralyzed the metro driver, you used your power to create this situation just to make yourself look good. Chloé, you endangered lives all for a selfish reason." Ladybug had said angrily as Chloé grew more anxious.

"She wasn't the hero; it was Chat Noir and Ladybug!" Alya pointed out as the class nodded in agreement.

"She had superpowers for like five minutes and went totally outta control!" Alix commented.

"Queen Bee isn't even a real superhero." Marin remarked but then snapped to attention as Chloé slammed her hands on the table.

"What?!" Chloé demanded as she walked up to him, standing over him as Marin looked up at her timidly almost in Alya's lap as Chloé pointed down towards him. "You will pay for your insulting remarks, Dupain-Cheng!" She stated, kicking over his backpack as she walked out of the classroom.

"Chloé, class isn't over-" The teacher tried to say, but instead had the door slammed in her face. As Marin sighed heavily looking up at Alya who grumbled to herself. as Marin lifted himself up, he noticed a distressed expression on Adrien's face as he glanced at the door.

* * *

"Don't look so down." Alix remarked as he and Marin walked together towards the art room on the second floor, "That girl has tormented you for years, a few people telling her off is nothing." She said but Marin shrugged his shoulder.

I don't know, she was pretty upset when she left. It's never fun to be made fun of something you take pride in."

"Right, but- and hear me out here-" Alix said clapping her hands together as he stood in front of Marin. "She always makes you feel bad even when you haven't done a thing! She's a bad egg."

"Yeah, but shouldn't we try to at least be on good terms with her? Adrien still likes her, and of course Sabrina too."

"Marinus, my brother from another mother" Alix said as she looked up at him with a dumbfounded expression on her face." Are you trying to actually defend Chloé?"

"Um, well...not really?" Marin said nervously, "I just mean there are people we care about who would be upset if Chloé was. Should we try to at least be nice to her for their sake? Besides, it's not like she's that bad." He tried to explain gently but Nino only slapped his forehead in defeat.

"SHE IS THE LITERALLY THE WORST PERSON- ugh you're worse than Nath!" Alix cried out just as flyers began to fall from the sky, everyone in the courtyard looked up to see Chloé throwing out flyers out of a helicopter, yelling out on a megaphone.

"Hey there, losers! I'm headed to New York with my mom. I'm leaving you all behind in your pathetic little school and your pathetic little city. Adieu!"

Marin picked up on of the flyer's, showing Chloé in front of the Statue of Liberty, as he saw a few of his friends gathered in the court year, no one apparently was caring about classes anymore as Alix dragged Marin down to the first floor.

"Chloé's leaving?" Nino asked aloud.

"Forever?" Nathaniel asked standing beside Nino.

"Looks like it." Marin heard Alya remark before everyone started cheering and ripping up the photos into confetti, throwing it around as music started playing. A makeshift party began as everyone cheered at Chloé's departure. It appeared that she had made a lot of people miserable throughout the school. Alix punched Marin's arm supportively before running down to the first floor.

"Without Chloé around, Paris will be filled with a lot less negative emotion!" Tikki remarked, popping her head out of his jacket pocket as Marin sat to the side away from the larger crowds, sitting on the stairs near the entrance.

"And less akumatizations..." Marin pointed out, as he looked down at the photo again. Something about Chloé's departure felt hollow, like a complete overreaction.

* * *

"Hey, what's going on here? What are we celebrating?" Adrien asked as he walked up to Marin from behind, as he was watching Nino and Alya setting up turntables.

"Chloé's gone, she's moving to New York." He infromed, still stunned from the information as Adrien looked at him unenthused.

"Chloé left…? For good?" He asked as he picked up one of the flyers, looking down sadly at it.

"Yeah..isn't it great?" Marin asked carefully, knowing how Adrien felt about their classmate. He recognized the look on his friend's face wasn't one of happiness, more like someone just kicked a puppy.

"Uh…no. I think it's terrible! How could anyone celebrate a thing like that?" Adrien sighed as he glanced at his friend.

Marin looked troubled for a moment, even though he didn't particularly care for Chloé even being completely fine if she never returned to the city...

However, he didn't say anything as Adrien walked off with a disappointed expression on his face. Marin sighed to himself in defeat, sitting down on the stairs before the entrance of the school, on his own as everyone cheered around him.

* * *

"Hey, what's with the long face dude?" Nino asked as he walked to Adrien who was sitting by himself on the staircase.

"How can everyone be okay with Chloé leaving like this?" Adrien asked sincerely as Nino looked at him with a dumbfounded expression for a few moments.

He frowned at his friend, taking a deep breath as he faced his best friend. "Dude, I know you haven't been here long, but you have no idea who Chloé has ruined people's lives just by being here. I don't see how her leaving is anything but good news." He said bluntly as Adrien looked at him stunned for a moment.

"Nobody's useless, not even Chloé. When I was little and wasn't allowed out, she was the only friend I had." He tried to reason, showing her good points byt Nino just sighed.

"Adrien, dude, I love you, but just because she was, is, always nice to you doesn't mean she hasn't hurt everyone else. You've seen how horrible she can be."

"So she's not perfect-"

"Dude!"Nino suddenly snapped. "She's our friend's life hell ever since we were kids; Heck, she used to stick gum in Marin's and Rose's hair; Used Kim like a servant when she knew that he liked her; Once threw Nathaniel's sketchbook in the cafeteria trash can just because he didn't want to draw her; And that's not even a sixteenth of it." Nino explained taking a deep breath, trying not to get furious as he recalled everything Chloé did.

Adrien was overwhelmed by the amount of information that Nino dropped on him, he cared about his friends, but Chloé was the only person to care about him when he really needed it, that had to count for something. "She left angry and unhappy. I can't celebrate that."

Nino groaned to himself, "If you want her to come back, I'm not going to fight it. But you need to take others into account as well dude." He said placing a hand on Adrien's shoulder as he directed his attention to Alix talking to Marin who was previously sitting alone. It looked like they were arguing over something as Alix was making a lot of animated gestures, but gave in as Marin smiled at her.

Adrien's gaze softened for a moment, but it soon disappeared as everyone's attention was grabbed with another helicopter flying above.

"By the powers vested in me…" Someone said from above as a giant orb formed before them, "I declare this school a demolition site!" He announced as it fell to the ground, hitting a few students in the courtyard.

Nino pushed Adrien out of the was at the last second as he was caught in the blast range.

"Nino?" Adrien questioned, as he reached out to his friend, but watched as his friend started breaking his records, as a few more people started breaking school property.

Adrien quickly ran into a nearby room, locking the door behind him as Plagg flew out of his school.

"Hey, this party just got interesting!" He said as Adrien held up his ring.

"Plagg, claws out!"

* * *

Chat Noir jumped into action, landing on the propellor of the helicopter as he looked down at the new villain walking around the campus.

"Excuse me, do you have a demolition permit for this site?" He asked cheekily.

" I don't need a permit. I am Malediktator, the all-powerful supermayor of Paris, and this is my city." Malediktator informed as he looked around the plaza, seemingly looking for something in particular.

"Well, I'm sorry to say, but this country is a republic." He remarked, but the villain ignored him as a sinister smile drew on his face.

"By the powers vested in me…" He said, creating an orb in his hand, as Chat Noir noticed he was facing towards Marin who was trying to stop Alix from destroying school property with a sledgehammer in her hands. "I hereby banish you from Paris!" He said, throwing the orb towards his friend, who was suddenly blasted with light as Chat Noir looked on in shock as his friend was seemingly vaporized.

"Big mistake." Chat Noir growled defensively he took out his staff and charging towards the new villain.

* * *

Marin crashed into a bale of hay as the last thing he recalled was panicking, trying to stop his friends from rioting, and being blasted with light... apparently being thrown into the countryside, just outside of the city limits. He spit of a few pieces of hay from his mouth as he realized that he was in the middle of a field, surrounded by cows. Brushing off some pieces of hay, he opened his jacket as Tikki flew out.

"Looks like Chloé managed one last victim before she left Paris." Tikki said hovering before him as Marin spotted the city in the distance. As he walked closer to the city, he suddenly bumped into an invisible barrier the prevented him from entering.

"Huh?" He pondered for a moment as Tikki flew past him easily. "I think this just affects you." She said as Marin grew more worried.

"Hm, Marin may be banished from the city, but Ladybug probably isn't." He thought aloud as Tikki smiled.

"Tikki, spots on!"

* * *

Ladybug landed on the roof of the school, winding from traveling all across the city, just in time to see Malediktator pining Chat Noir to the ground by placing a foot on his chest, unable to escape.

"By the power invested in me, I declare that you are a cat!" He said as Ladybug threw his yo-yo down towards him, but was too late as Chat Noir was blasted by light, and transformed into a small black cat, looking around curiously as Malediktator laughed in amusement.

"Oh no." Ladybug murmured but reacted as Malediktator picked Kitten Noir by the scruff of his neck, the bell on his collar jingling. But the kitten didn't like that as he scratched the villain, scampering away as Ladybug chased after him, scooping him up just before he was about to run into open traffic.

"Chat Noir?" Ladybug asked, holding his partner in his hands, wondering if his partner could recognize him. But couldn't get a clear answer as Kitten Noir mewed in his hands. Ladybug groaned heavily holding his head as he placed Kitten Noir on his shoulder, then throwing his yo-yo in the air as he ran across the rooftops.

* * *

Master Fu was calculating on his abacus as he was surprised by the door opening.

"Master Fu!" Marin yelled out as Master Fu lost to found, sighing as he faced his apprentice who was panicking. "Malediktator- Chat Noir- Kitten," He tried to explain as Tikki flew out, struggling to speak, but Master Fu held up his hand.

"Calmly Marinus." He said reassuringly, but Marin still looked worried as he took something out of his messenger bag. A small black kitten with large green eyes and black collar with a bell. Master Fu and Wayzz with tilted their heads in confusion as Marin sat down before him.

A villain has transformed Chat Noir into...well." Marin said, placing Kitten Noir on the ground as he wandered around curiously around the room, followed by both Kwami.

Master Fu stared at the other person he chose to bare the Miraculous of Destruction, now pawing his Abacus curiously. "I understand." He said as he took out the Miraculous box. "Marinus Dupain-Cheng, pick an ally you can trust to fight alongside you on this mission. Choose wisely; such powers are meant to serve the greater good. Once the mission is over, you'll retrieve the Miraculous from them." He said as Kitten Noir walked back, meowing as he crawled into Marin's lap, seeming asking for attention. Only quelled as Marin petted his head.

Marin then narrowed his eyes at the box, realizing that a hard choice had to be made as he reached for the Bee Miraculous.

"Are you sure you want to give it back to… her?" Master Fu inquired, but Marin nodded his head.

"Don't worry, Master; I know how to make good use of it this time." He promised, placing Pollen's Miraculous in its box. Then picked up his partner, cradling him in his arms as he. "As well as him." He said reassuringly as Kitten Noir mewed cutely.

* * *

Ladybug landed on the roof of the hotel, placing Kitten Noir on the ground for a moment as he then heard the door opening. she saw Chloé running in a panic, tripping over a chair as he then caught her in his arms.

"Are you okay?" He asked as Chloé looked up at him in relief, hugging him.

"Ladybug, finally! You're going to help me, right?" She pleaded as Ladybug knelt down before her at eye level. Behind him, he could feel Kitten Noir playing with his scarf, but used all of his will power not to turn about and take a video, there were more important things happening.

" Yes, but first… I need you to tell me what happened. Why is your father— I mean, Malediktator, rampaging through the city like this?" He asked as Chloé grew defensive, crossing her arms.

"It's because of this super lame loser named Marin Dupain-Cheng. He's this horrible boy in my class and he hates me! He's ganged everyone up against me and...and-" She said, but began to falter as she saw Ladybug did not believe a single thing she was saying.

"Maybe this Marin isn't entirely to blame?" He inquired.

"Okay, it wasn't totally Marin's fault...he can be inconsiderate sometimes, but actually, this time, Daddy got angry all by himself."

"All by himself?

"Yeah, because… there was something he couldn't do…" She whimpered, faltering in her words before Ladybug placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Miss Bourgeois, Chloé, it's me, Ladybug. You can trust me with the truth." He said with a reassuring smile on his face as Chloé's defenses began to crumble.

"I— I—" She wavered for a moment, but grew more confident as she saw Ladybug nodding sincerely at her. "It— it was me. I hurt my daddy's feelings. Because I want to leave Paris, forever."

"Because of what happened in school?" He asked.

Chloé hugged herself as she avoided his gaze. "It's not just Marin— actually, I don't even really care about him— it's because I have no reason to be here: nobody likes me; I have no friends. I'm… worthless." She whimpered as Ladybug was surprised by her sincerity.

"What about your friend Adrien? He cares about you a lot." Ladybug pointed out, but Chloé shook her head.

"Adrien's just being kind, he's always kind. Even when we were kids, we only became friends because we were placed together. There's no way he would care about me if our parents didn't work together." She admitted as Ladybug's expression softened.

"Chloé, what do you want?" He asked bluntly as she turned towards him in surprise. "I don't believe people can change unless they really want to. However you decide to live your life is up to you, but I can help to make the first few steps."

"It's easy for you to say that. You're Ladybug, a superhero. You serve a purpose." She said as Ladybug smiled at her, taking a deep breath.

"I'm not always a hero though. If I were to remove this Miraculous, I'd be a faceless nobody in a crowd. But I will always do what I can, and try to make a positive effect on people's lives." He said earnestly as he stood up, holding out his hand towards Chloé. "We all have a purpose, and right now, I think ours is to defeat Malediktator together." He offered as Chloé took his hand, nodded in agreement as Ladybug took out a familiar box from his yo-yo.

"Chloé Bourgeois, there is the Miraculous of the Bee, which grants the power to immobilize your opponent. You will use it for the greater good and once the mission is over, you will return the Miraculous to me. Can I trust you?" He asked as Chloé nodded, taking the Miraculous in hand.

"I won't disappoint you this time, Ladybug." She promised as she opened the Miraculous Box, revealing a familiar yellow light that circled around her for a moment before materializing into a bee-like Kwami with a smile on her face as she bowed her head formally.

"At your service, my Queen." She said as Chloé placed the comb in her hair.

"Pollen, buzz on!"

* * *

As night fell, Ladybug and Queen Bee landed nearby the city hall looking at Malediktator sitting on a throne surrounded by guards, forming a huge bubble over his head, one that could engulf the entire city. Kitten Noir was lazily napping on Ladybug's shoulder as he crouched down.

"That bubble is going to be a tough one to dodge!" Queen Bee remarked as Ladybug narrowed his eyes, throwing up his yo-yo.

"Lucky charm!" He said as a giant laser gun landed in his hands much to his surprise.

"Well, that's an effective Lucky Charm!" Queen Bee remarked in relief but cried out as Ladybug then tossed it away, in favor of saving just the laser sight.

"Hey, what was that for?!" She asked as Ladybug then turned towards her.

"Innovation and creativity will always win out over being flashy." He said as Chloé looked at him in disbelief.

"Oh head, then what's with that outfit?" She asked in disbelief as Ladybug's face grew slightly red.

"Um- anyway!" He said quickly turning away as he placed Kitten Noir on the ground, His ears were perked up as he purred under Ladybug's touch. "All we need is this little kitty, and something to take the sting out." He remarked as Queen Bee nodded.

"Venom!" Queen Bee cried out as Ladybug gained Kitten Noir's attention with the laser sight. Guiding him past the guards, and near Malediktator, who looked down for a moment before Kitten Noir jumped on his face, making him lose focus as the bubble above him disappeared. Queen Bee jumped up behind him as Ladybug caught Kitten Noir who was thrown off of Malediktator.

"Sorry, Daddy!" Queen Bee apologized, stinging Malediktator on his chest as Queen Bee then threw his sash towards Ladybug who caught it with ease. As he ripped it in two, he looked up at the Akuma flying for a moment.

"No more mischief from you little Akuma. Time to purify!" Ladybug said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion. Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. "Bye-bye, little butterfly. Miraculous Ladybug!" Ladybug called out, throwing up the lucky charm as everything turned back to normal.

In his arms, Kitten Noir was purring quite happily nuzzling into the crevice of his neck as that action was now transferred over to Chat Noir. Who was somehow still purring for a few moments before he realized what was going on. He looked up at his partner for a moment as both of their faces ran red. Chat Noir immediately struggled to escape Ladybug's embrace, falling down for a moment before he snapped back onto his feet.

"Um," He stammered for a moment before glancing at Queen Bee, at Chloé jumping down towards them with a smile on her face. "What happened?" He asked in confusion as Queen Bee brushed a lock of hair out of her face.

"You just missed out on Queen Bee and Ladybug saving Paris," She said as her voice softened, "For real this time." She said as Ladybug nodded encouragingly "Pollen, buzz off." She said as she handed the Miraculous back to Ladybug. Then gasping in surprise as Ladybug held up his fist, the both of them bumping fists as Chat Noir looked on confusion.

"You did well today Miss Bourgeois." Ladybug compliment as Chloé hugged him for a moment, returning the gesture as she then ran towards her parents, hugging them as Ladybug heard his Miraculous beep. Just as he was about to leave, he turned towards Chat Noir with a sheepish grin on his face.

"You were pretty cute when you were more honest." He said, holding up a few photos of Kitten Noir on his yo-yo. One, in particular, was a selfie with Kitten Noir nuzzling Ladybug cutely.

"WHA-" Chat Noir gasped, his face reddening with embarrassment, "Delete those!" He demanded as Ladybug then shut hi yo-yo.

"No way, they're photo's of my important partner. I would be remiss if I were to erase the photos of the key reason Queen Bee and I were able to defeat Malediktator." He said with a cheekily smile, using his yo-yo to jump on to the rooftops as Chat Noir groaned in embarrassment.

* * *

Back at Marter Fu's massage shop Marin placed the Bee Miraculous back within the Miracle box, watching as Master Fu sealed it away within the gramophone.

"You took a big risk entrusting this Miraculous to Chloé Bourgeois. Do you really think she's got what it takes to be a superhero?" Master Fu asked as Marin crossed his arms for a moment.

"I'm not sure master, everyone is different, but I'm willing to give her that chance." He said sincerely just about to leave. "After all, you took a chance on me." He said as Master Fu nodded fondly, watching him leave with Tikki with a fond expression on his face.

* * *

Chloé crossed her arms defiantly as Marin walked ahead of her with his arms folded behind his back. "All right, I came to your stupid party… now what?" She said as her voice wavered for a moment, seeing the entire school assembled before her. Looking on in shock as there were various photos of her and Queen Bee. "You're— you're having a party… for me?" She asked as Sabrina then ran up to hug her friend.

"Chloé! I thought I'd lost you!" Sabrina cried out as Marin slowly back away.

" Okay, no need to make a big thing of it. Ugh! Besides, you're wrinkling my clothes." She remarked with a half-smile, looking down fondly at her friend.

Marin's expression softened as Chloé seemed to soak up the positive energy around her, from the people who praised her for her good deeds. Then he glanced to his side as he noticed Alix had walked up next to him.

"I can't believe you made me help you do this." She remarked as Marin smiled at her gratefully.

"I'm happy you did though." He said. "A little kindness can go a long way, maybe Chloé just needs a little push in the right direction." He suggested as Alix rolled her eyes. "Don't worry, you don't have to worry about me pulling another, being nice to Chloé party, on you. We're even now." He remarked, but then yelped as Alix jabbed his side playfully.

"I didn't do it because I owed you big time, I did it because we're friends," Alix remarked with a smile as Marin nodded at her. His expression softened as he watched her join the main party as he rested his back again the wall, sighing in some form of satisfaction, just before he flinched.

"Ack!" Marin suddenly yelled at his heart face, seeing Adrien standing nearby, holding his arm nervously. Marin caught his breath for a moment. "What is it with you and sneaking around?" He asked, half expecting Adrien to chuckle at his joke, but was caught off guard as his friend looked at him seriously.

"I overheard what you and Alix were talking about, it was really cool of you to put this party together for Chloé." He said as Marin averted his gaze,

Oh, well it wasn't just me." He said at first, but then his voice grew more hesitant. "I...didn't exactly have the most noble intent when I started planning this with Alix." He admitted as Adrien looked at him in surprise.

"What?" He questioned as Marin nodded, rubbing the back of his head nervously.

"I know you felt bad when Chloé was leaving, so I thought that if maybe, she felt some appreciation, then maybe she wouldn't leave...and you wouldn't feel sad..." He said. "But then that whole thing happened yesterday, so it just turned into this-" Marin said, backtracking, but was surprised when Adrien suddenly hugged him, wrapping her arms around him as Marin froze in place as he heard Adrien's voice close to his ear.

"I'm sorry."

Adrien said, as he pulled back from the hug with a bittersweet expression on his face. "I don't think I ever really realized how much you went through before I came around."

"Adrien, you don't have to-" Marin said, about to insist that his friend didn't have to worry about him, but stopped at Adrien shook his head.

"No, I wasn't being a good friend. Even though I was always defending Chloé, I never tried to understand why she was disliked so much. But even now, you're the one trying to be better, making the attempt to help her be better when I never seriously tried." He said earnestly as he glanced at his childhood friend laughing alongside her classmates for the first time in probably her life. But he then turned back to Marin with a smile on his face.

"I'm grateful that we're friends," Adrien said, about to walk back into the party.

"Wait," Marin said, grasping Adrien's hand for a moment. His brain seemed to stop for a moment as his friend turned back to him curiously.

"What is it?" Adrien asked, Noticing Marin's face turn red.

"Would you mind staying with me for a moment?" He rasped, feeling his ears burn as Adrien nodded, standing by him as for a little while. Both of them holding hands for a little while before they had to let go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Will Chloé be redeemed in this story? It will heavily depend on how I will write the finale of season 3. But I will try not to be unkind to her.
> 
> -I like, Alix, I need more of Alix and Marin's frienship...for s3 reasons. ;)
> 
> -Chat Noir and Ladybug are still in their argument, but this is more of a light-hearted moment of it.
> 
> -Ladybug will never delete the photos of Kitten Noir, he'd frame them if he could because they're just that adorable.
> 
> -Kitten Noir was essentially just a cat when he was transformed, but he did find some familiarity with Ladybug, which was why he was so affectionate.


	49. Reverser, Reverser; cha-cha now y'all-

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marin drags his friend Marc to the art room in hopes that he can come out of his shell more. But it's Marin who ends up outside the shell as Reverser looks his way . 
> 
> (This title pun is so terrible, I'm so sorry XD)

Marin walked towards the art room with a small smile on his face, when a familiar red hoodie caught his attention. Looking under the staircase he saw someone writing in a black notebook.

"Hey Marc. How's it going?" Marin greeted as Marc snapped to attention, "Where is the rest of your class?"

"Oh, hey, Marin. We're done with classes for today, the others probably went home." Marc said as Marin eyes lit up with excitement.

"What coincidence, if you're free why not head over with me to the art room? A few of us are meeting up to work on some projects." He said,

Marc looked uncertain for a moment as Marin pulled him to his feet. "Sure... Why not?" Then removing his hood as Marin smiled at him supportively.

"And then you'll let me read some of your stories sometime?" Marin asked as they walked towards the art room together.

Marin chuckled, "Only if you let me look in your sketchbook." He remarked cheekily as Marin's face reddened slightly, rubbing the back on his sheepishly.

"Touche."

As they came closer to the room, Marc hid behind Marin. Marin scanned the room over, spotting a few of his friends already in the room.

"They guys, this is Marc, the boy I told you about!" Marin introduced as he walked into the room, then noticed that Marc his notebook in his jacket hesitantly.

"Uh... I'm sorry if I'm disturbing you..." He murmured as he tried to make himself as small as possible. But Marin wouldn't let him hide as he guided him forward.

"You're never disturbing anyone here, everyone's here because they have something they're passionate about. Rose, Juleka, and Luka are writing music for their rock band, Alix is really good at street art, and Nathaniel is our illustrator." Marin pointed out as he noticed Marc eyeing Nathaniel's drawings.

"Welcome Marc. As you'll find out, the good thing about this place is you can say and do almost whatever you want and no one will judge you." Nathaniel said.

"Says the guy who likes to draw people in spandex suits!" Alix remarked as she evaded a paper wad that Nathaniel threw at her.

"So what are you working on Nat?" Marin inquired as he walked over to him.

Nathaniel smiled proudly as he spread out his drawings. "This is a team-up of Ladybug and Mightillustrator fighting Queen Wasp together. He changed his name after Ladybug de-akumatized him and became a superhero."

Marin hummed for a moment, holding his hands behind his back as he smiled knowingly. "A bad guy who comes over to the good side, great idea. You should make a comic book about that." He suggested as he gently nudged Marc's side.

Nathaniel sighed to himself, "Yeah, but I'm only good at drawing stories, not writing them, and I don't know anyone who's into that." She said turning back to his drawings.

"There's gotta be somebody out there just waiting to meet you. Red please!" Alix said reassuringly as she caught a can of red spray paint.

"Um, I... I saw your drawings on the school website, but they're nothing compared to the real thing. The movement, the expressions, the attitudes. They're all so-" Marc murmured.

"Thanks... That's nice." Nathaniel said with a smile as Marc suddenly drew back, hiding behind Marin again nervously.

"Oh please, all he ever draws anymore is Ladybug, ever since he de-akumatized him." Chloé scoffed as she entered the room along with Sabrina who lagged behind." As if Ladybug could care less about a guy like him." Chloé laughed making Nathaniel grow embarrassed as he shamefully put his drawings away. Alix glared at Marin, as if to say, I-told-you-she's-the-worst-why-do-you-never-listen-to-me-about-stuff-like-this; as he waved his arms defensively, signaling her not to try and provoke their classmate.

"I've already told you, Chloé, if you have an art project you want to work on, you're quite welcome here. Otherwise-" The art teacher informed, but Chloé interrupted him.

"Of course I've got a project. A unique masterpiece that will revolutionize the art world. Nothing you commoners would have come up with." She remarked, snapping her fingers as Sabrina was about to take something out of a folder.

"Let me guess," Alix asked, "Another collage of selfies?" She said mockingly as everyone in the room laughed.

Chloé crossed her arms defensively "What?! No, that's ridiculous! Utterly... Ridiculous! You don't deserve my art anyway." She snapped, pushing Sabrina out of the room as she slammed the door behind her.

"Alix if Chloé really did have an art project, it's too bad we didn't give her a chance to tell us about it, is it?" The Art teacher asked as Alix shrugged her shoulder, returning to her tagging.

"What are you working on Marin?" Marc asked curiously as Marin then averted his gaze.

"I'm uh-"

"It's no use asking." Rose giggled, "He's been hiding his actual project for weeks, all he's been doing is doodling." She said with a smile as Marin sighed.

"Thank you Rose." Marin said dryly as he watched his friend laugh.

"You know, Marc seems like Nathaniel is looking for a scriptwriter, don't you do some writing?" Marin asked supportively as she saw Nathaniel smile at Marc as well.

"Uh? Me? A scriptwriter? Oh, no. I don't write that kind of stuff, I mean I don't write anything interesting honestly. Sorry. Gotta go. Thanks for everything!" Marc suddenly said as he hugged his notebook.

"Marc wait! You shouldn't run in-" Marin yelled out, flinching as he heard a banging sound, spotting Marc stumble for a moment before he took off running again. "That boy." He sighed in exasperation but noticed something fallen to the ground. It was open to a bookmarked page as Marin drew closer, picking it up his eyes widened in surprise as his cheeks heated up. "Diary Of... Ladybug!?" He read aloud but quickly closed the book to run after his friend, not wanting to invade his privacy. His face burning at the thought of anyone finding out what was really in his own sketchbook.

He followed where he thought Marc had run, hearing a series of bangs within the locker room. Opening the door he saw Marc search through all of his things in a panic, clearly looking for something.

"Lose something?" Marin asked as he held up the notebook towards his friend.

"Oh." Marc gasped, about to take back his book before he recoiled, holding his hands close to his chest. "Did you read it?" He asked.

Marin immediately shook his head, but then rubbed back of his neck as an apologetic grin drew on his face. "Well...kinda, just one thing though." He said holding out the book. "The Diary of Ladybug?"

Marc face immediately turned red, walking back until his back hit the wall. He fell to the ground as he covered up his face with his hands, "Ugh, how lame!"

"Hey, hey!" Marin immediately said, kneeling before his friend. "There's no way anything you write would be lame!"

"But it is!" Marc insisted pushing his hood back over his head. "It's a story about a real-life person, that's weird, totally weird!" He whined as he curled up into a ball, resting his head on his knees.

Marin hesitated for a moment as he saw the state of his friend. "You should let Nath read it." He said sincerely as Marc looked up towards him in shock.

"Are you crazy?! That's the last thing I want to do!" He said, but Marin placed his hand over his.

"Marc," Marin said sincerely, "the reason I wanted you to come by the art club is because it's a place where you can come out of your shell, and become more confident with your passions. It worked for both Jukela, and Nathaniel," Marin explained, "You should take a chance, if there's anyone who would appreciate a story about Ladybug, it would be Nath." He said reassuringly, but Marc wasn't convinced.

"But what if he doesn't like it? I'll be so embarrassed. I'll have to change schools so I'll never run into him again!"

"Trust me on this." He said reassuringly as he took his sketchbook out of his messenger bag, ripping out a blank piece and handing it to Marc. "Just be honest, I know Nath will love your stories. Just put that note in the book, and I'll sneak it in his bag, and he'll meet up with you after school."

Marc looked at him relieved as he sat down to write the note, placing it in the book and handing it to Marin after he was done. "Do...do you promise that he'll like it?"

"Well..."Marin hesitated for a moment but faltered as he saw Marc's expression drop. "Of course he'll like it, there's no way he could overlook your feelings." He said as Marc's face suddenly grew red, backing away for a moment as he almost tripped over the bench.

"M-My feelings?!"

"Hm? Well yeah, you're just as passionate about your art as Nathaniel is. I'm sure he'll love it." Marin clarified, not sure why Marc looked so off-balance but shrugged it off. "I'll make sure he gets this, don't worry about a thing he said." Marin said, patting Marc's shoulder before leaving the locker room.

* * *

Marin spotted Nathaniel, glancing at him for a few moments, looking for an opening to slip the book in when he heard a voice behind him.

"It's rude to spy on people."

Marin yelped in a panic but wasn't calming down anytime soon as he saw Adrien with a cheeky smile and his hands in his pockets. "No! It's not what you think at all! It's just that... it's gonna be... eh..." He stumbled over his words as Adrien smirked at him in amusement. "It's a surprise, you can't tell anyone though!" He spat out, averted his gaze as his face burned.

" Cool!" He said with a wink. "Very typical of you, Marin. Well, if you need any help with that, let me know." He said, knowing something was up, but didn't want to press his friend on it.

"Sure won't!" Marin whined from embarrassment as he rested his hands on his face. He took a deep breath, deciding to just cut out the middle man and talk to Nathaniel himself.

* * *

At the end of the day, he waited for his friend outside of the school, glancing in his direction as he saw him walked out, holding the book in his hands with a smile on his face.

"Hey Nath?" Marin greeted as Nathaniel walked up to him, "So what did you think?"

"It's seriously amazing! But how did you get a hold of it?" He asked but Marin put his hand up defensively.

"I can't tell you anything. I just wanted to wish you good luck." He remarked as his eyes were lit up with excitement for his two friends.

"Is it... who I think it is?" Nathaniel asked with a suspicious expression on his face, confusing Marin for a moment, but he didn't dwell on it.

"I'm only allowed to say that they've been wanting to work with you for a while." He informed with a smile as Nathaniel looked at him in confusion for a moment. As Nathaniel tried to hand back the book Marin shook his head. " You keep it. You can give it back to the author later today. In-person." He said about to walk back into the school.

" It's my dream come true." Nathaniel murmured to himself. "This isn't some kind of prank, is it, Marin?"

"What? Of course not." Marin said in surprise. "Meet them at the Place des Vosges Square Fountain. Trust me, you will not be disappointed. Ah, I have to get back to the art room now, but try to be positive about this whole thing." He said as he walked back into school with a smile on his face.

* * *

Marin walked back into the art room with a grin on his face.

"Hi Mar." Lika greeted as he along with Rose and Juleka were sitting together along with a few other students who were working on their own projects.

"Hey Luka." Marin greeted in surprise, taking out his sketchbook. "I didn't think you were coming by."

"Rose said that she wanted me and Jules to play together so she could get some inspiration for the song." He said, not noticing Rose's sly grin as Julek glanced at her best friend in concern.

Marin smiled at the two, admiring their closeness as he sat nearby, starting to sketch them as he took out his sketchbook. Time seemed to slip by as he smiled to himself, finally proud of one of his works as Luka stood over him.

"Is it any good today?" He asked as Marin immediately covered his face with his book, his face burned, wondering for a moment if he should show his drawings. But all of a sudden, he felt a negative energy as he saw something fly through the door, angrily glaring at everyone in the room.

"Where are Nathaniel and Marin?!" The new villain demanded as Marin felt Luka grab his arm.

Art Teacher stepped froward, looking nervous, but protectively stepping in front of his students. "That's a very creative costume you have there, would you like to join our workshop?"

"All I want is to know where Nathaniel and Marin are. Right now!

"Marc?!" Marin asked as he recognized his friend.

"I'm not Marc anymore. I am Reverser!" He said as he created a paper plane in hand.

Marin only had time to push Luka out of the way as everyone else was hit with planes. Everyone else began destroying the art room, riping up art as well as destroying instruments. Ducking behind as few crates, Marin peaked over his eyes widened in surprise. "And you, Marin, the one who caused all this! You think you're the super helpful boy who's loved by everyone? Well, from now on, everyone will hate you!" Reverser said, throwing a few planes, but Luka pulled him out of the way as the planes just narrowly missed him, holding him close as he glared at the villain.

Reverser scoffed at the sight. "You care about your friend what much? Let's how much you'll despise him when that love turns to hate!" He said as he threw a plane at Luka, who pushed Marin out of the way just as the plane hit him.

"Luka-" Marin gasped, reaching out towards his friend but instead was pinned to the ground by his shoulders as Luka looked down at him with pure hatred in his eyes. Not saying a thing, he took out a black marker from his back pocket. Holding his friend down as he scribbled something down on his forehead before smirking at his work.

Quickly, Marin realized how dire the situation became as Luack pulled Marin to his feet aggressively, holding him in place as Reverser flew closer to him. As Marin struggled against his friend's grasp, Reverser forced him to look at his face holding his face in his hand.

"Marin, everyone thinks you're sincere, but I know how you really are!" Reverser remarked, "You lied to Nathaniel, just like you lied to me. How about you stop playing nice and start telling the truth!" Reverser said throwing a plane at Marin who couldn't avoid it.

As the plane hit him Marin hung his head for a few moments, feeling a burning sensation in his chest that was too close to bursting. He tried to control his emotions, just as he was taught but something inside him snapped when he heard Reverser speak up again.

"Tell me how you really feel about us, how you manipulated us for your own amusement, just like Chloé would!" He demanded, slowly growing angry as he saw no response. "Did you hear what I-" Reverse said about to ask again, but was stunned as Marin escaped Luka's grasp by hitting his face with the back of his head at full force, stunning the taller boy before he then punched his face to the ground.

Reverser couldn't help but flinch as his formerly soft-spoken classmate turned towards him with a rare anger in his eyes.

"You want to know what I really feel about you?" He asked, walking towards Reverser without fear, grabbing his hood as he pinned him to the wall. "I feel pissed off looking at your face! How the heck could you get Akumatized over this?!" He demanded before throwing his schoolmate to the ground. "Why don't you just grow up and realize that one rejection isn't the end of the world, you dummy!"

Reverser growled at him, summoning his glider as he jumped on it, holding up his hand to summon another piece of paper.

"You think you're so strong?! Why don't you go back to weakling you really are!" He said about to revert the process, but Marin threw a book at the villain's face. He quickly grabbed one of Alix's spray cans just as he closed the door behind him. As he sprinted down the hall, he threw the can down towards the first floor to divert attention as he ran into the boy's bathroom.

Catching his breath, he tried to focus, sensing Reverser's presence hover nearby for a few moments before flying beyond his range.

Marin took a deep breath as Tikki flew out of his jacket, looking at him in concern.

"Are you okay? You could've gotten really hurt doing something like that." Tikki said as a wave of calm washed over Marin. Until he saw his reflection in the mirror, pushing up his bangs to reveal the word, Fool, scribbled on his forehead.

"Yeah, I don't know what happened."

Marin hummed to himself for a moment, before he furrowed his brow in annoyance. "Stupid Luka." He remarked but didn't feel bad about it when he said it, only making him grow suspicious as he realized. "Right, his name is Reverser now." He remarked, then growing more annoyed. "Nice of Hawkmoth to reveal his minion's power right off the bat." Noticing that Tikki was looked at him curiously.

"What is it?" He asked, feeling calm as his Kwami shook her head. "It's nothing.

Marin let it go, knowing his Kwami would probably bring it up later if it really bothered her. "Let's clean this mess up as fast as we can. Tikki, spots on!"

* * *

Adrien was looking out the window, waiting within heavy traffic from his car as he saw a new villain fly by making people act strange as he threw paper planes at them.

"Uh, I forgot my fencing gloves, since traffic's so bad, I'll go get them and catch up with you on foot!" He said, not waiting for an answer as he ran out, quickly hiding within an alley as Plagg flew out.

"Plagg, claws out!" He said, transforming quickly as he chased after the villain towards the bridge. He quickly closed the distance between the two of them using his pole, kicking him off of his glider. "Awesome costume! Too bad I'll have to tear it up!" He said flexing his claws as the new villain glared at him. As he walked up to the villain holding his staff in his hand he quickly evaded on of the villain's punches, sidestepping him with an amused expression.

"So you think you're brave, Chat Noir? Revert from puss to wuss!" He said with his backed turned towards him.

Chat Noir smirked, "Oh, yeah, I'm so scared-" He said, but felt something hit his chest as the villain kicked him towards the bridge. As he looked down towards the water, fear took hold as he looked down to the water.

"What's up kitty, got vertigo?" The villain chuckled as Chat Noir reflexively hid under the bench, cowering under a nearby bench.

"Ladybug, the hero of paris-" Reverser was about to say but was cut off by almost being hit by Ladybug's yo-yo. He decided to retreat with a smirk on his face as he flew off.

Ladybug narrowed his eyes in annoyance towards the villain before turning his attention towards his partner. He sighed, lowering his head towards his partner whose eyes widened at the sight of him.

"What happened to never underestimating your enemies?!" Ladybug snapped, as Chat Noir curled up into a ball, trembling.

Ladybug slapped his forehead, groaning to himself as he realized that this would be harder than originally anticipated.

* * *

"Here Chat Noir," Ladybug tried to say gently reaching his hand out towards him as he noticed Chat Noir's ears flatten. "Please kitty cat?" Ladybug asked more gently as Chat Noir glanced at him with a fearful expression. "We have to get you fixed up."

"No! I don't wanna!" Chat Noir whined like a child. " "You wanna face him again? I really don't wanna fight that bad guy. He looks so mean..." He said as he trembled fearfully again.

Ladybug took a deep breath. "Alright, you don't have to go." He said. "Just stay under there until I can handle this problem." He said, but suddenly tripped as Chat Noir grabbed his food.

"You're going to leave me here with strangers?!" He said worried as Ladybug sighed. However, even though his partner was being difficult, he was strangely calm... but it felt different than when he was with Tikki. As he looked at Chat Noir, he didn't feel annoyed, he felt...

Ladybug clawed his heart as something inside began to tighten, making his heart hurt. "You need to make a choice Chat Noir. We don't have a lot of time, Reverser is looking for a boy named Nathaniel so we've got to find him before he does."

"Why are you trying to drag me along? Just call on one of your new partner to help you out." He snapped back as Ladybug glared at him. He stood up, banging his head against a nearby pole to try and do away with this severe annoyance. He bit down on his thumb trying to focus his thoughts as the curse placed upon him made his thoughts fuzzy; they needed to find Nathaniel, they needed to beat Reverser, the Akuma was in his glider, but he needed Chat Noir if he wanted the best chance of destroying it.

"Chat Noir you're my partner, but when you're like this I don't want to force you to do anything you don't want to."

"That's rich coming from you." Chat noir said bitterly.

"Huh?"

"You've already decided what's best for me." Chat Noir remarked with his back turned towards him, curled up in a ball.

"Chat Noir..." Ladybug murmured, his mind no longer blocked by uncertainty, gripping his arm as he averted his gaze. "I just want to keep you safe."

"If you sincerely mean what you're saying then stop looking at me like I need to be protected, you're my partner, not my babysitter!" Chat Noir said, glaring at him now. " Every time you think you're doing what's best for me, you look like you're doing something wrong. And you just expect me to accept that?!"

"I don't mean like that!" Ladybug suddenly snapped. "I just-"

"Then how do you mean it?!"

"I don't want to lose you, dummy!" He said bluntly, without fear, but even so gripped his fists. He recalled what happened between Master Fu and Marianne, two kind people that didn't deserve to have their life together taken away. Marianne went into hiding when she became a threat to Master Fu's safety, who's to say the same thing wouldn't happen to Chat Noir, or himself if something went terribly wrong? It was because of him that they couldn't have gotten together if he didn't make that mistake with the letter if he wasn't so unlucky...

Whose to say he wouldn't make the same mistake again?

"Why would you think that?! You don't get to decide what happens to me." Chat Nori snapped back. "Have you even considered how I feel?"

Ladybug then glared daggers at his partner, suddenly growing angry as Chat Noir took a step back, startled by his partner's ferocity. "Have you ever thought about I felt during this entire thing?!" He said, feeling the knot in his chest tighten. However, his eyes widened as he saw Chat Noir's shocked expression.

Ladybug snapped as he grabbed Chat Noir's arm, guiding him off the bridge.

"Wh-What are you doing?!" Chat Noir asked fearfully as Ladybug flagged down a cab, throwing his partner in as he snapped at the driver to drive to the Louvre.

* * *

Ladybug grumbled as he had to forcefully carry Chat Noir in. As he lost his patience he ended up dragging Chat Noir by tail belt, spotting his target along with Alix who was skating nearby.

"Nathaniel! We need you, it's an emergency." He said, garnering the two's attention.

"Ladybug?" Nathaniel questioned as they walked over to the heroes in their sorry state.

"Your friend Marc was akumatized, and we need you to be bait." He said bluntly as everyone looked at him in surprise.

However, Nathaniel turned his head, gripping the book in his hand. "I don't care, Marc and Marin both made fun of me, they just set me up to be laughed at." He said.

"Are you serious?" Ladybug said, slapping his forehead. "That's what this was about?!" He suddenly yelled out in annoyance as everyone was stunned.

"T-They made me think I was going to meet-"

"Who cares?! Your friend is akumatized and you're not going to help him just because you got embarrassed?!"

"Well, when you put it like that." Alix remarked as Nathaniel glared at her.

"Ugh, kids!" Ladybug groaned as he then clapped his hands together, wanting to be done with this entire situation. "You know what this is good." He said pushing Chat Noir towards his classmates. "Chat, you stay with them in this safe museum, while I go handle this on my own."

"Hold on, what about the bait?" Alix called out rolling up next to Ladybug.

"Don't worry about it." He said simply but stopped walking as Alix stood in front of him.

"You said you needed Nathaniel for bait, but what about Marin? He was a part of this as well."

Ladybug sighed heavily, not wanting to think about his other self, "Reverser already got to him, no one knows where he is." He said bluntly, not lying, but giving enough context so that Alix looked up to him in worry. Ladybug glanced back at Chat Noir who was hiding under a bench and Nathaniel who looked at him in concern.

"It's best to keep this from them for now," He said more calmly. "Just until this whole thing is over."

"Wait, so you're just going about this alone? What about back up?" She asked as Ladybug placed a hand on her shoulder.

"You're my back up. Just keep these two safe for me?" He asked sincerely, as Alix nodded with a smirk.

"No worries, I know how to keep a secret."

* * *

Ladybug stood atop of the Eiffel tower as night began to fall, with his Lucky charm in hand, a small fishing hook that he attached to on his yo-yo. As he jumped off the tower, he closed his eyes as he focused only on the Akuma. His mind was clear for a few moments, then he snapped to attention as he hooked Reverser's glider from under his feet, tearing it as he pulled and then catching Marc, using the momentum from the fall as he skidded to the ground.

"No more mischief from you little Akuma. Time to purify!" Ladybug said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion. Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. "Bye-bye, little butterfly. Miraculous Ladybug!" Ladybug called out, throwing up the lucky charm as everything turned back to normal.

The tension was released from his chest as too a deep breath but still felt guilty as he recalled the previous argument with Chat Noir. Suddenly he was approached by the mayor who shook his hand.

"My, my. I guess that space dumpster thing was a bad idea after all." Mayor Bourgeois chuckled nervously.

Ladybug stared at him for a few seconds, confused as to what was happening. "...I'm sorry what?"

"Thank you, Ladybug and Chat Noir, you really keep this city clean." He said, then walking off as Ladybug was stunned. Nearby, he looked at the book that was ripped up. Putting two and two together he knelt before his friend.

"Marc? I think by now you realize there was a big misunderstanding," Ladybug said gently, kneeling down before the shorter boy, " but if you give each other a chance, I'm sure you'll find out how well you can work together." He said with a reassuring smile as Marc's face burning with embarrassment.

"Oh no, you saw my story?!" He asked, growing panicked. "I'm so sorry!" He apologized but Ladybug shook his head.

"No, but it's flattering," Ladybug said with a smile. "I'm honored to be part of your story, I hope I can read it someday." He said pulling Marc to his feet as he saw the shorter boy blush furiously.

Suddenly, he heard approaching footsteps, turning to see Chat Noir standing nearby. The two averted their attention for a moment as Ladybug guided Marc towards a cab so he could head home.

"I was on my way here." Chat Noir said. "Looks like you were too fast for this cat thought." Chat Noir said, trying to lighten the mood, recalling their argument. But his heart fell, as Ladybug spoke up again, this time with a bittersweet expression on his face looking him in the eye just as his Miraculous beeped.

"If you end up hating me over this, I'd fine with that." He said, fleeing the scene as Chat Noir gripped his hand. He was mad at his partner, frustrated at hidden secrets, but now most of all; annoyed at himself that he never thought about how Ladybug may have been feeling through this. How he was hiding his emotions, allowing Chat Noir to think unkindly of him if his partner's feelings were spared.

And the worst part was, Ladybug was kind of right. Chat Noir had never given any real indication that he wasn't thinking of his partner negatively if his words from the past few weeks had been any indication. Chat Noir cursed under his breath as he returned back to his home, trying not to think about what would happen once his father saw that he was late.

* * *

Marin sighed heavily as he rested his back on his bed, just wanting the day to be over just wearing his hoodie to bed as he was too tired to put on anything else. However, he lifted himself up as Tikki hovered nearby.

"How come you didn't snap at me?" His Kwami questioned curiously as Marin petted her cheek affectionately.

"Probably because I've never been dishonest with you Tikki," Marin said after thinking for a moment. "we're partners, after all, I love you very much." He said easily as Tikki hugged him, extremely happy to hear those words come from her closest friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- Marc's notebook didn't have the "by Marc" at the end of the title, that's why Nathaniel still got confused but the whole ordeal.
> 
> \- Both Marin and Ladybug try and mask their more negative emotions so that gets reversed into being short-tempered and brutally honest; Rather than just patient and reserved.
> 
> \- Reversed Ladybug is tsundere.
> 
> \- Marin's love-dar is broken.
> 
> \- The reconciliation will come soon now that Chat Noir has gotten a little more perspective


	50. Mister Sandboy, Send Me a Dream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Night falls as mistakes were made, the first one by Marin, and the second one by Plagg. Which unintentionally started to spiral into chaos when a new villain brings their nightmares to life and places Ladybug and Chat Noir against their worst fears. 
> 
> Also they're just friends, calm down.  
—-   
I am taking drawing requests for any scenes y’all would like to see illustrated from this fic.   
Please comment below if there’s something y’all would like to see.

Marin squealed into his pillow, immediately shutting off the movie and turning off his computer in the darkness of his room; the only light coming from outside the dimly lit windows. His eyes were welled up with tears as his heart raced with terror. He cursed Ivan under his breath as he pulled his cat hood over his face, already wearing his pajamas as it was late into the night.

"It's a cult classic he said, It's not that scary he said, the directors cut is the only way to truly enjoy it!" Marin mocked before he sighed heavily. "I'm gonna kill that guy." He remarked as he pulled his blanket around his shoulders as a form of comfort, but adrenaline rushed through his body as he heard breathing behind him.

"Marin-"

"AHHH!" Marin screamed, falling out of his chair, looking up towards his Kwami hovering nearby. He groaned aloud, covering his face as he screamed into his pillow once more as he was curled up on the ground. "What is it Tikki?" He whined as his Kwami hovered closer towards him. He grew more concerned as he saw an uncertain expression on his Kwami's face.

"Tikki?" He questioned as Tikki rested on the palm of his hand.

"Hawkmoth's Kwami's transmission is…" He mumbled as Marin's eyes widened in surprise.

"Nooroo?" Marin clarified as Tikki nodded.

"Yes. He's celebrating his thirty-five hundredth cycle today… all by himself." She said as Marin's expression softened.

"We'll free him from Hawkmoth someday, I promise sugarcube."

Tikki nodded, but she seemed distracted from her partner's words. "There may just be a faster solution." She said hesitantly as she hovered towards Marin's face."Kwamis are able to communicate with their kind on their cycle, or birthday. But we won't get another opportunity for a long time. See? A Kwami's cycle lasts several hundreds of human years and must gather in the Miracle Box at a specific time so they can perform the ritual." She explained but noticed Marin's distracted expression.

Marin's eyes widened for a moment, "It's your birthday and you never told me?!" He asked, distracted for a moment, but then focused on what his partner had explained. "Wait, so the rest of the Kwami will be able to talk to Nooroo tonight?" He inquired in excitement for a moment as perhaps this could be a key step in uncovering who Hawkmoth truly was.

"Yes, but...it's only tonight only." She said, fidgeting.

"Tonight?! Why didn't you tell me about this sooner, Tikki?!"

"Because Master Fu doesn't want us kwamis to leave our owner's sides. He says we have to be able to take action immediately if someone becomes akumatized."

Marin hummed to himself, understanding the master's reasoning. If he had known about this ahead of time..."Hmm… he's right. But if all the other kwamis are able to meet up, then it's still gonna happen, right?"

Tikki averted her gaze from her partner. "I'm afraid it might not work if I don't go. The more kwamis that are present, the better chance we have of succeeding!"

Marin grew conflicted but noticed the hopeful expression in Tikki's eyes as she continued to speak.

"Wayzz, Plagg and I have an idea; well, it was mainly Plagg's idea. He and I would go and gather with other kwamis inside the Miracle Box. Wayzz would stand guard and he'd let us know right away if anyone becomes akumatized...What do you think?

Marin sighed, crossing his arms as he thought for a moment. "We can't disobey the master's direct order's Tikki." He said as his Kwami's expression fell. "But...if it means we're able to save Nooroo and defeat Hawk Moth, maybe the master won't be too angry." He said as Tikki's eyes lit up with hope.

"So you're okay with it? You'll let me go?!" She asked.

"On one condition," Marin said sternly as Tikki recoiled for a moment. She watched as Marin stood up, putting on his house shoes and then grabbing his messenger bag that was sitting nearby. "I'm going with you." He said as Tikki looked at him in surprise.

"I'm coming with you." He said.

"But-"

"No buts sugarcube, if the master is worried about what will happen if you're not by my side then I'll have to be nearby in case something happens..."He explained but then averted his gaze as he smiled nervously. "Also I won't be able to get to sleep for a while after watching that movie..."

"But you didn't even finish it." Tikki said as Marin held up his hands defensively.

"That is...not, your problem." Marin stammered the fear slowly closing in on him again as he recalled those teens driving into that cabin in the woods-

Immediately, he slapped his cheeks to remove those thoughts. "Well, do you want to go or not?" He asked as he refilled Tikki's cookie bag with some shortbread cookies from the cookie jar he kept on Tikki's side of his desk. He felt his Kwami hug his cheek for a moment before she picked up one of her markers, a yellow one that he had given her a few weeks ago.

"Oh, thank you, Marin! You don't have to worry, I know we'll be able to track Nooroo down." She said with a smile as Marin smiled at his adorable Kwami fondly.

"Tikki, spots on!"

* * *

Plagg eyed Adrien still studying late into the night as he fake yawned as loud as he could. "I am exhausted. I'm off to bed." He said, pulling out a plushie of himself that was sewn with great skill, getting almost every detail down except for the eyes; which were green buttons.

"Good night Plagg." Adrien said, focused on his studies as Plagg placed the plushie under the covers to make it look like he was sleeping. And carefully, he abandoned his partner and flew into the night, phasing through the night.

* * *

As Plagg closed in on Master Fu's home he noticed a familiar Ladybug closing in on the location as well, dropping into the Alley nearby.

"Tikki, spots off." He said as his Kwami hovered nearby with a smile on her face.

"Hey, sugarcube!" Plagg called out in greeting, surprised to see Marin present. "What's the Ladybug doing here?"

"Ugh. I've already told not to call me that!" Tikki remarked in annoyance. "Do you ever hear me calling you "Stinky Sock"?"

"No, but you should! That would be delightful, sugarcube!" Plagg playfully teased as Tikki groaned, turning her head away. "Looks like you weren't allowed to leave home without your partner." He said glancing towards Marin as Tikki scoffed at him.

"Actually, I just told him the honest truth. Marin is here because he's just as worried about Nooroo as the rest of us." Tikki informed as Plagg's expression fell slightly, his eyes beginning to water. It had been too long since they had talked to their brother, all of them missed him terribly But hopefully, that would change tonight.

Marin's expression softened as he saw the Plagg's ears flatten sadly, reminding him of when Chat Noir was upset. So he reached out his arm, scratching Plagg just behind his ears as the Kwami began to purr affectionately, "Don't worry, I'm sure you two will be able to track Nooroo down." He said hopefully as both Kwami smiled at him. Marin then took out the marker that Tikki wanted to gift, then noticed that Plagg wasn't carrying anything.

"Plagg! Didn't you bring anything for our brothers and sisters!?" Tikki scolded as Plagg shrugged his shoulders.

"I had some cheese, but I fed it to a starving kitten on the way here."

"Plagg!" Tikki growled, now growing annoyed, but only calmed down as Marin nuzzled her cheek for a moment just before taking out Tikki's cookie bag. He took out a few, placing them in the pocket of his jacket then handed the bag to Plagg who could easily carry it.

"Why don't you share some of Tikki's cookies since you so generously donated your cheese little kitty?" Marin suggested with a playful glint in his eye, even though Tikki looked away with disapproval.

Plagg hummed for a moment as he glanced as Tikki with a sly expression. "Well, you heard your partner, let's go give our siblings the gifts that were most generously donated, he remarked, flying into the shop first.

Tikki lingered for a moment as she glanced at Marin in worry.

"Don't worry, I'll just be sitting nearby. If anything goes wrong, just fly out and find me." He said reassuringly as Tikki nodded, following Plagg as Marin walked out onto the street, finding a nearby bench to sit on.

* * *

Within his room, Adrien began to get drowsy, wanting to finish off his homework. He was grateful that it was the end of the week, so maybe Nathalie would allow him to sleep in for once. But he snapped to attention as he saw what looked like glowing dust fall on him.

"Huh?" He questioned for a moment as then Iron bars appear in front of all doors and windows, locking him in his room with no escape. Quickly, he turned towards his bed, pulling back the sheets.

"Plagg! Wake up!" But when he picked up his Kwami, he gasped in shock as he looked at its button eyes, "Plagg! No! Who turned you into a toy?!" He gasped in shock as the rods began to close in on him.

Looking around in confusion, he tried removing his ring, putting it back on, thinking that re-summoning his Kwami may revert the effect of what was happening. But Plagg remained the same as Adrien looked around fearfully at the bars closing in on him slowly.

"Nathalie! Father! Can anybody hear me?!" He yelled out fearfully, but no one answered his call.

* * *

Tikki exchanged a worried glance with Plagg as they both flew over to the Kwami of perpetuation as the rest of their siblings sang. "We won't make it, Sass." Tikki said in concern as Sass nodded.

"We are not strong enough without our missing brothers." He remarked as all three glanced at the place where the peacock Kwami should have been.

Plagg thought for a moment. "What if we brought Wayzz in?" He suggested as Tikki gasped.

"But, he's keeping watch-" She was about to reason before Sass interrupted her.

"We won't have another opportunity to contact Nooroo until the next cycle. Go get him!" He said as Plagg few out of the Miracle box. Tikki watched him with uncertainty, worried about what could happen to her partner.

* * *

Marin sighed heavily as he doodled in his book, getting some light from a nearby street light. He smiled to himself proudly as he doodled both Tikki and Plagg, quite realistically, as he looked at his book proudly. All of a sudden, he heard a melodious humming in his mind, no doubt it was the Kwami's singing. He had heard a ringing in his ears earlier, but it was slowly getting stronger, even though he began covering his hears, implying that the singing was being echoed directly into his mind.

Marin then turned his head towards the main street as he began hearing screams as the few people in the night were being chased by rather frightening predators or people,

"What? What's going on?" He questioned as he then heard singing from above, a new akumatized villain flying overhead on a pillow.

"The Sandboy just checked in. Now nightmares can begin." He sang quite hypnotically, as though he were singing a lullaby.

Marin narrowed his eyes at the new villain. "He must be bringing nightmares to life." He reasoned as he glanced at the Master's shop. He hesitated for a moment as he glanced back up at the villain causing everyone's nightmares to manifest.

The longer he lingered nearing the singing, the more it was starting to give him a painful headache. He wasn't sure as to why, but he didn't have time to focus on that as he noticed a fog beginning to form around him. He flinched as he thought he heard something behind him, beginning to tremble as he turned around all the blood draining from his face as he asked.

"Who's there?" He askes hesitantly, taking a few steps back, keeping his eyes on the trees as he kept his eyes on the trees. But didn't notice a branch keeping up behind him, roughly wrapping around his leg as it dragged him into the alley screaming in terror. Only leaving his messenger bag behind laying in the middle of the street.

* * *

Tikki continued to sing as Plagg and Wayzz flew in. Their presence strengthened their song, as the magic glyph they were hovering over began to activate, turning blue as a large ball of energy began to form in the center, shooting up out of the realm of the Miracle box. But what echoed through the hall was the furthest thing from their brother's voice.

"That's not Nooroo!" Tikki gasped.

"It's Hawkmoth!" Plagg remarked as both of them recognized this dark presence.

"Keep singing!" Stompp prompted as the rest of Kwami looked on fearfully. "We must try to find out where he's hiding!" He said, as they continued to sing, trying to zero in on the villain's location. But it was no use as the energy of pure light began to become corrupted with negative energy.

"It's me who's going to find you, little kwamis! And I will make you my slaves, just like Nooroo!" Hawkmoth's voice echoed out as his presence within the Miracle box began to distort the Kwami's attempted connection.

"His will is so powerful!" Fluff cried out as the rest of the Kwami's began to feel the pain of being within the presence of evil.

Barkk then spoke up, struggling again the pain. "We must cut off all communication! Hawk Moth is trying to track us down!"

All of the Kwamis then cut off the connection, crossing their arms as the energy was cut off. All of them exchanges glances of concern, unable to have contacted their brother, but Wayzz's eyes immediately widened with realization as fear took hold.

"Hey, wait. The reason we can't speak to Nooroo is because he's powering Hawkmoth right now. Which means Hawkmoth's probably akumatized someone!" He reasoned as all the other Kwamia's gasped.

"And since Plagg and Tikki are here with us…" Ziggy began saying.

"Ladybug and Cat Noir aren't able to transform!" Kaalki said with realization as all grew worried.

"Go and find your owners right away!" Sass directed as Tikki, Plagg, and Wayzz flew out of the box. Now watching as their Master cowered in fear of what looked to be ghosts.

"Fu! We are the ghosts of The Order of The Guardians of The Miraculous. You caused our downfall and lost two Miraculous!" They said as Master Fu hid behind a chair.

"It was not my fault, I did not do it on purpose!" He reasoned but trembled in fear of his ghosts of the past, who began taunting him.

"Yes, it was your fault! Your fault! Your fault! Your fault!"

"You two go find your owners, I'll handle this." Wayzz said as he flew towards Master Fu.

Plagg and Tikki exchanged a concerned expression. "Ohhh, I just hope he's not living a nightmare without me around!" Plagg said in concern as he flew out first.

Tikki flew out towards the street, looking around to where Marin said he would be, but then saw her partner's messenger bag fallen to the ground, with its owner nowhere in sight.

* * *

Plagg flew into Adrien's room as he saw his partner with his back again iron bars, looking at it in terror. "Adrien! Are you okay?" Plagg asked as Adrien sighed in relief at the sight of his Kwami. "Good to see you've managed to survive your nightmare."

"Plagg, you're not a plushie anymore!" Adrien remarked in relief but noticed Plagg looking away nervously, putting two and two together as he glanced at the fallen plushie still on the ground. "We're going to talk about this later." He scolded, but then flinched back as another bar separated him from his Kwami, leaving no space for Adrien to move around

"Quick! Plagg, claws out!"

As he transformed, he held his hand over his head. "Cataclysm!" He cried out, activating his power as all of the iron bars that once caged him were turned to dust. He nodded, just about to jump out the window, but stopped for a moment. He looked down at his ring that started to beep, then back at the camembert that Plagg stored.

He thought for a moment, deciding that he would need all his power for this night.

* * *

Chat Noir lands on a roof and watching the chaos below as the people were running in terror, "What is this mess?" He asked, then spotted the akumatized villain flying above him on a pillow, singing what sounded like a lullaby. Just as Chat Noir was about to chase after him, he heard someone land behind him, turning he saw his partner looking down at him from the chimney he stood on.

Chat Noir hesitated for a moment as he glanced up towards his partner, his heart sinking as he noticed the yo-yo in his hand. His cold expression not on the villain, but on him as Chat Noir took a step back.

"My Lady?" He questioned just as his partner attacked him, showing no love in his eyes as he tacked Chat Noir off the roof.

* * *

"Marin? Marinus!" Tikki called out in worry, looking around for her partner amidst the chaos while trying not to be seen. Her eyes widened in shock as she then spotted him being dragged into the mouth of a monstrous-looking tree within an alleyway as the braches dug into his legs. "Marin!" Tikki called out as Marin glanced up towards his Kwami. He couldn't relax as had been putting up a fight against the braches as his pajamas were ripped up, and his face and hands were covered in bloody scratches.

"Tikki! Spots on!" He cried out just as he was lifted off the ground, upside down, about to be dropped into the tree's fiery mouth. As he transformed, he used his yo-yo the break the branches, using the face of the demon tree as a platform as he jumped onto the roof.

"I...hate...horror movies." He stated, trying to calm down as he rested his hand against a chimney for a moment.

* * *

"Please, talk to me!" Chat Noir asked desperately as he could only narrowly evade his partner's attacks. Even though he was most definitely stronger, his partner was faster, any attacks he had tried to plant were easily evaded. As Chat Noir tried to take out his staff it was snatched out of his hands by Ladybug's yo-yo and tossed behind him.

"Lucky Charm!" Ladybug cried out, throwing his yo-yo into the air as from it, a large sword fell into his hands. As Ladybug walked closer to Chat Noir, it sharpened against the ground as he allowed it to trail in his hands.

"What a joke." Ladybug remarked with a dark tone as Chat Noir grew more distressed hearing his partner speak. "You can't even protect yourself, let alone your partner half the time. Not only that, you have the audacity to question me?" Ladybug scoffed, raising the sword over his head. "Look in the mirror before you decide to judge others!" He said about to slash down as Chat Noir closed his eyes in defeat, feeling the sting of his partner's words. But was suddenly pushed out of the way.

He looked up in surprise as he saw Ladybug's face again, this time hovering over him as he glanced at his doppelganger standing nearby. Just as he was about to say something, Ladybug winced in pain, stunned for a moment as the other Ladybug was about to attack again.

Chat Noir grabbed his partner, sprinting away from the scene as he jumped across the rooftops, taking cover within an alleyway. As he released his real partner, he noticed a cut on his back, luckily it wasn't deep, but it was enough that Ladybug had to hold the wall for support as he tried to regain his footing. There was a brief silence between them as there was an uncomfortable tension between them.

"So... I'm your worst nightmare?" Ladybug asked as Chat Noir froze for a moment. He almost wanted to laugh at the accusation, but couldn't exactly refuse it as the proof literally stabbed his partner in the back. Instead, glanced at his partner's wound then asking.

"Is it just me, or are you a little more delicate than me?" He said as Ladybug glanced towards him.

"My uniform doesn't provide me with the same about of protection as yours does." Ladybug remarked. "Different Miraculous provide different strengths and weaknesses." He said as Chat Noir rested his back against the wall, crossing his arms.

"You should know I guess..." He said as Ladybug sighed. "So what do you know about my Miraculous?"

"Did Plagg not explain this to you when you first met?" He asked as Chat Noir looked away sheepishly. "Your Miraculous of Destruction is one of the strongest physically." He said.

"That seems a little unfair."

"It's how the balance works. After all, my power is called a Lucky Charm for a reason. It's a conditional but it can be pretty beneficial." Ladybug chuckled but winced as he pressed his back against the wall, forgetting about his injury for a moment. "Well, most of the time."

"I have to say...tonight's been a total nightmare, at least until you showed up." Chat Noir admitted, his ears twitched. He stood up as he heard a familiar song. "Hey, do you hear-" He asked as a familiar golden dust fell on them. Narrowed his eyes for a moment before he remembered what happened the first time he was hit by the dust. Both of them looked up to see Sandboy smiling down at them.

" The Sandboy just checked in! Now nightmares can begin!" He remarked.

Ladybug took out his yo-yo, throwing it out towards the villain, but the cord didn't extend as it should have, instead it re-coiled, hitting Ladybug's forehead. "Ow!" He grimaced for a moment before panic began to set in. Immediately he tried to open its storage but saw that it had essentially become a normal yo-yo. "...Oh no." Ladybug remarked in worry just as Chat Noir pushed him out of the way, holding his partner in his arms as Sandboy shot weaponized sand at them.

"What happened?" Chat Noir asked as he tried to put some distance between them and the villain.

Ladybug wrapped his arms around Chat Noir's neck, trying to gain some stability. "My nightmare..." He said as they landed on the street, Chat Noir noticed his fallen batton. Landing nearby as he placed Ladybug back onto his feet.

"What's your..." Chat Noir about to ask as he walked up to his partner, but was stunned as he saw himself, a mirror of himself kneeling on the ground. His reflection was slowly fading away as hat Noir looked towards his partner for some explanation but only saw him looking down towards the reflection in shame. For a moment, Ladybug reached out towards him, as if to see if his hand would phase through, but he recoiled.

"Being powerless." Ladybug remarked as he clutched his fist in frustration.

"Ladybug, you're-" Chat Noir was about to say as suddenly they were surrounded by both enemies, both Sandboy as well as the Nightmare Ladybug. They stood back to back, for for a moment, glanced towards each other, nodding as a smirk dawned on Chat Noir's face. The two already knew what to do as they both shared a feeling of relief, working alongside each other, no nightmare could ever break them apart.

As both enemies charged at them, Chat Noir passed off the baton to Ladybug who extended it. At the last moment, both Chat Noir and Ladybug sidestepped their target. Ladybug used Chat Noir's staff to sweep the legs of the Nightmare Ladybug, who tripped into Sandboy. Chat Noir then used his claws to rip the pillow, transforming Sandboy back to his civilian form. Both heroes watched the Akuma fly as Chat Noir glanced at Ladybug in worry.

"What are we going to do about that?" He questioned as Ladybug picked up the hit of the large sword, using the momentum of the weighted weapon to toss it into the air.

"Miraculous Ladybug!" He said, turning everything back to normal, making all the nightmares disappear before their eyes. Ladybug then took out his yo-yo, opening it up as his powers had returned. "No more mischief from you little Akuma. Time to purify!" Ladybug said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion. Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. "Bye-bye, little butterfly."

The black-spotted hero sighed in relief as it was all over, turning towards a confused looking Chat Noir. "Hawkmoth's power can replicate our own powers to an extent, he explained as Chat Noir simply nodded. Hesitantly, Ladybug held his fist towards him with a nervous smile on his face.

Chat Noir's expression softened, just as he was about to return the gesture they both turned towards a small child.

"Where am I?" He asked looking around in confusion, looking scared that he wasn't in his own home.

Ladybug glanced back at Chat Noir who retained his warm expression, tilting his head towards the small child.

Ladybug's expression softened at his partner as he walked over the child, " What was that all about, little friend?" he asked gently.

The small child looked nervous for a moment started to tear up as he then hugged the hero. "I...I watched a movie on TV, even though my parents told me not to. It was kinda scary and when I went to bed and had a really bad nightmare. I woke up and there was a black butterfly in my room a-and a weird man spoke right in my face."

Ladybug nodded in understanding as he stood up, holding the boy in his arms as he would Manon when she got sleepy.

Chat Noir sighed, resting his hands on his hips. "That's what happens when you let kids watch anything they want on TV." He said as the child then gasped.

"Please don't tell my mommy and dad." He asked in worry.

"I won't tell if you promise to listen to them about these kinds of things." Ladybug said. "Even I get scared of scary movies."

"You Ladybug?" The child asked in awe as Ladybug simply nodded.

"Yup, can't stand 'em." He chuckled as a smile drew on the boy's lips. "I'll make sure he gets home safe." Ladybug said as Chat Noir nodded smiling warmly at his partner as the boy hugged him fondly.

"Yay!"

Chat Noir stretch his arms over his head, turning his back to his partner as he was about to leave, but felt a little lonely after everything that happened. "My Lady-" Chat Noir asked, turning around, but his heart fell as he saw that his partner was already gone. He sighed to himself in frustration, always wanting to know more about his partner. But...he was alright with being left in the dark like this. He was fine with what they had already.

As Chat Noir ran along the rooftops, he noticed something familiar lain on the ground. His eyes widened in surprise as he jumped down, as he drew closer, a cold realization washed over him as he recognized what was in his hand.

* * *

Marin walked up the stairs of his house, with his hood pushed over his head. He wasn't worried about waking his parents up at this hour as both of them would be out like rocks after prepping the dough for the next morning. Tikki was already in a deep slumber as she slept in his pocket, curled up cutely. As Marin reached his room, he placed his Kwami in the basket of colorful yarn she used for a bed. Just as he was about to crash on his bed, he heard a knocking from above.

For a few moments, he thought his mind was playing tricks on him, but then looked up curiously as he heard it again. Knowing that he wouldn't be able to sleep after hearing the knocking, as well as watching that horror movie' he pushed the window that led to the porch, feeling the night as he looked at his visitor in surprise.

"Chat Noir?" Marin questioned, his heart racing as he saw the hero backed away from the glass, holding something behind his back as he then waved to him.

"Hi." He said, then averted his gaze sheepishly for a moment.

"Is something wrong?" Marin asked, but was stunned as Chat Noir handed his messenger bag to him. For a moment he froze, wondering if his partner had seen what lay within the pages of his sketchbook.

"I found this fallen on the sidewalk, and with everything going on tonight I got worried." He admitted as Marin took his bag back.

Marin then chuckled nervously as he rubbed the back of his head, "Oh yeah, I was watching some scary movies my friend let me borrow. I got so freaked out I went for a walk and well..." He said shrugging his shoulders. "Good thing you and Ladybug saved everyone, or else I would've been ripped apart by a tree." He said trying to play it off like a joke. But Chat Noir looked bewildered at his playful tone at the rather gruesome notion.

"But- I'm grateful for your thoughtfulness," Marin said, bowing his head gratefully.

"Don't worry about it." Chat Noir said, "but you're becoming bad for my heart." the hero remarked clawing his heart. He seriously began to understand to the notion of his parents wanting to homeschool him, considering how much trouble his friend managed to get himself into. But then remembered, "I hope I didn't wake you up."

"Are you kidding? I probably won't be able to sleep at all tonight." Marin groaned.

"Yeah, same." Chat Noir nodded in understanding, recalling the fear of being locked away all too well, in no hurry to return to that place.

Marin noticed Chat Noir's ears flatten, as well as the lonesome expression on his face, looking rather sad. This night had probably been just as hard for him as it was for him. "You can stay with me tonight if you want," Marin said easily as Chat Noir immediately snapped to attention, his face turning red as his mouth was agape.

"Wha-"

"Yeah, it's easier to sleep if you're with someone else," Marin remarked, not picking up why Chat Noir was so flustered, it wasn't like they hadn't done this before. "It'll be like a sleepover."

"I...I-" Chat Noir stammered, growing more flustered felling heavily conflicted, while also being upset at his friend for being so nonchalant about the notion. But was already being guided down, not fighting back as somehow he had ended up in one of his closest friend's beds. He curled up under the sheets, feeling warm as Marin for some reason had 2 comforters on his bed for a third of the year along with a nest of pillows.

Chat Noir had tried a similar set up in his own room but for some reason, it was far cozier within his friend's room. His tension was only realized as he slowly turned his head, dumbfounded at the sight of his friend already sleeping soundly. He really shouldn't have been surprised, Marin was known for sneaking naps where he could all around the school. Something that he was scolded often for. But something about this whole matter made him feel off-balance as he pushed himself up, now hovering his friend's face with an annoyed look on the hero's face.

"Won't be able to fall asleep." Chat Noir mocked to himself in a mumble, staring down at his friend who was too defenseless with matters like this. After all, Marin slept like a rock.

Chat Noir took a deep breath, sitting up for a moment, wondering if he should leave. However, he slightly flinched slightly as he head Marin moan in his sleep after losing his source of warmth. His brow's furrowed as he subconsciously reached out towards something. Chat Noir immediately grew annoyed, sighing in defeat as he laid back down, pulling the sheets over him as he hugged his friend, resting his chin on Marin's head as he pulled his friend close to him.

"You're really bad for my heart." The hero remarked, but then soon slumbered off as well with a warm feeling in his chest and a small smile on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- Fun fact, if you watch a horror movie that gives you the creeps, don't immediately go to sleep afterward. Watch a comedy or something lighthearted until you're not scared anymore, it's like a pallet cleanser.
> 
> \- I like horror movies alot, so for fun, I used Evil Dead as a reference for the scary movie Marin watched. (It is not for kids or the faint-hearted at all)
> 
> -Chat Noir's fear is fighting against his friend, Ladybug's is being powerless to save his friend. I wonder what I could do to monopolize these fears for the sake of angst. ;3
> 
> -Sharing is caring. So share your bed with your partner who doesn't know you're his partner to make him feel better after both of you experienced your worst nightmares.
> 
> -They're just friends ya'll, calm down.


	51. I Need a Hero-es Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the day of heroes and everyone is going about, doing their part for the betterment of the city. But that takes another level as Hawkmoth decides to be a terrible person, not only that, he decides that everyone else should be terrible along with him. 
> 
> Also fluff.

"Rise and shine everyone! Today is Heroes Day. A day when you too can be a hero!" The news rang in lieu of a proper alarm.

"Marrrinnn." Tikki mumbled in her sleep, wanting her partner to turn off the alarm clock as she snuggled upon his pillow. But quickly grew more cranky as it was clear that her partner wasn't going to do it.

Opening her eyes, her annoyance turned to worry as she saw her usually sleep-happy partner was nowhere in sight despite it being before dawn. She looked around in worry, carefully phasing through the various rooms of the house until she finally saw her partner, already dressed for school save for his blazer. He was wearing his pink apron as he took a tray of mini quiches out of the oven.

"Good morning." She said, hovering before his face as Marin was started by his Kwami, almost tipping as he glanced up at her with a sheepish smile.

"Morning sugarcube, I thought you would still be sleeping." He said playing the tray on the cooling rack.

"That's my line." She remarked looking at all the parties and goodies that Marin had spent days baking down the last second. "What's all this."

"It's Heroes day, a day where everyday citizens perform a good deed for other people's benefit," Marin said simply as he placed his apron back on the hook. "Everyone's doing their part to put in the extra effort to make this city better, I'm just doing my part as well.

"And the fact that you spend every day saving Paris isn't enough of a good deed?" Tikki inquired as Marin chuckled, poking her cheek playfully as he started packing the food inside boxes.

"All that is Ladybug's good deed, I want to do my best as Marin." He informed. "But you could be my hero and help me pack all this before my parents have to use the bakery." He smiled as Tikki nodded, already placing the macaroons in their boxes.

* * *

Adrien was crushing his teeth as Plagg flew up to him with a pout on his face.

"Adriennnn, I need more cheese, I'll starve without my previous camembert!"

"Plagg, it's not my fault that you decided to finish off an entire week's supply in a day. We need to keep a spare wheel if we need to transform." Adrien sighed as he could see his Kwami was about to throw a tantrum. But was surprised when Plagg let the matter go, simply crossing his arms and flying into his laundry.

"I'll bet you more after school, alright?" Adrien said, but heard only a series of muffled complaints as he couldn't help but chuckle at his dramatic Kwami. As he walked out of the bathroom, something caught his eye. Looking out at the garden, he grew sad looking at his father in front of his mother's statue. When he walked out of his room Nathalie was already waiting for him.

"The fencing hall is booked for 6:05 p.m. and the Chinese classroom for 6:35 p.m. just as you wished, and remember that you have to make an appearance in the Agreste Foundation's Heroes Gala."

Adrien sighed shouldering his messenger back over his shoulder. "I'll be there for sure."

* * *

Marin sighed heavily as he placed the final box of baked goods within the chemistry room at the teacher's permission, enough to feed an entire class and then some.

"I'm very proud of you Marin, going above and beyond like this." Miss Bustier remarked with a smile as he placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Thank you ma'am. I hope everyone likes it." Marin said as he glanced up at his teacher nervously.

"Well, I'm sure that they'll all appreciate it. Why don't you go on ahead and I'll finish up in here." She recommended as Marin said his thanks. As he walked out of the room he almost bumped into someone, but luckily didn't fall over this time.

"Hey Marin." Adrien greeted as he was passing by. But he looked past Marin into the chemistry room, growing intrigued as Marin immediately shut the door. "No one's allowed in there." He said with a playful smile on his face, clearly curious.

Marin chuckled nervously, folding his hands behind his back as he hung his head trying to avert his gaze. "Let's say, you'll have to just wait until later?" He chuckled nervously as he saw Adrien smile.

"Alright, but whatever's in there smells delicious." He remarked as he two walked to class together.

* * *

Adrien couldn't help but cringe as he saw Lila on the large screen of the classroom. He didn't want to think badly of her, he was sure she probably had a reason for the way she acted. But the way that she disappeared after turning into Volpina, and now facing the class with a bright smile on her face...it was strange to say the least.

"We can't wait to hear what you've been doing since our last video chat. Tell us about your week in the Kingdom of Achu." Miss Bustier requested with a smile on her face, as everyone in the class looked at her with expectation.

"It's absolutely amazing! Prince Ali invited me and my parents to his gorgeous palace." Lila said, apparently sitting in front of a pool before a palace as the sun began to set. "I miss you guys so much. It's so hard being away on this magical trip so far from my friends, and especially on Heroes Day." She said with a sad expression as everyone ate this up. Adrien turned behind him for a moment to see that even Marin was captivated bu their classmate. Though it wasn't surprising, only he knew what kind of person Lila truly was.

"Lila, what good deed are you planning to do on this special day?" Miss Bustier asked.

"Today I'll be meeting up with Prince Ali to show him an idea I came up with. During our world travels, my diplomat parents have helped me convince the leaders of several nations to agree to reduce world pollution. And I'm very optimistic that the prince will jump on board!"

" That's incredible, Lila!" Miss Bustier praised as Adrien simply shook his head in disappointment at how far Lila was willing to lie just to make herself look good. "Thank you on behalf of planet Earth."

"Well sure. Superheroes like Ladybug might save lives, but even he can't go so far as to look out for the entire world. It's during times like that that people like us have to rise up." Lila said, her voice dripping with honey as everyone agreed with her words.

"I'm sure Ladybug would be very impressed by what you're doing." The teacher praised. "Thank you so much for calling us, Lila. And good luck with your project."

"Thank you for your encouraging words." Lila said thankfully as the call then ended.

"Well, it isn't going to be easy living up to Lila's standards, "Miss Bustier said as Adrien slapped his forehead. " but let's not forget that we can all be heroes for this one day. We may not have Prince Ali as a friend but we do have imagination. This year, Ladybug and Chat Noir have been all of our heroes, protecting us from the terrible Hawk Moth. They've shown us that heroism is beyond comic books and fairy tales. Heroism is real, and it is up to you to show us how Ladybug and Chat Noir brought out the best in all of us by being everyday heroes. So why don't we go around and exchange what heroic deeds have you all planned? Nino?"

I gotta admit, I've never used to do anything for anyone before, but Ladybug and Chat Noir have shown me what being cool is really about." Nino said as Adrien couldn't help but smile at his best friend. "So this year, I'm going to visit the elderly residents at the local retirement home and play them all their favorite songs."

"Adrien?" The teacher prompted as Adrien stood up.

"Today I plan to give my fencing classmates a lesson in Chinese and my Chinese classmates a lesson in fencing."

"Alya?"

"Last year, I wrote an article about equipping public buildings with disabled access. But after seeing Ladybug and Chat Noir going that extra mile every single day, I decided that I, too, can do better. So I got the mayor's approval to improve facilities so that handicap kids can actually attend our school." Alya remarked proudly, exchanging as high-five with Marin as she sat down.

"What about you, Marin?" Miss Bustier asked, all eyes on him as Adrien looked up at his friend with expectation. But then he grew worried as Marin looked nervous, not even standing up as his face quickly grew red.

"Uh...so I, uh, yeah. I have...macarons-" He mumbled but was quickly interrupted.

"Wow, like every year? Chloé scoffed. "You obviously went above and beyond, Dupain-Cheng."

"Hey! He did what he could, and that's better than nothing." Alya tried to defend as Marin placed his head on his desk.

Chloé scoffed. "Even I'm doing something this year." she remarked standing up. "Now that I'm a superhero myself, I'll be signing autographs for anyone who wants one." But the class slowly tuned out the more she talked; well, everyone except Sabrina, who looked up at her best friend in awe.

* * *

At the end of class, Adrien picked up his bag, preparing to leave, noticing that Marin left the room first as the lunch period began. But he froze as he saw that his Plagg wasn't sleeping inside as he usually would.

"Oh no." Adrien murmured as he ran out of the room, having a bad feeling as he raced back towards the Chemistry room, standing outside the door as he heard a yell of shock. He flinched back as he saw his Kwami phasing out of the wall and into Adrien's back quickly.

"Plagg, what did you do?!" Adrien snapped in a harsh whisper, glaring into his bag as Plagg looked away guiltily.

"I was trying to hold myself back, honest...but it smelled so good." Plagg explained, as his mouth started to water at the thought of those pastries. "I got too excited and well..."

"Ugh, you and your stomach." Adrien groaned into his hands shamefully.

* * *

Marin's face was red as he walked out of the room at the end of class. Just as he was about to announce the picnic that the had planned for the class, Chloé just had to undermine him.

But it wasn't a big deal, after all, he had the rest of the day to tell everyone about it.

He waved to Alya, as the lunch period had started, deciding to start setting up for the evening. But as he walked into the Chemistry room he saw that the dozens of boxes of pastries were gone, the only thing that remained was a familiar-looking black dust that was scattered around the ground. He hung his head in defeat.

"This is fine."

* * *

Adrien sat at the base of the staircase as he groaned into his hands. Even though his Kwami was acting out, he was the one in charge of looking out for Plagg. Somehow this feeling felt far too familiar as he then saw Marin walked past him with a sullen expression on his face.

"Hey, Marin, I uh," Adrien said nervously as Marin looked back at him. "how're...things?"

Marin sighed heavily, resting his head in his hands as he sat down next to him. "Well, I spent weeks planning, days baking, but I can't prepare for the universe deciding that I can't do nice things for my friends.

"What?" Adrien asked.

"I was planning a picnic for the entire class, you know, because everyone's worked so hard, and deserves to be recognized for it." He said sincerely. "But I can't redo everything in a day on my own."

"Maybe you could..." Adrien faltered as he tried to think up a solution, but couldn't as his guilt didn't even allow him to console his friend. So instead he only glanced at his friend who sulked in his own misery.

"You know what, don't worry about it." Marin sighed, "It's not like anyone knew so I'll just try again next year-" But just as he stood up, he stumbled for a moment holding his head; looking as though he had a headache.

But before Adrien could ask if his friend was feeling sick, Adrien suddenly was jolted to attention as he heard screaming. Looking up he saw hundreds of red Akuma accending upon the school, heading towards all the students. Adrien tackled his friend, pushing Marin tp the ground as a few of their friends were Akumatized, turning into villains as the rest of them swarmed around.

"It's okay. No need to panic. I know what I have to do!" Chloé remarked, not being affected by the Akuma's as she ran out of the building.

Adrien spotted Ivan, Mylène, Max, and Rose getting hit with the Akumas. He was certain that there were more that he hadn't seen, unsure of where of what to do. Suddenly, he was surprised as Marin yelled out.

"Don't let fear control you, Juleka!" He called out as Adrien helped him to his feet. Both saw that once Juleka calmed down, the Akuma then ignored her.

Adrien saw the chaos unfolding and felt overwhelmed. But saw Marin glance around. He reached out for a moment towards one of the red Akuma but Adrien immediately grabbed his hand. "What are you doing!?" He asked, flabergasted at his friends'...stupidity? It didn't seem like the right word to associate with Marin of all people, but he had his moments.

"Wait, look." Marin said, taking off his Heroes day button and placing it on the Akuma. But the insect didn't possess the item. "I think they're only after people who've been previously Akumatized..." He thought for a moment.

"How can you be so sure?" Adrien asked.

"Because I'm terrified, and they're not attracted to me at all." Marin chuckled as Adrien noticed his friend's entire body trembling but still smiled nonchalantly. "Hey, wait, wasn't your bodyguard-"

Marin was about to say, but both of them both looked up with to see Gorizilla looking down at them, at Adrien most specifically.

"Uh, yeah." Adrien nodded as reflexively grabbed his friend's hand, ducking for some cover in the locker rooms, out of sight as people ran around in a panic.

"Well, on the bright side, I don't feel so bad about the picnic being destroyed anymore," Marin remarked as Adrien glanced at his friend with mixed emotion. Marin was known for looking at the bright side, but he could really be depressing sometimes.

"I'm gonna try and distract Gorizilla, if he's like he was before then he'll just be after me."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, it's not as crazy as reaching for an Akuma." Adrien smirked as he, didn't wait for his friend's response to run out of the locker room. Marin ran directly towards the back exit. Closing the door behind him

"Too many people have been akumatized. It'd be foolish to try to fight them all. We must go see Master Fu right away." Marin remarked as Tikki nodded. "Tikki, spots on!"

* * *

Adrien struggled in Gorizilla's grip, until he saw Plagg hovering nearby looking worried. He gave his Kwami an approving nod as Plagg flew away, preparing for impact as Gorizilla then tripped on the ground caving in under him. Adrien jumped out of his hand, tumbling to the ground as he then sprinted away, ditching his white shirt as he needed to get Gorizilla off the scent for a few moments.

Running into an alley, he crouched near a remarkably disgustingly smelling trash can as Plagg flew towards him.

"See that? I barely destroyed anything this time." Plagg remarked as Adrien could help but smile at him in amusement, patting his head.

"You're my hero, Plagg." Adrien remarked, "but you're still in trouble from earlier."

Plagg shrugged his shoulder, digressing as Adrien held out his hand.

"Plagg, claws out!"

* * *

Ladybug narrowed his eyes for a moment as he had a gut feeling that someone was following him. With all the Akuma flying around, there was no doubt that his head was being messed with, but this was different. He jumped towards a sewer grate, making sure to close it behind him as he hid behind a corner. He closed his eyes for a moment, his mind being more clear as he at least got some distance from the Akuma's from above.

Once he heard the sewer grate open up and close again without anyone on the ladder, he knew who he was dealing with. Stepping out of his hiding place he threw his yo-yo, destroying Vanisher's glasses in one move; releasing and purifying the Akuma as Sabrina turned back to normal.

"Ladybug?" Sabrina asked as she looked up at him in awe. "It's really you? The real Ladybug?"

"Of course-" He said but was taken aback as she suddenly hugged him tightly.

"We all saw you akumatized! You destroyed Chat Noir and you took his Miraculous to Hawk Moth. It was..." Sabrina explained as the pieces started to fall in place in his mind.

"An illusion." He said, only knowing one person who had the power to do this. It appeared that Lila was back in town, though to what end, he couldn't be sure.

"I'm going to tell the world not to lose hope because the real Ladybug is still going strong." She remarked with a smile as Ladybug hummed for a moment, looking at her thoughtfully.

"I think I can help with that. Do you have your cell phone on you?" He asked as he took a selfie with her, getting the new out there faster that he was alive and well. Social media was something he could always rely on Sabrina to be proficient in. At least this way, maybe more people wouldn't lose heart.

* * *

Ladybug transformed back a few blocks away from Master Fu's shop, taking special caution on this day especially. As he knocked on the door, Master Fu looked up at him as though he were already expecting him, no surprise there.

"I always knew that one day Hawk Moth would realize just how powerful he could be." He said, walking over to the table as the Miracle Box was already lain out. "Marinus Dupain-Cheng, you must pick an ally you can trust to fight alongside you on this mission. Once the mission is over, you will get the Miraculous back from them and return it to me."

Marin looked down at the Miraculous placed before him, already knowing what to choose as he picked up the fox and bee Miraculous.

"Be especially careful Marinus. Hawkmoth's ability-"

"I know Master." Marin remarked as he took Wayzz's Miraculous from Master Fu's hand. "I promise, I won't fail you."

* * *

Chat Noir looked over the amass of growing enemies as his baton started to beep. A smile drew on hips lips as he answered, hearing his partner's voice on the other side.

"Bugaboo." Chat Noir greeted playfully.

"Chat Noir, where are you?" Ladybug asked from the other side.

"Oh you know, hanging around. No way I was gonna miss this party, especially with this celebrity guest list."

"How big are we talking?"

Chat Noir hummed to himself, "How does almost every villain we've ever faced sound? No sign of the Moth though." There was a pause in the call. My La-NYAH!" Chat Noir suddenly yelped as someone landed behind him. And only one person could evade his sharp ears. As he looked up at him, Ladybug looked down towards him with a surprised expression.

"Did you just-"

"NO."

"But I heard-"

"YOU ARE MISTAKEN." Chat Noir remarked standing up as he tried to retain his dignity.

"Right..."Ladybug said, feeling a little guilty as a small smile of amusement drew on his face as Chat Noir glared at him with flattened ears. But he was surprised as Ladybug held out a Miraculous before him, taking out from his yo-yo. "We've got work to do." His partner said as Chat Noir grinned in excitedly.

* * *

"When this is over, I swear I'll take you to the movies." Alya promised as she and Nino hid in the locker rooms at the school.

"No, I'll take you to the movies." Alya argued as they both tried to keep a light mood as they were slowly being surrounded by

"How about we take a raincheck on the movies?" Ladybug remarked as he jumped in from the window as his two classmates looked up at him in shock.

"Ladybug? The real Ladybug? But...?" Nino questioned as Alya ran past him to immediately hugged her favorite hero.

Ladybug smiled down at his best friend, returning the gesture as he gently pushed her back, his expression turning more serious. "I'm sorry for what I'm about to do. I know I'm revealing your secret identities but I don't have time to find a good excuse to give them to you separately. Rena Rouge and Carapace, I need you both."

Nino looked at his girlfriend in shock. "You're...Rena Rouge?"

"Of course I am." She said as-a-matter-of-fact like, opening the Miraculous box as an orange sphere materialized into Trixx, looking around in confusion as he saw a new unfamiliar face.

"I thought we were supposed to be a secret." The fox Kwami asked.

"It's an emergency." Ladybug clarified as Alya placed on her necklace.

"Trixx, let's pounce!" Alya said as she transformed into Rena Rouge.

It took all of Ladybug's will not to smile at how adorable his friends were, noticing Nino looking at his girlfriend in awe.

"So awesome!" Nino swooned as he took his Miraculous. "But aren't you at least a bit surprised that I'm Carapace?" He asked as Rena Rouge chuckled, holding his face in her hands.

"My sweet clueless boy. Just transform." She cooed as Nino took a step back, opening up his Miraculous to release a green light. One that transformed onto Wayzz who flew towards his partner.

"Yo!" Nino greeted with a smile as he and Wayzz greeted each other with an informal handshake.

"Wayzz, shell on!" He said, transforming into Carapace.

* * *

Upon Palais de Chaillot Queen Bee and Chat Noir were seemingly bickering.

"Why don't we fly in there and fight already?" Queen Bee asked in annoyance.

"And what would we do between us and over 50 villains?" Chat Noir asked.

"I don't know but ti's better than waiting for something worse to-" Queen Bee began to say.

"We won't be able to defeat them if don't know what they're planning." Ladybug interrupted as he landed on the roof with Carapace and Rena Rouge beside him.

"Lovely of you to join us bugaboo." Chat Noir remarked as they all crouched down on the overlook, scanning over the scene before them; almost every villain he and Chat Noir had faced before in one place. To make matters worse, the three heroes that he had made allies were vulnerable to the scarlet Akuma's. But so long as he could keep an eye out...

Ladybug took out his yo-yo, scanning over all of the villains present using his zoom feature, takin in every villain in sight, looking for a few in particular.

"Higher priority villains; Princess Fragrance...Despair Bear...Dark Cupid...Maldiktateur...any villain that could make us turn on each other with one hit." Ladybug as noticed not every villain they had faced were down there. But then all were shocked as someone else stood on the tower, broadcasting to all of Paris using Prime Queen.

"Ladybug, Chat Noir, Behold my powerful army and have no doubt that today belongs to Scarlet Moth!" Hawkmoth, now Scarlet Moth said. " Ladybug. Chat Noir. I can feel your close presence. If you want to save Paris and all its people, I'll give you one last chance. Give yourselves up and bring me your Miraculous."

"Blast from the past, wouldn't you say?" Chat Noir asked as he and Ladybug exchanged a glance. "Same place, same villain, just a few more guests." He remarked, remembering the last time they had come across Hawkmoth.

Back when it all began.

"Is..is this bad? Now that the main bad is here?" Carapace asked, looking towards Ladybug with uncertainty, surprised as he saw the hero's eyes light up for a moment.

"No, this is good." Ladybug remarked as all eyes were on him in confusion. "Now we can take out the source himself rather than just taking out his troops one by one."

"Well, thank goodness for a villain's ego I guess." Rena Rouge shrugged.

"Well can you blame him," Chat Noir remarked, "He assembled an entire army just for us. A little desperate if you ask me. So, what's the plan m'lady?"

"A misstep will end in our defeat. We have to be careful." Ladybug remarked as he started to feel the tension from this entire scenario. One misstep, they lose their allies, one misstep they lose Paris, one misstep they lose their miraculous, one misstep and he would lose...

"Hey."

Ladybug was shaken from his thought as he turned to Chat Noir placing his hand on his shoulder. Looking at him with a knowing expression, somehow already knowing how he was feeling. "We've already fought them all and we won! And there are five of us this time." His partner said somehow confidently.

There were a number of things he could pick apart with what he had just said. But Ladybug nodded, trusting his partner.

"All right, let's do this." Ladybug said as Chat Noir suddenly stood up.

"Hawk Moth! I hope you enjoyed Volpina's illusion because there's no way the real Ladybug will never hand you over our Miraculous! And we've got a better idea! You're gonna give us your Miraculous!" Chat Noir called out as all eyes were on him.

" You may have an army of akumatized warriors-" Caprapase called out.

"-But we're a whole team of superheroes!" Rena finished, the two exchanging a nod as Queen Bee stood up.

"You're going to wish you never wore that utterly ridiculous costume in public!"

A chuckled escaped Ladybug's lips, "Well, that's one way to make an entrance." He said, standing up alongside his team just before the hit the ground running. "Don't forget our main objective. We want to get to Hawk Moth. Any villain that's taken out will eventually get re-akumatized, so we need to watch out for the heavy hitters." He said as they all nodded in agreement, hitting the first wave of villains.

"Simple plan then. Go for the big bad boss." Chat Noir summarized as he took out his baton.

All of them looked towards the first approaching horde of villains, quickly approaching as Stormy Weather was using to her power to gain an advantage over them.

"Lightning!" She cried out, sending bolts of electricity towards Ladybug's way.

"Carapace!" Ladybug called out as Carapace threw his shield, defending his friend as Ladybug then quickly took out Riposte, kicking her sword as it cracked, releasing the Akuma.

He quickly captured is as he didn't have time to check on Kagami.

"Chat Noir, Carapace, hit them low. Rena Rouge, Queen Bee hit them high.

"On hit!" Chat Noir remarked as he and Carapace took out The Mime and Rogercop while Queen Bee destroyed Pharaoh's pendant, releasing the Akuma.

Just as Pharaoh fell, Princess Fragrance used her perfume to gain some lift. "Rena Rouge! Rescue!" Ladybug called out as Rena Rouge caught Jalil, then followed up by throwing her flute at Princess Fragrance's bottle.

Queen Bee had caught her just in time as Carapace and Chat Noir destroyed their targets as well, everyone transforming back to normal just as Ladybug destroyed Stormy Weather's Akuma, then collecting all the Akuma's.

"Good aim, Chloé!" Rena Rouge complimented as Queen Bee pouted.

"It's Queen Bee to you, fox!" She remarked as they pursued further.

"Your days of attacking innocent people will soon be over, Hawk Moth. Lucky Charm!" He called out, throwing up his yo-yo as a tennis racket fell into his hands. Looking around for a moment "Get ready! I'm gonna need all of you!" He called out, prepared for whatever was thrown at them.

But he then felt a spike of negative energy as he turned around, as he turned around, Chat Noir defected an attack, both them seeing all the villains that they had purified, retransform back into villains.

"What?"

Chat Noir's ears twitched as he looked up towards the building tops, spotting the cause. "Hawk Moth is using Dark Cupid to create all the negative emotions he needs!" he said as chaos erupted. A horde of scarlet Akuma descended upon them as they had to be cautious of almost everything around them.

"Form up!" Ladybug ordered as ll the heroes stood back to back against the enemies surrounding them.

"It's a nightmare!" Carapace said as he held his shield up, however, it was knocked out of his hands as Pharaoh grabbed his arms, almost overpowering him as Carapace tried to stand his ground, knocking him back. But failed to notice the shot lined up towards him as Dark Cupid shot his arrow.

"Carapace!" Queen Bee warned, but was too late, as Rena Rouge took the shot for him. Rena? No! Not you!

Rena Rouge growled at him, trying to escape his grip. "Hands off! You are not cut out to be a hero! Let go of me, you weakling!" As the two were vulnerable, Queen Bee deflected Princess Fragence's attacks with her top.

"You don't have to worry about me, Ladybug! I'll never let my emotions get the better of me!" She remarked as she protected her comrades. But the words were taken out of her mouth as she heard familiar voices.

"Chloé!" They heard as Style Queen & Malediktator appeared before them already Akumatized.

Queen Bee flinched back, her guard dropping as she saw her parents. "Daddy? Mommy?" But snapped back to attention as Ladybug called out towards her.

"Queen Bee! Focus!" He said, as she tried to evade her parents' attacks.

"No!" Ladybug hear Carapase call out as Rena Rouge fell to the negative emotions, her Miraculous becoming possessed as she accepted the Scarlet Akuma.

"I am now Rena Rage!" She cackled as Carapace lost hope, not even fighting back as an Akuma possessed his Miraculous as well.

"Carapace!" Ladybug called out as two of his friends had fallen.

"There is no more Carapace." He remarked, turning red as he picked up his shield. "There is only Shell Shock!" He stated as he threw his shield at Ladybug, who narrowly dodged.

Chat Noir back up into his partner as he saw that Queen Bee was immobilized by Despair Bear, clutching her leg. Freezing her in place as Dark Cupid shot her. "Queen Bee!" He called out as she glanced at him with a disgusted expression on her face.

"That's Queen Wasp to you, Cockroach!" She said throwing her top at him as Chat Noir deflected it with his baton.

"This might be a good time to use that Lucky Charm of yours, don't you think?" Chat Noir recommended as they were surrounded by enemies, hearing Ladybug's Miraculous beep.

"I need all of us to make it work! I can't do anything with it now!" Ladybug informed as being surrounded by negativity was starting to give him a headache. But as he glanced back at his partner, an idea sparked in his mind. "Chat Noir, hit the road."

Chat Noir glanced at him flabbergasted, "I don't see how hitting the road is going to-ohhhhhh," He said in realization as he hed his hand over his head.

"Cataclysm!" He said, activating his power, then placed his hand on the ground beneath them. The ground started to shake as cracks formed, with both of the heroes falling as the villains had to back away to avoid getting sucked in.

* * *

In the sewers they sprinted, trying to gain as much distance between themselves and the villains as they could. But Ladybug's Miraculous started to beep again as they came to a fork in the road.

"I'm about to transform back. I'll go this way. You go that way." He said as they both jumped to different ends.

Ladybug hung his head as he detransformed back into Marin, taking a breath as he took out a macaroon for Tikki. Overhearing Chat Noir's voice echo on the other side, hearing him transform back and then share some Camembert with his Kwami.

"You okay, Ladybug?" He asked as Marin placed his hand over his mouth, trying to process what happened.

"Hawk Moth has never re-akumatized so many people in one go. Something's changed, to do that, he'd need...an ally." Marin said with realization. "Ugh! Of course, he has an ally!" Marin said in frustration. "He'd need someone whom he could trust with the power to amplify his own abilities. Then, he could release as many Akuma as he wanted without any limitations. Someone who he'd know to hide from our reach so he could lead the attack without worry!"He said, kicking himself as he didn't realize it earlier.

"You still think we can win?"

"I don't know," Marin admitted as he rested his back on the wall, sliding down to the ground as he placed his hands on the back of his handing head in defeat. "I thought because I didn't see Dark Cupid that we might have gotten lucky, but that was dumb. I should have thought out every scenario, I shouldn't have left anything up to chance. Now 3 Miraculous are lost." He said in frustration. "Our team's crumbled, and now we're all that's left between saving everyone and defeating Hawkmoth..."

Adrien turned towards the wall that divided them, placing his hand on it, in lieu of actually being beside his partner. He could feel his hopelessness, his worry, his grief. A pot of heavy emotions that he always had to bare, something like this was his worst nightmare.

His eyes widened for a moment in remembrance. Ladybug's worst nightmare was...

"You're not going to lose me, Ladybug." He said clearly, as Marin lifted his head. "No matter what it's always been you and me against Hawkmoth, and every time we've come out stronger at the end; this time is no different."

"If people like us give in, then the bad guys win." Ladybug remarked under his breath, recalling the words that had inspired him not to turn away when he wanted to the most as he rested his head against the wall that separated him and his partner, a smile drawing on both of their faces.

But Marin's smile soon faded as he heard footsteps echoing through the halls, sensing a negative energy approaching. "They're coming!" He warned as both of them stood at attention.

"Hope they like water rides!" Adrien remarked as they both took out their magic power-ups. Both of them closed their eyes as they jumped off the ledge as their Kwami's consumed the potions.

"Tikki!"

"Plagg!"

"Power up!" They both said together as they transformed into their Aqua forms, diving into the water below.

Ladybug and Chat Noir glanced at each other as Ladybug then looked forward, sensing an Akuma as he spotted a villain.

"Syren!" He warned as Chat Noir took out his staff. Behind them, Animan had warped into a large catfish, charging towards them as Syren did the same.

"Better get fishing." Chat Noir remarked as he aimed his staff, towards Syren's bracelet while Ladybug hit Animan's bracelet, both items releasing Akuma's that Ladybug caught.

Both heroes reacted quickly as Ondine and Otis transformed back, using their rebreathers to help them breathe. But as they approached the riverside, they saw the large body of water start to freeze. They swam away as fast as they could, then reaching the surface just as the river froze. Transforming back to their normal forms just as they hit the ice.

"Chat Noir!" Ladybug called out as Chat Noir used his staff to elevate him towards the top of the tower, enabling him to take out Frozer. As Ladybug descended, he released all the captured Akuma's into the city, taking out Glaciator and Gamer as he and Chat Noir acted as decoys for the two of them. Landing inside the tower, Ladybug threw up his yo-yo.

"Lucky-Charm!" He cried out, receiving what looked to be a Miraculous box. Just as they were surrounded by enemies trying to pursue Hawkmoth, Ladybug just his yo-yo to wrap around the tower, trapping all three of them inside the cage.

"There's no escape Hawkmoth!" Chat Noir said the two approached the trapped villain who was backed into a corner as the two heroes drew closer.

"Are you sure you're not making a serious mistake?" Scarlet Moth asked. "How would you know if the wish I was planning to make with your Miraculous wouldn't have been beneficial to everyone?"

Ladybug grew annoyed at his response. "No benevolent wish should ever come at the cost of hurting others. You've already proven what kind of person you were the moment you decided to use your Miraculous for evil, Hawkmoth." Ladybug said, holding up his lucky charm.

Scarlet Moth smirked at his response. "That is the response I would expect from a child. How lovely it is, to see the world in black and white, and never for the true color lurking underneath. Unlike you, I'm not afraid to use these powers for more than simply errands. Since you claim to be so good, why not bother to try and change the world for the better?"

"For the better?" Ladybug asked furiously, now glaring at the villain standing before them. His anger was reaching ahead as he couldn't believe the arrogance of the man standing before them, the arrogance of a man...without a reflection, Ladybug noticed as he looked down at the ice. Closing his eyes for a moment, he could sense the multiple Akuma's around him, but the few that were in range were far too familiar.

His eyes widened in surprise as he saw another Hawkmoth in the reflection of his Lucky Charm, pushing Chat Noir out of the way just as they were about to be hit with one of Dark Cupid's arrowed.

Chat Noir threw his baton towards him, hitting Dark Cupid's pin as he fell on top of Horrificator who cushioned his fall.

"How cowardly are you?!" Chat Noir demanded as the turn turned towards the real Scarlet Moth who glared at the two of them.

Using teamwork, Ladybug managed to knock the cane out of Scarlet Moth's hands and towards his Chat Noir who destroyed it with his Cataclysm. The reaction detransformed Scarlet Moth back into Hawkmoth, transforming everyone back to normal.

"It's over Hawkmoth." Ladybug said, but was taken aback as their enemy only chuckled.

"Very well, impudent children. Watch what a man who's got nothing to lose can do!" He remarked as suddenly Hawkmoth punched Chat Noir in the gut with a greater speed and strength than either he or his partner could be compared towards. Knocking him back against the wiring as Ladybug narrowly avoided his attacks, using his agility to stay one step ahead, but couldn't keep up against Hawkmoth's raw skill. Suddenly, Ladybug slipped on the ice as Hawkmoth grabbed his neck, pinning him to the ground as Ladybug was certain that the villain could easily destroy him if pressed.

An amused expression danced on Hawkmoth's face as he looked down at the hero who only a few moments ago, dared to speak out against his will. "You were never going to win. Not today or any other day." Hawkmoth remarked. "It appears that your master was gravely mistaken when he chose children to face a man with ambition."

Chat Noir lifted his head, stunned, but then gritted his teeth as he saw Hawkmoth squeezing his partner's neck, smiling down at him sadistically. Realizing that the person before him was a true villain, the person whom his partner was always worried about. Chat Noir stood up on his feet, dashing towards the villain who knocked him away.

He released Ladybug who coughed as he tried to catch his breath back.

"If you wish to fall first, I cannot hold you back." He remarked as Chat Noir flexed his claws, but smirked as his ears twitched. Almost immediately, he ducked as Hawkmoth was hit with a shield, knocking him away from the two heroes.

"Need a hand?" Rena Rouge called out, as she, Carapace, and Queen Been jumped down towards their allies, transformed back to normal. Rena Rouge quickly helped Ladybug to feet as he nodded his thanks.

"Venom!" Queen Bee called out as she activated her power. "Once I paralyze him, then he'll be all yours, Ladybug!" She said as all of them approached the villain. But something changed as Ladybug lifted his head, sensing a new presence as he spotted a blue feather possessing Hawkmoth's broken staff.

The villain fell to his knees, as before him, a giant purple monster materialized. It flapped it's wings, blowing away the hero's as well as breaking the bindings of Ladybug's yo-yo.

The black-spotted hero managed to grab his yo-yo, throwing it to attach to the monster's stinger. But just as he was about to attack the monster it disappeared before his eyes.

"Ladybug! Hawk Moth!" Queen Bee called out as the villain disappeared without a trace, she knelt down towards the fallen cane, handing it to Ladybug who looked down at it within his hands.

"He must've escaped when that monster appeared." Chat Noir pointed out as the cane disappeared, only leaving behind a feather that flew out of the staff. Ladybug quickly grabbed it, looking at it in shock as he recognized the shape from the one from the grimoire.

"There goes our last chance of finding him." Rena Rouge remarked as Ladybug narrowed his eyes.

"The second Miraculous that was lost..." Ladybug murmured as he released the feather, watching it float away against the wind.

"A feather?" Chat Noir questioned as he glanced at his partner. "What is it?"

"A huge clue to who is working alongside Hawkmoth." Ladybug explained as his and Chat Noir's Miraculous started to beep. "We need to go, but first." Ladybug said as he threw up his Lucky Charm in the air, returning everything back to normal. "Miraculous Ladybug!"

* * *

Back at Master Fu's shop. The Guardian of the Miraculous locked away the returned Miraculous.

"You did well today Marinus." Master Fu said, but noticed his apprentice lowering his head. "What's wrong?"

"I know we saved a lot of people today Master...but I was so close to getting Nooroo back." He said sullenly. "Not only that, but we found out that Hawkmoth is allied with someone who is using the Peacock Miraculous; In combat, Hawkmoth is stronger than both Chat Noir and I combined, and he believes that he's justified in whatever he does."

Master Fu hummed for a moment, stroking his beard, "From what you say, it appears that he was far more dangerous than we originally anticipated. However, and more importantly," Master Fu said as he sat down before his student. "How are you doing in all of this?"

"Huh?" Marin looked up at him in surprise.

"Marinus, it appears all you are seeing is your mistakes, when in fact your accomplishments are just as worthy of praise."

"But Master-" Just as he was about to remind his master of everything he had done wrong this day, but was cut off by Master Fu raising his hand.

"No buts." Master Fu remarked, "You and Chat Noir did accomplish something great today. You two should be very proud of yourselves. The stars are always present, even within the darkest of nights."

Marin averted his gaze as Master Fu brought up his partner. For a moment, he troubled but then built up his courage. "Master...I think there's something I need to talk about with him, with Chat Noir I mean." He said as Master Fu smiled knowingly at him, sipping his freshly brewed tea.

"Oh?"

* * *

Just as the day reached into the evening, Alya had insisted that she and Marin linger around the school for a little longer. He wasn't sure why she was acting weird, but he didn't question it as it was Alya. All of a sudden, Alya had removed his tie, not answering him as she tied it around his eyes without much notice.

"Alya!" Marin cried out as his friend guided him by carefully holding his hand, not wanting him to trip on anything. "What's going on?" He asked now growing worried as he could only hear Alya giggle. She walked with him for a while, but then as they seemingly reached their destination, Alya pushed him forward as she then removed his blindfold.

"Surprise!" His entire class called out as Marin's blindfold was removed. He looked around in surprise at a picnic set up in the park with all of his class in attendance. There was a bunch of food sitting on a table nearby followed up with a few gifts sitting beside them, along with a bunch of blankets assembled as a sitting area. There was even some decorations lain out almost everywhere, as well as small lanterns that were meant to light up as if it got darker.

"W-What is this?" Marin asked, still stunned as he looked around in confusion.

"Now we know it's not actually your special day." Alya said as she placed her hands on his shoulders, pushing him forward towards the crowd. "But a little birdie told us what you were planning. So, we all pitched in and voila, a pseudo-birthday for our precious class rep." Alya smiled, looking up at her friend's face red with embarrassment.

"A little bird?" He questioned for a moment but didn't have time to linger as Chloé pushed a gift into his arms. She scoffed at him, crossing her arms. However, she stood there for a few moments, mumbling under her breath.

"Um-" Marin was about to question until she snapped at him.

"Be grateful!" She remarked before retreating to her corner next to Sabrina who held up cookies for her to try, but then started crying as she rejected them. Marin exchanged a glance with Alya as everyone started digging into the dishes they had brought to share with everyone else. Everyone was smiling and laughing, enjoying themselves as the sun began to set. Marin couldn't help but smile as he sat on a nearby bench a good distance away from the crowd, enough to give him privacy. He carefully opened up Chloé's present. His eyes widened in surprise as he saw a brand new smartphone, the newest model in a pastel pink case.

It was completely like Chloé to skip over any kind of verbal apology, but this was probably her version on it.

"Trying to get away from us that badly?" Adrien lightly teased as he glanced down at his friend.

Marin immediately lifted his head as his friend approached, but looked down for a moment, growing more frazzled, "You guys didn't have to go through so much trouble-"

"We did though," Adrien said as he sat next to Marin. "You're always helping people. One way or another, you've helped everyone in this class. Like that day you helped Juleka overcome her class photo curse. Or when you partnered Nathaniel and Marc together to make that comic book. Or when you helped me get to the movies so that I could see my mother on the screen. That's why everyone jumped at the chance to help out when I told them what happened with the picnic you planned out. Today probably won't make up for all the time you've made for us, but I'd like to think it's a start." Adrien said with a soft smile, noticing his friend was overwhelmed by all the attention.

"You set this up?" Marin questioned, blushing.

Adrien nodded, "I just, gave everyone a little push. It's the least I could do for you." He said, staring at his friend for a moment before he backtracked, "For such a good friend of course.

Marin's expression dropped slightly, but it returned just as fast.

"I have to head out. My father wants me to attend the Heroes gala tonight." Adrien said, standing up, even though he was sad to leave so early, he was glad that he got to see his friend smile at least once today. "See ya, Marinus."

"Adrien." He heard Marin say, as he felt his hand being held to stop him for a moment. Marin looked down at him for a moment before averting his gaze as usual. But he didn't let go of his hand as Adrien looked up at him.

The next moment came as a complete surprise to the two of them as Marin kissed his cheek, obscured from any audience. It only lasted for a moment, but Adrien was stunned as Marin immediately drew back,

"Right, so- thanks for being a good friend!" He said hastily, backing away so quickly, he almost tripped over his feet as he tried to rejoin the crowd. He ended up sitting in between Alya and Nino as the two greeted him happily, surrounding him in hugs as he laughed along with his friends.

Adrien lingered for a moment, touching his cheek as he felt a warm feeling in his chest. As for once, he didn't have to be Chat Noir for his friend to notice him.

* * *

Ladybug landed atop of the roof of the news building overlooking the city as night fell and the full moon rose.

"Calling me out so forwardly Bugaboo?" Chat Noir asked as he arrived. "What would people think if they heard about this?" Chat Noir said playfully. But his lighthearted tone dropped as he saw a serious expression on his partner's face. "Is something wrong?" He asked, now growing in worry.

But Ladybug shook his head as he faced his partner, stepping into the moonlight as he took a deep breath.

"There are a few things I've been hiding from you, and some of those things need to stay hidden. But we need to have this talk, " He started to say. "I think it's time you finally learn about the Guardian of the Miraculous."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes:
> 
> -They're just friends, calm down.
> 
> -Season 2 is done, time for the next season, filled with Angst. :3 (If you think Marin's situation is bad now...boy do I have some news for you.)
> 
> -I think what I have planned for a season 3 will be more, depressing and sad. Or at least I will try my best to make it so.
> 
> -Hawky's willing to kill some kids, will probably be more of a jerk.
> 
> -I wonder if Adrien will ever realize what his "friend" means to him, probably not. But maybe...
> 
> -Thanks for sticking around if you like the series Please comment or review, it really helps.


	52. 99 Problems and a Chameleon the cause of all of them

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lila comes back to school and starts causing trouble within the school. Adrien tries to keep his distance from her, but it's had when she keeps following him around. Luckily, he has a good friend to get him out of more awkward situations.

Marin panicked as he was running late, again, for class, skidding to a step just as he reached the door. Unluckily however, it appeared that Adrien was in the same boat as they bumped into each other. 

"Oh, sorry," They both said at the same time, nervously chuckling as Adrien allowed Marin to walk into the classroom fist, but both were stunned by the new class layout as the first row was free. 

"Hey Al, what's going on with all this?" Marin inquired as he stood next to his best friend. 

"Well since she's got a hearing issue, there's no way she can sit at the back of the class, right?" Nino said cutting in. "Which means she needed a place up in the front." Nino explained. 

"So to make it work Ivan sat next to Mylène, Nate sat next to Alix, besides she came up with the idea of moving Nino here, so now we get to spend more time together. Adrien sits where he was before, and you sit un the back, is that cool with you guys?" Alya asked but was interrupted as the teacher walked in. 

"Good morning, students. I'm sure you've all heard by now, but Lila's home from her trip to Achu and she's back in school with us again.

"Hi, everyone." Lila greeted as everyone was happy to see her, well, almost everyone as Adrien's face fell as she saw layout of the room. "Oh, a seat in the front row! You all remembered my hearing issue! You're such sweethearts, all of you." She said glancing towards Adrien with a smile on her face. 

"You have a hearing problem, Lila?" Marin asked sincerely. 

"Yes, I suffer from tinnitus, a constant ringing in my left ear. I've had it ever since the sound of an airplane engine burst my eardrum on the runaway when I was saving Jagged Stone's lost kitten."

Marin looked at her for a moment, confused before he looked at Adrien. "Did Jagged Stone get a kitten?" 

"I didn't hear anything about it." Adrien responded. 

"But he had a kitten until he found out he was allergic to it." Lila clarified as she sat down in Nino's old spot, scoot closer to Adrien that he had to recoil back slightly to retain a semblance of personal space. "The best part is, since you're such an excellent student, Adrien, you'll be able to help me catch up with all the schoolwork I missed while I was traveling with my parents. Would you do that for me?" 

"Um, sure, Lila..." Adrien said, but didn't particularly want to sit next to her. 

"Wait, then where are you suppose to sit?" 

Marin, glanced at the back row, taking the hint. 

"My eyesight and hearing are good. I'll sit in the back of the class and you two can sit upfront. I don't mind." Adrien offered, but Marin shook his head. 

"No it's alright, if Lila says she needs the help then I don't mind." 

"Oh, thank you Marin, you're so kind." Lila said with a grin but then turned her attention towards Adrien who was doing his best to avoid eye-contact. 

"Good, so there's no problem then. You sit here, Lila, Adrien, you stay where you are and, Marin, you sit in the back row." Miss Bustier said as Adrien glanced at his friend walking towards the back row while he sat next to Lila, the pit in his stomach growing the longer he was near her. 

* * *

"I'm sorry I can't carry my own tray. It's almost impossible with this sprained wrist." Lila said as Adrien placed her tray before her in the lunchroom. 

"It's...no problem," Adrien said, then looking down at his classmate as she took his wrist. 

"Would you mind sitting near me, I don't think the other students are warming up to-" She was about to lie again. But thank the graces that Marin showed up when he did, holding a box with his family's brand on it. 

"Hey, you ready?" Marin asked but then noticed Lila standing nearby, looking between the two nervously.

"Sorry Lila, I actually have plans for lunch." Adrien said, exchanging a glance with Marin as both of them chuckled, ease washing over him. 

"Oh, what are you two-" 

"It's actually top secret. Sorry, it's just between us." Adrien quickly snapped. 

"Oh, it's so sweet how you two are." Lila remarked with a smile on her face, but with what Adrien knew, it rang hollow as he grabbed his friend's hand and walked out of the lunchroom. Feeling Lila's gaze on his shoulders as he escaped her presence. 

* * *

"You alright?" Marin asked as they sat together on a bench within the courtyard noticing Adrien sighing heavily. "You've been on edge since this morning." 

"It's nothing." Adrien remarked, turning towards this friend. His mood improving as his eyes laid on the box in Marin's lap. "Okay, now gimmie. 

"Hold on, you don't know if you'll even like them."

"All of them were amazing, these are going to be amazing. Please can we skip over the formalities?" Adrien pleaded, clapping his hands together. 

"Yeesh, desperate much?" Marin remarked playfully as he opened the box to reveal an array of passion fruit mini-macaroons, each with a different filling, but Adrien knew that each would be delicious. Adrien felt an overwhelming feeling of glee as he saw that Marin had colored each flavor with a different color, adding to the appeal of the singular cookie. 

"How do you outdo yourself every time?" Adrien asked as he took the box from Marin's hands noticing his friend look away sheepishly. 

"I was just messing with chocolates and jams within the cookies." Marin murmured as he rubbed the back of his neck. 

As Adrien took a bite of one with a white filling, his taste-buds danced at the sweet, savory, slightly sour flavor that he adored, unable to hold back a moan of pure bliss. "These are so good." He praised, almost shedding a tear. 

"You're just saying that-" 

"NO." Adrien snapped before Marin could finish his sentence. "These are the most amazing cookies I've ever had. Your dad was right, you are the best baker in Paris." He said honestly as Marin covered his face with embarrassment. "I hope I'm not bugging you with this." He said popping another cookie in his mouth, this time one with red-colored filling. This one having an underlying strawberry flavor. 

"You could actually," Marin said. "My parents are doing a promotional event for the shop." He said taking out his new phone and pulling up a calendar. "They're releasing special limited edition macaroons every few weeks and it's up to me to make a flavor pallet for each flavor. I think my favorite so far are the strawberry cheesecake ones, they're super creamy." 

"Seriously?" Adrien asked, his mood only improving. "That sounds incredible." 

"Yeah, it's a big job. But it helps that macaroons are fun to make." Marin said as the bell then rang, signaling the end of lunch. 

"Ah, I have to head to fencing," Adrien said standing up, "I'll see you later?" He asked as Marin nodded his head. 

"Of course, you owe me now." Marin said playfully as Adrien grinned.

"I would never expect to accept something so delicious for free." He chuckled as he waved to his friend. His gaze lingering for a moment as he was suddenly snapped out of his trance. 

"MARRY HIM." Plagg demanded as he poked his head out of Adrien's bag. 

"Plagg." Adrien scolded not wanting anyone to see his Kwami out in the open like this, walking over to the locker rooms for more cover. 

"They boy makes good food, likes you, also doesn't mind the smell of camembert; What more do you want?!" He asked.

"Marin's just a friend." Adrien responded with a dreary feeling in his heart as Plagg scoffed. 

"Okay macaroon boy." He grumbled to himself, returning to his hiding place. 

Adrien lingered for a moment as before he entered the room. He liked Marin, but it couldn't have been the same way liked Kagami, or loved Ladybug. All three feelings felt different, could they even be considered as love if he felt so differently about each individual person? he sighed heavily to himself, pushing away the question for now as he walked into the locker room. Running into Lila on the way as it appeared like she was waiting inside for him, standing before the doors. 

"Oh, hey Lila." Adrien greeted, all previous feelings of bliss quickly erased as he walked towards the boy's locker room. 

"Adrien, we'll have to figure when you're gonna help me catch up on all the schoolwork I missed." She said, then stepping before him as she blocked his path. "I also heard you play piano, my uncle's the great pianist Chuch Boroughchuck. He wanted to teach me when I was little, but I had to stop playing because of arthritis. But when my wrist gets better, I'd love for you to give me some lessons." She said placing her arms around his neck, getting far too close. 

Adrien couldn't help but think how Marin would never be this forward. Unlike Lila, Marin always respected his space, heck, the few times that he dropped his guard his friend always profusely apologized. "Lila, I'm perfectly happy being friends with you, and I'll gladly help you catch on your schoolwork, but please don't lie to me like you did last time with Ladybug." He said honestly, taking a step back from her as he could see her expression darken. 

"Ladybug's the liar."

Adrien sighed, "I'm not judging you, Lila, but instead of making friends you're going to turn everyone against you. You can tell me if there's something bothering you." He said, placing a hand on her shoulder, a gesture to try an reach some common ground. "I can help. But you need to be honest with me." But he recoiled back as Lila slapped his hand away. 

"Are you trying to be some superhero lecturing me just like Ladybug did?!" She spat venomously, not even waiting for an answer as she walked away. 

Adrien stared at her for a moment, slightly intimidated by how easily she changed her tune. "I'm still here if you need help catching up with your schoolwork."

* * *

"You should tell him how you feel!" Tikki insisted as Marin sat in the empty classroom. 

He sighed as he looked down towards his Kwami. 

"Adrien thinks of me as his friend Tikki, and I'm fine with that." He said as his precious Kwami pouted. "Besides, love is ridiculous, and complicated, and...this is more practical, just being friends. " 

"But you spent almost all night baking those macaroons!" 

"And- he liked them, I'd do that for any friend." Marin insisted but his reddening cheeks gave way to his truer feelings. "Besides...he likes someone else." He said as Kagami's face flashed in his mind. "What kind of person would take me over someone like her?" 

"Someone like her?" 

"Cool and stylish and confident and...perfect." Marin sighed, resting his head on his hand. "Perfection finds perfection." He took out his phone from his bag, blushing fiercely as he pulled up one of Adrien's photos that were saved. The one that they had taken together when they had the class photoshoot. There was no way he wanted to keep more than one photo of Adrien on hand, sticking to only looking up his modeling photos online. After all, if someone saw how many photos he wanted to save... 

Suddenly, Marin's eyes widened as he could sense an Akuma nearby. 

"Tikki." Marin signaled as Tikki nodded. He ran out of the room, looking around for any sign, but oddly saw Adrien talking to Nino and Alya nearby. Odd, he was sure Adrien said that he had to go to fencing practice. However, he realized something was wrong as he walked closer, overhearing what Adrien was saying. 

"Nino, I have something to tell you. You don't deserve my friendship or your girlfriend or your cap!" He said, stealing his friend's hat. Marin then ran closer as Adrien spotted him, smiling impishly as he caught sight of him. 

"Marin! This is what I think of your disgusting cookies!" He said, throwing the macaroon box to the ground, stomping it under his foot. Normally, if Marin saw this, his heart would have immediately shattered, if this was actually Adrien. But instead, he grabbed Adrien's arm, glaring down at him as Adrien looked taken aback. 

"Who are you?" He asked, sensing the negativity of an Akuma coming from him. 

"Someone who's tired of your good-boy act!" he responded, pulling back and sucker punching his face square in the jaw, making him hit the wall as clearly- this was someone who had the heightened strength of an akumatized victim. 

"What heck is wrong with you dude!" Nino called out, trying to hold his friend back, but was knocked away as well as a crowd of their peers started to form around them. 

"Don't be fooled!" Marin called out as he massaged his now bruised jaw. "There's no way that's Adrien." He said as the fake Adrien laughed heartily. 

"How like you Marin, knowing your friends so well." The fake Adrien remarked as he jumped on the railing. "You should see your faces, don't miss my performance at the Eiffel Tower. You're gonna love it." He remarked as he jumped with heightened strength out of the building. 

As Alys knelt down near him, Marin nodded at her reassuringly. He stumbled for a moment as he stood up, running towards the outside where Tikki flew out of his jacket pocket. 

"Looks like Adrien got on someone's bad side." Tikki observed as Marin was inclined to agree with her. 

"It's hard to believe, why would anyone impersonate Adrien of all people?" He asked himself, not coming up with any reason as to how his friend could be rude to anyone. But there was no time to think about this now, he could only hope that the real Adrien was safe. 

"Tikki, spots on!" 

* * *

Ladybug landed near the Effiel tower nearby some camera as he saw the imposter trying to feign danger as they dangerously balanced on the edge of the tower. 

"Ah, help me. I'm losing my balance, I'm gonna fall!" The fake Adrien called out as he was walking along the edge, then so tragically fell off. 

For a moment, Ladybug wondered if he should allow him to fall for a little while. Of course, he'd catch him at then, but just for a few moments? But unfortunately, even if it wasn't Adrien...it was still someone with his face. 

Ladybug sprinted, catching the imposter in his arms as they tumbled to the ground. Ladybug knelt as he had the faux Adrien in his arms who was looking at him lovingly. 

"My prince charming, you saved my life." The faux Adrien said as he gripped his chin in his hand, making him look towards him as he leaned in for a kiss. To which Ladybug responded to by dropping him on the ground. 

"Haven't you ever heard of personal space?" He asked as the imposter looked up at him with a smirk. Ladybug narrowed his eyes, he couldn't discern where the Akuma was, whoever this person was, they radiated strong negative energy veered towards him. 

"Like you have a right to complain, you insect." The faux Adrien asked, standing before him for a moment. "Anyone who hides their face so often should enjoy at little affection once-in-a-while." 

It was unsettling to hear those words come from Adrien's mouth. But anyone who did something like this was also accepting the consequences. Ladybug gripped his yo-yo as he waited for Chameleon to approach him first, trying to kiss him as Ladybug evaded at the last second. 

"So, are you a fan?" He inquired as he kept his distance from Chameleon. 

"If it'll get you closer to me, lovebug." Chameleon remarked trying to grab him. 

That sounded so wrong. 

* * *

Plagg paced as he hovered around, stuck in a locker with his partner in a deep slumber. "If this an enchanted sleep, what can possibly wake him up?" He asked, but then glanced towards Adrien's lips as he snored, an unwillingness washing over him. "Oh no, not an enchanted kiss! Please!" He begged, but knew they didn't have alot of time if Ladybug got too close to the villain. He screamed into his hands, and then released all disgust with courage. "Nobody will ever know." He told himself as he puckered up. 

But he flinched back as he heard Adrien's voice. 

"Plagg, what happened? And what are you doing?"

"Oh, me? Nothing! I, uh…" Plagg faltered with embarrassment at what he almost did as he gathered his thoughts together. "Your friend Lila put you to sleep with an evil kiss. You should be more careful picking your friends." He informed as the information washed over him. 

"Lila must've been re-akumatized. Quick Plagg, claws out!" 

* * *

Ladybug scolded himself as he lost track of Chameleon, landing on top of a lamp as he looked around for Adrien. But looked down towards a child yelling up at him. 

"Ladybug, I saw the supervillain running away." He said pointing towards the merry-go-round, a child with the aura of a possessed Akuma. 

Internally, he thanked Master Fu for training him to detect nearby Akuma's. He looked down at the child, trying to see if there was any similarity with him and Adrien. But there was no visual similarity, meaning- this was going to be far more difficult than he originally anticipated. 

He stood up atop the lamp, throwing up his yo-yo. "Lucky Charm!" He said, and a ladybug-print cooler fell into his hand. His eyes widened in surprise as he opened it up. 

"Bugaboo!" 

Ladybug turned to see Chat Noir landing nearby on the sidewalk below, not noticing the child running up towards him. But Ladybug tied him up in his yo-yo as he tripped over. 

"Wha-" Chat Noir remarked as he looked down at Ladybug kneeling near a crying child. 

"Ladybug hurt me!" He wailed but was quickly shut up as an oyster was pressed to his lips. Next thing Chat Noir knew he saw the kid turning into an said shellfish. 

"Um." Chat Noir said as the kid-shell was thrown into his hands. 

"Whoever this is, they're too kiss- friendly." Ladybug remarked, looking displeased as he noticed a dark expression shadowing Chat Noir's face for a moment. 

"Cataclysm." He said, destroying the entire shell as the Akuma was released. 

Ladybug glanced at his partner for a moment in confusion before he pulled out his yo-yo. 

"No more mischief from you little Akuma. Time to purify!" Ladybug said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion. Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. "Bye-bye, little butterfly." He said as Lila then appeared before him, much to his surprise. 

"Lila?" He asked, reliving the entire Akuma exchange, but only grew more confused. 

"Ladybug?" She asked as she stood up, looking at the two heroes in surprise. "Where am I?" 

"In the park, can you remember what happened?" Ladybug asked as Lila tried to think back, a sadness washing over as her face fell. 

"I...I had an argument with my boyfriend, he yelled at me when I asked him to spend more time with me. I guess I just wanted a little attention." She said sadly as Ladybug noticed Chat Noir crossing his arms with a scowl on his face. 

"You don't have to lie and pretend to be something you're not. People will like you just for being yourself." Chat Noir remarked as he left first. Ladybug looked between the two in confusion.

"Oh, I hope I didn't say anything wrong. I just got back from a long trip so I guess people are put off by me." Lila said as she hugged herself, handing her head. 

Ladybug's expression softened as he placed his hand on her shoulder. "It's alright, give it time, I'm sure you'll be able to adjust." He said reassuringly as he then jumped after his friend, not noticing the seething expression that Lila drew on her face as she watched Ladybug chase after his partner. 

* * *

"Hey!" Ladybug called out as both his and Chat Noir's Miraculous beeped. 

Chat Noir slowed down as he turned back towards his friend who placed his hand on his shoulder, looking at him in concern. "Talk to me, what's going on?" Ladybug prompted as Chat Noir gaze lingered towards his partner. 

"I'm sorry, it's just an off day." He sighed, appreciating his friend's touch. "I think I'm started to understand what you meant before, about making mistakes that hurt others." He admitted, crossing his arms. 

"Yeah, it can be hard sometimes." Ladybug said. " But I made a mistake by not telling you about the Master and the Miraculous earlier." 

"Also about your magic Akuma sensing abilities." Chat Noir reminded with a chuckled as Ladybug grinned. 

"Yeah, that was super useful today." Ladybug said. "You can always talk to me if you ever feel like this." 

"Of course, I know, but...I don't know, I think I'm just trying to sort some stuff out." He sighed. "Don't worry, I know I can always rely on you for stuff like this." He said as he took a step forward, hugging his partner around his waist. Ladybug was stunned for a few moments as he returned the gesture with a warm smile on his face. 

* * *

As Marin walked into class, gently touching the bandage on his head after getting injured yesterday. His father probably was overreacting, it wasn't like he got a concussion or anything. Then he saw that Lila was sitting in the back, next to him, much to his confusion.

"Lila?" He questioned as she looked up at him sadly. 

"I...I'm sorry. I was so mean to everyone when I was Akumatized, you especially. I can understand if you don't like me. We barely know each other." She said, bowing her head towards him, seemingly apologizing. 

"Lila, you don't need to apologize, Hawkmoth was the one who took advantage of your feelings." He said sitting down next to her at his seat. "Don't worry so much about it, almost all of the class was akumatized in one way or another." He said trying to reassure her as she looked up towards him. 

"Even you?" She asked curiously. 

"Well...no." Marin admitted, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "I'm pretty passive as it is." 

"But don't you feel sad? Or any sometimes?" 

"Of course, but I don't let it control me. After all, I have my friends to look out for me, and I'm sure they'll look out for you as well." He said with a smile as he could see Lila's mood improving. 

"Really? Oh, that's such a relief. You know, Alya told me that you're the class rep, I hope that you'll be able to help me out like you did before." She said placing her hand over his. 

"Oh, is there somewhere you need to go?" He asked, recalling the first time they met. 

"No," Lila said shaking her head, smiling at him sheepishly. "It'll take a while for my textbooks to come in, would you mind if I shared yours for a little while?" She asked as Marin nodded. 

"Um, sure, no problem." Marin nodded supportively as he took out his tablet. Not noticing Adrien's concerned expression as he saw the two seemingly getting cozy together. 

* * *

"Of course Ladybug saved my life. He would never miss opportunity to rescue such a close loved one." Lila said 

"Didn't your tinnitus give you vertigo when you went up the Eiffel Tower?" Max asked as their class crowded around her. 

"Oh no. Ladybug knows me so well that he brought me an earplug to stick in my right ear." Lila said. "Ladybug and I are like two peas in a pod." Adrien overheard as he walked by, not wanting to make it his problem as he glanced at Marin, a sudden fear overwhelming him as he glanced at his friend. He had heard about what happened from Alya, noticing that Marin had a bandaid wrapped around his head. 

An overwhelming feeling of guilt rested in his stomach as Adrien approached his friend sitting on a bench nearby, sketching in his book. "Hey..." He greeted as Marin looked up towards him. Feeling bad as Marin's eyes seem to light up as he looked up at him. 

"Oh, good timing," Marin said as he took out a small box from his bag, opening it up to reveal the same macaroons from before, not crushed as Marin passed it to him. Opening it up he saw that instead of passion fruit, they were a soft pink color, smelling sweet as they were probably fresh from this morning. 

"These are..." Adrien murmured as he looked at his friend in confusion. 

"Yeah, I think this is one the better batches," Marin said proudly as he saw a sullen expression on Adrien's face. "What's up dude?" He asked as Adrien sat down next to him. 

There were a number of things that Adrien wanted to ask him, but he had to start off with, "So why did Lila sit next to you?" He asked rather curtly. 

Marin looked at him in surprise at his tone. "She was feeling bad about hurting the class when she was Akumatized. She told me the last time it happened she felt so guilty she lied to her parents about what actually happened." Marin said as Adrien noticed his friend's expression softened.

"Can't someone else help her?" Adrien murmured to himself but already knew what Marin was going to say as he spoke up again. 

"I'm the class rep so she just turned to me." He said, like Lila wasn't the most two-faced person he'd come across. But it wasn't like he could prove it, only he knew how Lila was. Honestly, he wanted to keep her as far away as possible from his friend. "She must have been really upset if she lashed out at you." Marin suddenly said as Adrien perked up at his friend's voice. 

"Yeah, Alya told me what she did, while she was looking like me." Adrien said. "I'm sorry you had to go through that." 

"Hey-" Marin remarked turning more serious, "there was no way I could've been fooled by a fake Adrien." He said. 

"You mean, you knew?" Adrien asked. 

"Of course I did. You're one of the kindest people I know, there's so way you would be so cruel." Marin said sincerely. "You can't get rid of me that easily." He remarked, clearly picking up on his guilt. 

Adrien felt relief, sighing a breath of relief as he smiled at his friend fondly. 

"I know." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -In case it wasn't clear, Lila's going to be more Adrien's villain than Marin's. 
> 
> -I apologize now, because Marin will be injured quite significantly through this season. Which he will chalk up to his bad luck. 
> 
> -Plagg is the audience. 
> 
> -Adrien and Marin as super close friends now...it would be a shame if something were to happen to them, wouldn't you say? :3c


	53. Animaestro was a Mistake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marin helps his parents out at a movie premiere because he is a good kid. But doesn't want to deal with people, or trying to be coordinated, or Chloé trying to rope him into one of her crazy plans.
> 
> (Concept art) 
> 
> https://aminoapps.com/c/miraculous/page/blog/miraculously-ladybug-chapter-update-animaestro-was-a-mistake/VjPM_gat7uMMpoxGbErw57WNKzEJVDvvBv

"He's scared of cats but powerless without this feline." The trailer said as Marin couldn't hold back his laughter glancing as Alya's sour face as they watched the trailer together, clearly frustrated by how her favorite her hero was being presented.

"This is so inaccurate!" She remarked, crossing her arms. "There's no way Ladybug is afraid of cats! I think that if Ladybug had a problem with cats, he probably wouldn't be paired up with someone named Chat Noir!"

"Well," Marin hummed. "Chat Noir isn't really a cat, he just has those fake ears like a cat," Marin said holding up his hand to mimic cat ears. "Maybe this movie is onto something with whole cat phobia. It's not like his views on them have ever been confirmed. " He said playfully, pushing his best friends' buttons as she glared at him, the trailer continuing on.

"The real Chat Noir and Ladybug won't be able to make it to tonight's premiere, but I hope that they'll love my movie as much as we love them." The director said with a sincere tone, but Alya scoffed.

"Everyone knows that Ladybug is a humble person, there's no way he would show up to something that didn't directly involve the people." Alya remarked.

"Yeah...humble." Marin said, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly knowing that Ladybug wouldn't walk into a place that is crowded with people because he would be too anxious to even function.

"The premiere will be attended by many illustrious guests including the rockstar Jagged Stone, the famous fashion designer Gabriel Agreste, and his teen idol son who voiced Chat Noir, Adrien Agreste."

"WHAT!" Alya remarked, standing up. "Adrien never told me he was part of this project at all!" She said, clearly betrayed, furiously texting him on her phone.

"He didn't tell me either." Marin said sincerely, wondering why Adrien didn't tell him. After all, he was the only person who knew he was a fan of Chat Noir...so to speak. Having the chance to voice him in a high budget movie was incredible for someone who was just a model.

"Trailer: Chat Noir and Ladybug: two heroes facing their destiny. Coming soon to theaters." The trailer finished as Marin could still see Alya judging it critically, but he knew better.

"You wanna see this movie don't you?" Marin asked with a knowing smile as Alya grew flustered.

"Of course I have to see it, I run the Ladybug blog after all. It would be unprofessional if I just straight-up ignored the flick out of my personal bias."

"Okay sweetie," Marin said, thinking about how he'd probably get dragged along with her and Nino.

["Marinus! Could you come down for a moment please?!"] Marin's mother called from the living room.

["Coming!"] Marin said as he turned back to his friend. "I think I gotta go." He said as Alya nodded.

"No problem, I'm heading out with Nino soon anyway. Talk to you late cutie." She said, waving as the call dropped. Marin glanced at Tikki settled in her yarn basket nearby, engrossed in a manga she was reading as he headed downstairs.

["What's going on?"] He asked as he saw his parents sitting at the table.

"We're going to need some help serving all these guests at the catering event tonight." His father informed as Marin approached them in confusion.

"That even you've been baking for all week?" Marin asked.

"Yes." Tom clarified, "I forgot to hire someone, so you'll going to have to fill in. Sorry, it's short notice."

Marin shrugged his shoulders, used to being asked to help out for the larger events, but then realized."But...isn't the venue huge?" He asked, thinking about how many people would be there.

"Yes, there's going to be over 350 people in attendance." His mother informed as suddenly Marin grew nervous.

"And you're sure you'll need my help?" He asked as his parent's face fell with worry.

"If you can't do it-"

"I can! Of course, I can, I just...needed some forwarning. Don't worry, I'm not going to let you guys down." He said reassuringly as his mother then hugged him.

"Ah, wonderful. Don't forget to press your shirt my heart." She reminded as he nodded at her, raving back upstairs to his room as he shut the hatch behind him.

Tikki was pulled from her book as she saw Marin going through his trunk.

"What's going on?" She asked as Marin pulled out a black apron, placing it near his sewing machine.

"Well, we're going to be serving at a party tonight Tikki, and I need to make some adjustments to my apron."

"Adjustments?" She asked, as she watched him take out his needles and black thread.

"Yup, I need to sew on some extra pockets. I can't be carrying around my bag after all." He said, planning on sewing them both in the front and back so he could make room for her treats. He hummed to himself for a moment looking at his jewelry boy, containing just a few pairs of earrings, and his hair accessories. He frowned as he saw them he was running low on hairpins, somehow always losing them- one way or another.

"Think I should tie up my hair tonight Tikki?" He asked as his Kwami hovered nearby. She played with his long strands before shaking her head.

"No, but can I do something?" She asked, holding one of his two remaining hairpins.

"Sure?" He agreed nervously, recalling that his Kwami had recently been taking a liking to online make-up tutorials.

* * *

The event started within the evening. As Marin helped bring in the last of the creme puffs, he glanced at himself in the reflection of the tray he was holding. Though a little fuzzy, he could see that Tikki hat decided to style his hair asymmetrically, then used some of his dad;s hair gel to try and smooth out some of his cowlicks. It wasn't his style but he couldn't help it wasn't like he could change it, Tikki was too proud of her work.

He took a deep breath, promising himself that he wasn't going to worry about his appearance when he had to work on not tripping, or bumping into people, or stepping on toes.

["You'll do fine my heart."] His mother said as she handed him a tray of red and black macaroons, representing Ladybug and Chat Noir respectively. ["Just walk carefully, you don't have to rush."]

Marin nodded, looking out at the growing crowd, following his mother's instruction, taking one careful step- "Woah!" And then promptly stumbled over his feet, almost falling over if it wasn't for Jagged Stone steadying him.

"Woah, hey Marin!" He remarked, then his eyes lit up as he say him, placing his hands on his shoulders as he presented him to the man, the director of the movie, before him. "Now here's someone who's creative. Just check out these groovy sunglasses here he made for me!" Jagged Stone said, showing off the Eiffel tower sunglasses that he had created for the rockstar months ago.

"Well, that's impressive." The director complimented.

"He even designed my album cover, if you need someone who can draw, you should hire him!" Jagged praised as Marin chuckled nervously.

"Er, thanks. Er, macarons?" He offered, noticing that the Director was about to grab one, but the remaining few were quickly snatched up. The Director glanced at him as Marin, who had to laugh off his growing anxiety. "Um...more to come!" He said, quickly escaping the situation, and walked into another one as he almost ran into a familiar face.

After he handed back the empty tray, taking another one filled with cookies and started walking through the crowd again. Noticing how fast the cookies went as he passed by. The tray almost disappeared on the spot again, as there were only a few macaroons remained, the next thing he knew he was looking down at Kagami who was surprised, but it quickly turned to discontent as she recognized him.

"Um...hi?" Marin remarked nervously, taking a step back as he was about to walk away, rather quickly as he saw Adrien walking over. Both couldn't help but smile as they saw each other.

"I didn't know you were going to be here." Adrien said as he stood next to Kagami. "You do something to your hair?"

"Yeah-" Marin said, suddenly growing consciously as he messed around with his bangs, trying to cover more of his face.

"It looks good." Adrien said as Marin's face turned red, a small smile drawing on his face.

"Thank, a friend of mine did it for me." He said, pride swelling in his chest. "I'm just helping my parents out." He said, holding out the tray. "Macaroon?"

Adrien took a red macaroon off, taking a bite, looking at it curiously. "These macaroon kinda taste different. They're not bad, I just mean..."

"They're coconut-based, it was a special request. I have some regular macaroons on me if you want."

"Seriously?" Adrien asked, already knowing that Marin always kept snacks on hand. But he was somehow amazed again as he pulled out a few mini macaroons out of a pocked in his apron, all of them in a plastic wrap as he handed them over to his friend.

"Oh cool," Adrien said, his heart racing with anticipation as he handed a few over to Kagami. "Kagami, you should try some too, Marin makes the best macaroons." He said.

Kagami didn't say anything, only looking down at the cookie as Adrien bit into it fondly.

"I'm sorry, I'm not a fan of sweets." She said placing the cookie on a nearby table. Not, breaking Marin's heart to see a cookie abandoned, instead backing away nervously.

"Right, sorry. I need to um, go, get more cookies." Marin stammered, bowing his head respectfully as he scurried away, still feeling the chill from Kagami's gaze on his back. Even a few feet away she was still making his heart race out of fear as he was certain that he could destroy him with just one look. So much so, that he didn't even see where he was going, almost bumping into someone else, who was standing on her own, but then immediately glared at their almost accident.

"Chloé?" Marin asked as he saw his classmate hanging around on her own, but then rolled her eyes as she noticed he was there as well.

"Ugh, Dupain-Cheung? You're here?" She looked like she was about to say something mean, but then she smirked, placing her hands on her waist. "Actually, it's a really good thing you're doing the serving, get me a chocolate macaroon, dark chocolate not milk."

Marin stared at her with a deadpanned expression. "Chloé, they're all dark chocolate."

"Then it'll be easier for you to get one for me then." She remarked, but then her expression soured as she spotted someone walking in. Growing angry as she gritted her teeth together. "Ugh, she's here too?!"

Marin followed her gaze, seeing Adrien talking to Kagami, both of them smiling politely at each other. "You mean Kagami?" He asked as Chloé snapped at him.

"I don't just know her, I despise her." She clarified, crossing her arms.

"Why?" He asked, thinking it was an innocent enough question, but then thought again as Chloé glared daggers at him.

"Have you met her? She's rude, and cold, and she's far too clingy for someone who barely knows my Adrikins!" She said, her temper growing as she spotted Kagami grasping Adrien's arm, almost rampaging after her if it wasn't for Marin holding her back by grabbing her arm.

"Chloé you can't get in between them!" Marin remarked as Chloé then turned towards him.

"You're right, we need a plan!" She remarked, grabbing his arm and pulling him aside away from the crowd. Slapping him against a wall as she trapped him in place, forcing him to look at her as there was a fire in her eyes. "You're going to help me humiliate that girl for crossing me!"

"What? Why?!" Marin stammered, "Chloé, I have a job to do!"

"Oh please, if people want snacks they'll get snacks." She reasoned, "Look you want to watch the movie don't you?!"

"Not real-"

"Adrien and Kagami are going to be sitting next to each other, if we get rid of her, then there will be a seat for you to take. We both win in this situation.

"Chloé." Marin said taking a deep breath. "You're being ridiculous." He said, but then grew more nervous as Chloé smirked.

"Remember what you said to me once, Marin? All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good people do nothing. Well today, the evil is her and the good people are us!"

Marin just stared at her, then pinched the bridge of his nose as he questioned how he got into this situation to begin with. "Okay, first of all. You're being crazy."

"I'm the one being crazy?!"

"Yes! Kagami hasn't done anything to you!"

"She-"

"Is only responsible for being friends with Adrien!" Marin snapped back, but then thought for a moment, his anger fading. "Wait a second...are you envious of Kagami and Adrien being friends?" He asked, but got his answer as he saw Chloé's determination waver, taking a step back.

"W-What? Me?! You're the one- who's ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous!" She said defensively, trying to turn the conversation back onto him. "Besides, you're the one who needs to be worried. They're already going to the movies together, their parents are signing papers together, it won't be long before Adrien is shipped off to Japan."

"Okay, now you're just exaggerating." Marin sighed somehow becoming more exhausted with this entire conversation.

"You think so huh? Then tell me this, isn't Adrikins the type to never say no to anything his father orders him to do?!"

"Well-" Marin was about to say before he was interrupted again by Chloé going off on a tangent. To which he responded to by shoving one of Tikki's macaroons in her mouth to silence her.

"Chloé. Adrien is just as your friend as he is Kagami's'. If you hurt her just because she upset you once, over nothing; then you're the one being the bad guy." He told her bluntly, now looking down at her stunned expression. "Now I have a job to do, if you have a problem with Kagami, just tell Adrien, it's just that simple. Since when have you ever back away from telling anyone how you feel about them?" He explained escaping from her placing his empty tray under his arm wanting to just go home at this point.

* * *

Adrien looked around for Marin, wondering where he disappeared too as he noticed that Kagami was looked down at her shoes. "Kagami is something wrong?" He asked, helping her balance. Both of them saw that Kagami had gum attached to the bottom of her shoe.

"These shoes belonged to my grandmother." Kagami grumbled as Adrien quickly ran to grab a chair, but looked down to see that almost every chair was covered in crumbs. But luckily spotted a clean chair sitting nearby, bringing it over.

But just as Kagami was about to sit down, they both heard her mother calling out to her.

"Kagami!" She called as Adrien helped her over to a chair next to her mother, helping her sit down as he knelt before her. He helped remove the gum from the bottom of her shoe, throwing it away in nearby trash as saw the director walking up towards the catering table angrily.

"This macaron contains almonds! I specifically told you that I'm allergic to almonds!"

"We were so careful about that. All the macarons are made from coconut." Marin's father explained as Adrien listened in, a cold wave of realization washing over him as he looked towards the table where Kagami placed her macaroon from before, seeing that it was now gone. The director complained some more as Adrien noticed Marin ran over, apologizing profusely for something that wasn't even his fault. But it was no use as the man walked away sadly.

"Now I understand why Kagami speaks so much about you. Your father has raised you to be a refined young man!" Mrs. Tsurugi praised as Adrien averted his gaze, not feeling worthy of it as he placed Kagami's shoe back on.

* * *

Marin grimaced once against as Chloé approached him, clearly angry, but not taking the hint that he did not want to be involved.

" You ruined EVERYTHING, Dupain-Cheng. What was it with that macaron, anyway?"

"What are you talking about?" He asked, but then realized what she was implying. "Chloé, what did you do!?"

"Nothing, thanks to that old woman."

"Then why are you blaming me?!"

"Because you didn't help me!"

"Ugh-" Marin groaned, resting his head on his hand. "Please stop. I'm very tired." He sighed as he suddenly lifted his head, sensing the presence of an Akuma nearby. Looking around for a moment, he couldn't see anything.

"Hey! Are you listening to me?!" Chloé barked, but Marin ignored her, glancing towards the front entrance where a security guard was knocked back. And then a new villain walked in.

"So you really think a director does nothing? Let me show you exactly what Animaestro capable of!" He said as people started panicking. Marin looked around, heading towards a fire exit just as he saw the new villain transform into a large green dinosaur in a puff of pink smoke. As he ran up the stairs Tikki flew out, hovering nearby.

"Tikki, spots on!"

* * *

Ladybug landed on the roof along with Chat Noir as they looked up towards the Animaestro destroying buildings.

"We'd have come to your movie premiere if we'd have known how upset you were gonna get." Chat Noir said cheekily as the monster looked down towards them. "But I have to say, my bugaboo afraid of cats? Talk about creative liberties." He said jokingly, but Animaestro didn't think so.

"You haven't even seen the movie and you're already slamming it?!" Animaestro said angrily, aiming another laser blast now towards them as Ladybug and Chat Noir split up, evading the attack. Ladybug followed up, using his yo-yo to bind the snout of the Animaestro, preventing him from attacking as he landed on the head as Chat Noir followed in suit.

"Nice work." Chat Noir complimented, but they both then started falling as Animaestro transformed into a cartoon dog, falling alongside them as he threw a cartoon hole forwards the ground.

"So it's always about you, isn't it? From now on, everybody will be looking at me!" He remarked as he jumped into another cartoon hole.

Ladybug held out his arm as Chat Noir grabbed on to his wrist; then used his yo-yo to pull them to safety as they avoided the hole, tumbling to the ground.

"You okay?" Ladybug asked, but before Chat Noir could answer he was hit with a flying red boxing glove hitting a building as Ladybug turned his head to see Animaestro grinning as he threw more punches. Ladybug spun his yo-yo, using it as a shield to defend his partner as they were assaulted by more punches.

"I'm reconsidering being a dog person." Chat Noir said, rubbing his nose as he and Ladybug sprinted away, gaining speed as Animaestro jumped atop the roofs.

Ladybug thought for a moment as he saw Animaestro transform again, this time into Majestia."The only thing that doesn't change when he transforms is his mask!" He pointed out as they were blasted again, this time under their feet as they fell into the subway system below.

"Fear the power of cartoons!" Animaestro cried out with an evil glee.

"The akuma must be in it." Chat Noir finished as he helped Ladybug to his feet, both of them surrounded by rubble. Chat Noir pulled out his staff as his ears twitched. "Better hurry up with a plan bugaboo." He warned as Ladybug nodded, throwing up his yo-yo.

"Lucky charm!" From it, a ladybug print sleeping mask fell into his hands.

"Somehow I don't think it's the time for a cat nap-HEY!" Chat Noir commented just before Ladybug placed the mask on Chat Noir's face without any warning.

"Trust me." Ladybug said as Animaestro transformed, jumping down into the hole as an animated ninja. Ladybug's immediately shut his eyes as he gripped Chat Noir's hand, standing back-to-back.

Ladybug took a deep breath, sensing the villain wasn't moving, at all. Slowly, he reached out his hand, feeling Animaestro before them, but he was frozen in place.

"What's going on?" Chat Noir asked, his tone filled with worry.

"Activate your cataclysm," Ladybug ordered as he heard Chat Noir activate his power.

"Cataclysm." He said, "Now what?" He asked, then feeling Ladybug's hand on his wrist, guiding his hand before him.

Ladybug opened his eyes as he felt the Akuma move, seeing it flutter by.

"No more mischief from you little Akuma. Time to purify!" Ladybug said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion. Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. "Bye-bye, little butterfly."

Chat Noir removed the Lucky Charm, handing it back to Ladybug as they both saw the villain transforming into the director of their movie.

"Miraculous Ladybug!" Ladybug said, throwing the Lucky Charm into the air, turning everything back to normal. Ladybug then smiled at his partner, holding up his fist as he returned the gesture.

"Huh? What am I doing here? Chat Noir and Ladybug?" The director asked in confusion as Ladybug handed back his movie ID, just as his miraculous began to beep.

Ladybug touched his earrings for a moment but turned his attention towards the director, who still looked beaten up after what he went through at the premiere.

"Sorry we couldn't attend your premiere, but I am looking forward to seeing your movie." Ladybug said simply as a smile broke out on the director's face. He then waved towards his partner as he ran towards the main street.

* * *

As night fell, everyone started to gather into the theatre. Marin had to stand outside the theatre, holding the last tray of macaroons despite his feet practically being dead at this point.

"Excuse me." A man said as he walked up towards him. Marin immediately grew nervous, recognizing him from earlier as the director.

"I'm so sorry about earlier sir!" Marin apologized, bowing his head. But the man shook his head, sighing heavily.

"It's alright, mistakes happen. But, I will forgive you if you let me take the rest of those macaroons home." He requested. And it wasn't something that Marin could refuse as he easily handed over the tray, his anxiety easing as he saw the man smile, taking the tray into the theatre, all for himself.

Marin sighed heavily, done for the night. He looked down into his apron pocket, seeing that Tikki was already sleeping soundly. He was eager to follow his Kwami's example, but just as he was about to turn the corner he saw that Chloé was standing in front of Kagami, both of them had their arms crossed as there was a definite tension between them.

"Well?" Kagami prompted. "Get on with it." She said rather curtly as Chloé scoffed.

"You're cold, rude and you think that you're little miss perfect. Which you probably are; but only in the ways that matter to yourself." Chloé remarked as Kagami looked at her in surprise. "And that attitude may work for you, for now, but that attitude is only going to work out if you only plan on caring about your own needs."

"I don't need a lecture from someone as conceded as you."

"Probably," Chloé remarked, flipping her ponytail. "But I'm probably the one who's going to be honest about what kind of person you really are. We both know Adrien is too nice to ever hurt your feelings."

Marin then heard footsteps approach the two, just as he was about to leave this session of eavesdropping, he stopped as he heard Adrien's voice.

"What's going on?" Marin overheard him asking as he tried to walk away. This wasn't his business...

"Just telling Kagami what I really think about her." Chloé said.

"I hope she wasn't mean to you." He heard Adrien said, his tone implying that he was about to scold Chloé.

"Oh please, people can take a little criticism now and again Adrikins. Like you for instance."

"Me?" He asked in surprise.

"Ugh, of course, you! I realize your daddy and everyone else keeps telling you that you're perfect but quite frankly, this little nice-boy act you have going on has really been stroking your ego."

"Excuse me?"

"Oh, I don't mean like the pompous way I've been acting, or even like your little friend here. But it's no wonder you're bonding with little miss perfect, you two are exactly the same when it comes to other people's feelings. Seeing only what you want to believe." She said, then seemingly took a deep breath. "Okay, that's what I wanted to say. Ta-ta now." She said, as Marin suddenly scrambled to gain some distance, hiding behind another corner, waiting for Chloé to walk by so he could leave.

"The company you keep is...strange." Marin heard Kagami say as he heard footsteps approach.

As soon as he heard the sound of footsteps disappear, he sighed in relief, thinking that he was home free, but was then sorely mistaken as he saw Chloé was waiting for him.

"GAH-"

"Don't even get me started on you, Dupain-Cheung." Chloé said, pointing a finger toward him, seemingly knowing he was there the entire time.

"You're an airhead, your guts make me sick, and worst of all; you haven't even realized how damn annoying you are when you clearly lie about your feelings. Not to mention, it's your own fault that I became..." Chloé narrowed her eyes for a moment, averting her gaze as she gritted her teeth. "Ridiculous." She admitted, taking a deep breath.

"Are you really one to lecture me on my bad points?" He asked, but was surprised as Chloé smirked smugly at him.

"Then tell me how you really fell about me." She said.

"Um, you're a spoiled brat, who is entitled,

"See? If someone probably told me that earlier..." Chloé started to say, but then dropped it. "Well, it doesn't matter now." She said snidely, but then tossed something in his hands.

Marin looked down, seeing a familiar ID pass. "This is-" he started to say, then looked towards her. "Are you sure?"

"Don't flatter yourself Dupain-Cheung, this isn't generosity. There's no point in watching a superhero movie if Queen Bee isn't in it. I'd rather just go home and sleep after all this drama anyway." She remarked, walking past him without a second thought.

Marin looked back at her for a moment, humming to himself for a moment as texted his parents, saying he'd be home late as he walked into the theatre.

* * *

As Adrien sat down, he waved to Marin who was one of the few people entering at the last moment, holding Chloé's ID pass that she apparently gave to him. Odd, considering that she was talking about this movie for weeks, but it had been an odd day in her case.

"It's awesome you could get in, Marin." Adrien said as his friend sat down next to him. "So Chloé just game

"It's a little weird, but more importantly, I found out your secret," Marin said, as Adrien looked at him in confusion but then froze as Marin spoke on. "You're Chat Noir." He said with a carefree smile as Adrien screamed internally.

"Um..."Adrien whimpered out as Marin then started laughing.

"What's with that face? You voiced him in the movie right?"

" Oh. Right. The movie..." Adrien said simply, trying not to give away that his entire world was just about to shatter. "Sorry I didn't tell you about this earlier. I was- I mean, it's my first time doing this. So I didn't wanna get anyone's hopes up." He said, but already knew he had failed ever since he read Alya's live comments about the trailer. And then the follow-up texts when she found up he was part of the project.

"I'm sure it's going to be great. It's amazing really," Marin said, smiling cheerily. "Now I can tell people one of my best friends is Chat Noir after all."

Adrien hid his face in his hands, very happy when the theatre started to darken so he could hide his blushing face. As he heard the movie start, he kept thinking how one of his closest friends was really bad for his heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -At this point, Marin would let Tikki do almost anything to him, he loves her that much.
> 
> -The mood of always losing bobby pins, it's too real.
> 
> \- Chloé redemption maybe? But I wonder how that would work out if I keep the season 3 ending the same... hmmm. :3 (I'm all for her being super blunt about truths)
> 
> -I did like Chloé's character more in the third season and I have an idea where maybe, Chloé and Marin had kind of a back story together. Would ya'll like to see that incorporated into this?
> 
> -Not much Adrien/Marin fluff but I did enjoy the gag at the end.


	54. I'm a Reflekdoll Girl, in a Reflekdoll World

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alya helps Marin set up a website for his creations, Adrien helps, but then makes a misstep when Marin starts getting to close to comfort. Hilarity ensues, but then it all comes to a grinding halt as the two face their first Amok without their Miraculous's on hand. What could go wrong?
> 
> (Concept Art Link: https://aminoapps.com/c/miraculous/page/blog/miraculously-ladybug-chapter-update-im-a-reflekdoll-in-a-reflekdoll-world/KQYo_qnHMuBxQdlka1pzvwXanLBwazZ6PW)

Ladybug and Chat Noir ran across the rooftops after purifying an Akuma, stopping for a moment just as both of their Miraculous beeped. 

“You know, I don’t call the shots, but if I did. I would’ve utilized me more.” Chat Noir remarked as Ladybug glanced back at him. “After all, I am far more durable.” 

“What’s it matter so long as the Akuma gets purified?” 

“Well, the more you push yourself the more Tikki gets tired right? I’m just saying, you have yourself a super-powered partner, after all, I am the cunning, ultra-charming Cat Noir.” He said, resting his staff over his shoulders. 

“It takes more than just a cunning head to use my Miraculous.” Ladybug remarked. 

“And you think it’s easier to use mine?” 

Ladybug shrugged his shoulders. “Well, you seem to pretty carefree. You even have time to crack jokes.” 

Cat Noir scoffed. “You know why Master Fu gave you the Ladybug Miraculous instead of me?”

Ladybug stared at him for a moment uncertain of the point he was trying to get across. “Because it requires someone with a sense of responsibility?” 

Cat Noir smiled at him cheekily. "No, because you don't have a sense of humor."

“I have a sense of humor.” He argued, then crossing his arms he tried to come up with a come-back. 

“Look, it's no big deal. You have so many other great qualities." I'm just in charge of the humor department.” Chat Noir teased as both of their Miraculous started to beep. “Miss you already Bubagoo.” He remarked jumped off of the roof. 

“If I didn’t have a sense of humor, why would I think that all your jokes are- ah...” The black-spotted hero was about to retort but then realized his partner was already gone. "I have a sense of humor." He grumbled under his breath just as he jumped into a nearby alley, just as he transformed back. 

* * *

“I think you’re getting better.” Nino complimented as he looked through Adrien’s photos on his phone as they walked towards their next class. 

“You think?” Adrien asked. “I kinda just picked up the hobby after we took all those class photos.” 

They’re really good.” Nino then insisted as he handed Adrien his phone back. Adrien looked down at his phone, going through the shots of his friends. He thought they were pretty good. All of a sudden, Alya popped up as she ran towards them. 

“Hey, Adrien, wanna help out me and Marin?” Alya asked. “Rose, Alix, and Mylène are helping out too.” 

“Sorry, Alya. My schedules packed." Adrien apologized. "After school I'm busy until bedtime, and then some." 

“Right, but since Ms. Mendeleiev wasn't in today, so luckily you have an hour to fill in. Why not spend it be helping out your adorable friends?” She offered as Adrien exchanged a glance with Nino, the two smiling at each other as Adrien nodded. 

“Alright, sounds like fun.” 

“Perfect, we’re leaving right now.” She said as Adrien noticed Marin talking to Juleka surrounded by all the girls in their class. 

“We've got our creative consultant,” Alya said as she walked up gesturing towards Adrien. 

“Creative consultant?” Marin questioned glanced at Adrien. 

“Of course, we have a model as a best friend, why not utilize his talents?” She said gesturing towards him as Adrien smiled confidently. 

“Well alright,” Marin said looking uncertain about he was getting swept along into. 

* * *

Marin opened up, his jewelry box, feeling a little uncomfortable with so many people in his room as he watched Adrien and Alya set up the shot. 

“These look amazing.” Rose complimented, taking out a pink-tinted pearled necklace. 

“Thanks, it’s just a hobby though.” He said modestly, recalling the number of friendless hours he spent doing DIY projects for fun. At least now they were paying off…

He thought to himself. 

“I didn’t know you made jewelry,” Adrien said walking up as Rose walked over to Juleka, noticing her friend’s rising anxiety. 

Marin only chuckled nervously, stepping aside as Adrien looked through the box. But his eyes lingered towards his friend's hand, eyeing what looked to be a marble ring. 

“This one’ll be perfect.” He said as he noticing Marin glancing down at his hand. “Something wrong?” He asked, then grew panicked as Marin took his hand, abruptly. 

“I’ve never noticed you wear a ring.” He said as Adrien started growing uncomfortable at his friend looking directly at his Miraculous. 

“I think I’ve seen it somewhere before…” Marin said, seemingly trying to recall as Adrien pulled his hand away. 

“Um, it is a pretty common design!” Adrien insisted as he laughed aloud, immediately escaping the situation as he walked over to Juleka. 

Marin tried to recall where he saw the shape before, but couldn’t remember, distressing as he closed the box. However, he saw Juleka had frozen in place, looking distressed as all eyes were on her. 

“Come on, we need to hurry up.” Alya reminded as Marin nodded, walking past her.

“Hey, guys let’s give her a little room,” Marin recommended as his friends took the hint. He placed his hand on Juleka’s shoulder, look down at her in concern. “You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to.” He said, but it looked like she wasn’t calming down. 

“Okay, new plan.” Alya said, getting more panicked at the clock running out of time. “We do a male photoshoot.” She recommended, grasping Adrien’s arm. 

“Alya,” Marin sighed. “I’m pretty sure I don’t need a model. What’s wrong with just taking the photos of the jewelry itself?” 

“People want to see what the product looks like, and how it is to scale. So you’re going to need  someone to model what you have.” Alya reasoned. “And it just so happens that we're in the proximity of the most well-known model in Paris. So we have a scale and some publicity just by having him he part of this.” 

“Well…” Marin said, uncertain as he glanced back towards Juleka for a moment as he saw Rose holding her hand, trying to comfort her. They didn’t have a lot of time, and this was probably the only chance they were ever going to have. 

“Alright.” He sighed but looked up to see Mylene and Alix were already pushing him behind the folding screen. He turned back towards Juleka for a moment, “It’s okay Juleka, we can take the female model photo’s later.” He said trying to reassure her, but she didn’t seem to listen as she hung her head. 

He sincerely hoped that he wasn’t going to regret this choice. 

* * *

Exiting the car and walking out, Trocadéro, upon the overlook of the Eiffel tower. Adrien looked over the new clothes he was wearing, feeling extremely comfortable in the fabric. 

“Here.” Marin said, holding out the jewelry all placed within the beret. 

Adrien glanced down at the rings. 

“Something wrong?” Marin asked as Adrien then shook his head. “Oh, no, I just have to put some stuff in my bag. He smiled as he took the hat from Marin’s hands, then as his friend was out of sight, he took a deep breath, trying to ease his nerves as he placed his messenger bag down for a moment. He placed the hat and most of the jewelry on but hesitated in removing his Miraculous. 

“What are you doing?” Plagg asked, poking his head out. 

“Marin already noticed my Miraculous.” Adrien said taking his ring off, replacing it with the one his friend made. “If he recognizes that it’s the same one Chat Noir has, we’re both going to be in trouble.” He said placing it in the bag next to his Kwami. “It’ll just be for a half-hour, don’t worry Plagg.” Adrien reassured as he then placed the bag within the trunk. 

“Hey, model boy, we kinda need you!” Alix beckoned just as Adrien placed his bag in the trunk. 

“Coming!” He called out running towards his friends. 

* * *

Marin was stuck in deep in thought, not even enjoying all the amazing pictures that Alya was taking of Adrien.  But only pulled out as Rose then tapped his shoulder, flinching back as he noticed how close she was. 

“Don’t worry about her Marin, Juleka is strong!” She said with a smile Marin looked down towards her. 

“Yeah... but maybe we shouldn’t have left her behind.” He said, but all of a sudden, the ground shook as all of them were looked up towards a giant familiar robot that had landed nearby.

“Having fun without me my friends?!” The robot said, shooting down a laser towards them. Marin immediately pushed Rose out of the way, but Alya, Alix, and Mylene were caught in the blast, looking like Reflekta. Marin gasped at the robot again, realizing the odds were against him, there was no way he could outrun this monster, not with witnesses around. 

He couldn’t spot Adrien, believing that he must have escaped, so he grabbed Rose’s hand, finding a hiding place as he tried to catch his breath. 

“What is that?!” Rose said in a panic, behind her, Marin took off his Miraculous, placing them in his bag. 

“It’s Juleka.” He said, sensing the presence of an Akuma from the head of the robot. “Come on, we have to hide.” He said, but then saw that Refekta had her eyes on him. 

“Marin!!” The villain cried out angrily, probably mad at him. Just as the robot was about to blast him again, Rose pushed him out of the way, getting hit with the blast, but also making him drop his messenger bag, out of reach of Tikki as Reflekta’s blast kept from reaching his Miraculous. 

“This could be a problem.” He said to himself as he ran father from his Miraculous, trying to evade the robot’s footsteps. 

* * *

Just as Adrien was about to reach the place the car was parked, the placed where his Miraculous was, he saw that it was out of sight. Probably knocked away when the villain landed, so he had no idea where it was or even where to start looking. But then he heard a voice behind him, one that was familiar as he glanced up to see a red Kwami flying around. 

“Ladybug?! Ladybug!” Tikki called down, but then recoiled as she then spotted him. “Chat Noir!” She said as he was surprised Ladybug’s Kwami had recognized him. 

“You know who I am?” Adrien questioned. 

“Of course! Plagg can’t keep a secret.” She remarked as the ground shook again. 

“Where’s Ladybug?” He asked, glancing at the earring in her hand as they both hid behind a pillar. 

“He took off his earrings to avoid getting hit, but now I can’t find him anywhere!” She said worriedly. “You’re going to need to put these on stop the Akuma!” She said placing the earrings in his hands. 

“I can’t just take this.” He said, but then they turned as they saw the robot landing nearby, looking. 

“There you are!” She cried out as they both saw Marin hiding behind a car, wheezing as he wasn’t used to running. 

“Desperate times call for desperate measures.” He said taking Tikki’s Miraculous. The Ladybug earrings turned white in his hand as he then placed them on his ears. 

“Alright. Tikki, spots on!” 

* * *

“Marin!” Reflekdoll called out searching, as he hid behind a car. He tried to catch his breath, but his sides hurt running so much. Making him temporarily immobile, but then a familiar black Kwami caught his attention as he hovered nearby. 

“Plag-” He was about to call out, but then was exposed as Reflekdoll picked up the car, about to blast him. Just then he was saved at the last moment. Next thing he knew he was in the arms of a new hero, one whose features he recognized as they jumped onto the roof. 

“Stay safe now.” He said, about to turn and face the giant robot until Marin grabbed his hand for a moment, stunned. 

“Chat Noir?” He asked as he saw his partner suddenly grow nervous. 

“Um, huge fan, but actually.” He said thinking for a moment, “I’m Mister Bug. It’s an easy mistake!” He said, not waiting for a response as he then jumped off the roof. 

Marin stood there for a few moments before grasping the hair on his head. “He stole my ** Kwami** ?!” Marin asked himself, flabbergasted as the audacity. But then his attention was caught as Plagg hovered nearby, holding his Miraculous. “Plagg, what is going on?!” 

“There’s no time, put this on!” He demanded as he placed his ring on Marin’s hand. The contact made the Miraculous turn into a simple band that was a more pink tinted shade of rose gold. The sensation made his stomach turn. “I can’t just use this, Master Fu-” 

“JUST TRANSFORM!!” He demanded as Marin was stunned for a moment. He nodded his head, putting on the ring as he took a deep breath. 

“Plagg, claws on!” 

* * *

Mister Bug, evaded one of the blasts, using his heightened agility. But fell short as he realized he didn’t have the same strength as he did as Chat Noir, unable to scale a wall just as he was in Reflecta’s sights. However, he was saved as someone stood before him, using their staff to deflect the blast. 

Looking up, he saw his partner, wielding the Cat Miraculous, now in all black with traces of neon green along with his suit. Unlike his suit, however, his partner's had a hood, along with some traces of red, making his mask look like that of an acrobat's. 

“That’s a good look for you.” Mister Bug remarked as his partner grabbed his waist, using his staff to lift them both a pillar. Mister Bug remarked as his gaze lingered on his partner’s new appearance, noticing how his transformations were more stylish than his own. “So who’s this new hero that’s stolen my affections?” Mister Bug asked flirtatiously, but then had a claw pointed towards his face. 

“You stole my Kwami!” His partner said, pointing an accusatory finger towards him, distracted from the villain as somehow this was his new priority. 

“It was an emergency!” Mister Bug insisted. “And besides, do you want to change back now? In the middle of all this?!” He asked, pushing his partner out of the way as Reflekdoll tried to blast them again. Mister Bug landed atop his partner, both of them snapping to attention as they were lined up in the villain’s range. “You still wanna argue about this now?” He asked cheekily before his partner wrapped his arms around his waist, making them tumble out of the way as they avoided the attack once more, landing on their feet as they both took out their weapons. 

“It’s nothing.” His partner said as he turned his attention down towards the villain. “We need to take out that robot first before we can get to Reflekta.” He remarked, looking down his hand that held his Miraculous. 

“Don’t at least I get to know your name first, wildcat?” Mister Bug asked playfully as he tried spinning his yo-yo, but it was much harder than Ladybug made it look as he hit his face almost immediately. Luckily, his partner blocked the attack again using his staff. 

“Priorities!” 

“Right, right.” Mister Bug nodded, throwing up his yo-yo. “Lucky Charm!” He said, and a mirror fell into his hands. A smile broke out as he looked down at what he received. “Just exactly what I wanted.” He said he saw his partner’s dumbfounded expression, slapping his forehead. 

“What’s not what I meant!” He grumbled as he used his staff to quickly lift them over Reflekdoll’s head and towards the Eiffel Tower, gaining them some time. “How do you plan on using a mirror against that thing?” He asked as Mister Bug smiled smugly. 

“Allow me to demonstrate wildcat.” He remarked, looking down at Reflekdoll climbing up the tower. He held out the mirror, blasting back one of the lasers that were shot out of the eyes. But it did almost nothing as the robot was stunned for less than a second before it started climbing again. 

“...hm.” Mister Bug hummed to himself as his partner pulled him back, glaring at him. 

“Lucky Charm’s aren’t always straight forward. You have to think about it, the enemy, and the surrounding area.” 

Mister Bug stared at him for a moment. “But you always figure it out in a few seconds.” He pointed out as he saw his partner’s face redden slightly, rubbing the back of his head nervously. 

“If you can’t think of anything, we probably don’t have enough information. He said, grabbing Mister Bug’s yo-yo who was distracted, noticing that unlike with his transformation as Chat Noir; his partner had small fangs like a cat’s teeth, which were pretty cute. 

“Hey!” 

“Oh shush.” His partner said, using its zoom feature, his eyes widening in surprise as he then slapped his forehead. 

“What?” Mister Bug asked as he took his yo-yo back, looking down and seeing Reflekta inside the robot. “Look’s like Reflecta’s got herself a Reflekdoll.” He said, then lifted his head in remembrance as he stared at his partner who was hiding his face in his hands. “I thought your thing was, you know, sensing Akuma’s an all that?!” He said sarcastically as he saw his partner’s ears flatten, placing his hood over his head, pouting at him in annoyance as then the tower shook. 

“We have to find the Akuma, as well as an Amok.” His partner said, looking down towards the hand that held his Miraculous, deep in thought as he took a few steps back. 

“Hei Mao.” 

“Huh?” Mister Bug turned his head towards his partner who had a playful expression sparked in his eye. 

“My name, it’s Hei Mao.” He remarked, leaning down into a runner’s stance as he held up his hand. “Cataclysm!” He said loud jumping down towards the Reflekdoll, landing a square hit on the robot and then using his staff to knock down the robot towards the ground, using his momentum as the landed on the fallen robot. 

As he looked into the open eyes, down at Reflecta, the eyes closed as he was knocked off, hitting the tower as the Reflekdoll suddenly spiraled out of control. But as he was stunned for a moment Mister Bug grabbed him in his arms, hiding behind a pillar as he looked down at his partner, now noticing his former blue eyes were green due to the Cat Miraculous. 

“How are you so light?” Mister Bug asked as he placed Hei Mao on the ground, even without his heightened strength his partner didn’t seem to weigh a lot despite his height. He received a glare for a moment before the ground shook under them. Both of them looked towards the rampaging robot. 

“Does your Cataclysm usually do that?” Hei Mao asked, his ears flattening. 

“I don’t know, I’ve never Cataclysmed an Amok before.” Mister Bug said as the then heard his Miraculous beep. 

“Both the Akuma and the Amok have to be inside the head.” Hei Mao reasoned as he glanced at Mister Bug’s Lucky Charm, then took out his staff, but was stopped as Mister Bug grabbed his wrist. 

"Hey! What are you doing?!" He asked.

"I'm supporting you." Hei Mao answered. " I’ll buy you some time. You figure out how to use that mirror.” 

“How am I suppose to do that?” Mister Bug asked, now growing panicked with his newfound responsibility. 

“It doesn’t have to be used as a mirror, think outside of the box.” Hei Mao advised  as he then dashed towards the rampaging robot. 

Mister Bug looked held hit Mirror in his hands, looking around for anything to help take down the Robot. But then got an idea as he saw Hei Mao knockdown Reflekdoll, seeing what looked to be a piggy bank lock on the top of its head. 

He grinned to himself as he threw his yo-yo towards one of its horns, landing atop its head just as it stood back up. 

“What are you doing?!” Hei Mao called out as he shielded himself from the blasts. 

“Using my head!” Mister Bug called back as he unlocked the opening on Reflekdoll’s head. 

“More like you’re using her head.” Hei Mao remarked as he followed in suit, the two of them landing in the head as the robot still rampaged. 

Reflekta glared at both of them angrily despite their predicament. “What ugly outfits, you both would look much nicer in PINK!!” She said about to blast them, but Mister Bug quickly destroyed her bracelet using his yo-yo, releasing the Akuma. 

"No more trouble from you little Akuma. Time to purify!" Mister Bug said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion. Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. "Hello, my little butterfly." He said, as Hei Mao punched the steering wheel, breaking it as a familiar-looking feather was released. 

“Well this is a first.” Mister Bug said as he looked at the blue feather floating by. “What do I d-” He was about to ask before he sneezed. All of a sudden, all of them were in freefall as Reflekdoll disappeared. Hei Mao caught Juleka while Mister Bug captured the feather, both of them landing on the ground as the robot disappeared. 

As Hei Mao placed Juleka on the ground, Mister Bug released the feather. 

“Bye-bye little feather.” He said as the newly purified feather drifted away, then threw up his lucky charm. “Miraculous Ladybug!” He said, and everything turned back to normal. 

* * *

“Well, that was eventful.” Mister Bug said as both his and Hei Mao’s Miraculous beeped. They exchanged a glance of panic as Mister Bug suddenly yelled out towards Juleka while they started running. “You seem like a nice girl, I’m sure your friends would listen if something bothered you!!” He remarked as Hei Mao grabbed his arm quickening their pace as they jumped atop the roofs. 

Mister Bug caught his breath for a moment as he noticed Hei Mao looking at him curiously. 

“See something you like?” Mister Bug joked, but then saw his partner’s face redden lightly before turning his head away. “...hm?” 

“Nothing.” he quickly said as his ears flattened. 

“Really?” Mister Bug inquired as he placed his hands on his hips with a smug smile on his face. “Maybe we should do this more often, I like seeing you emote more.” 

"I-" Hei Mao was speechless for a moment, crossing his arms defensively. "I'm just a little pissed off. Why does your costume look more normal when I'm running around the city looking like a clown." 

Mister Bug stared at him for a moment as his entire face lit up with glee, covering up his mouth as he tried to silence his giggles. 

"What?" Hei Mao asked as his ears perked up for a moment. 

"Do you not know that our appearances are based on what we want to look like?" He asked, wishing he had a camera as he saw Hei Mao's face turn a scarlet red, his ears flattening as Mister Bug couldn't hold back his laughter anymore. 

"Shut up!" Hei Mao demanded, but it held no weight as his belt tail wrapped around his leg in embarrassment, pulling his hood over his face as he turned his back to his partner. "But I have to admit." Hei Mao said as Mister Bug wiped away from tears, noticing his partner's more sincere tone. 

"It was kinda fun, being as strong as you." He said flexing his claws, for once understanding why Chat Noir could have as much boundless confidence as he did. With the power of destruction at his fingertips, it was...empowering. 

"Isn't it?" Mister Bug said, then rubbing the back of his head, "I have to say though, I don't think I've given you enough credit." he admitted as he saw Hei Mao's ears perk up as he turned his head towards him. "You're not as strong, or as fast, so you have to make up for it with your own will. It's amazing how you've done this for so long, I think anyone else would've given up a long time ago." He said, but noticed Hei Mao's ear's flatten again. Though he wasn't sure as to why he saw Hei Mao's face turn sullen for a moment before their Miraculous beeped for a final time, both of them exchanged a panicked expression. 

“Later then, bugaboo!” Hei Mao said quickly as he jumped down into an alleyway while Mister Bug lingered for a moment, smiling to himself as he dropped down into the other side of the alleyway. 

“Likewise, wildcat.” 

* * *

As Marin transformed he sighed heavily as Plagg fell into his hands. 

“Camembert…” He moaned as Marin looked down in worry at the kwami. 

“Sorry little kitty, I don’t have my snacks with me.” He apologized, but the Kwami was too tired to even respond. Marin placed him in his jacket pocket along with his Miraculous, looking around to make sure the coast was clear before he ran back towards where he dropped his bag. 

* * *

Tikki whimpered as Adrien looked down at the red Kwami sadly, feeling guilty as the poor thing was hungry. 

“I’m sorry Tikki, can you wait a little while until I can find some snacks?” He asked, only receiving a drowsy nod as she quickly fell asleep. 

Adrien patted down his pockets, looking for a place where he could place the Kwami. He sighed heavily as he removed the earring, watching Tikki disappear as he placed the Miraculous in his pocket, putting on Marin’s earrings to keep up appearances. He then ran out onto the streets, fully intending to run to where his bag should have been, after all the Miraculous Ladybug spell should have placed it back to where it was before. 

* * *

Adrien sighed in relief as he saw his bag was in the trunk of the car, quickly taking it out, but then his stomach sank as he saw that the cheese was no longer in there. He sighed heavily, thinking that Plagg must have gotten hungry when he was in there earlier, but then got an idea as he saw Marin walked to Juleka. 

He walked over towards both of his friends talking in an apologetic tone, his expression softening as the two then laughed over something, burying any tension between them. All of a sudden, he felt a hand on his shoulder as he looked up towards his bodyguard. With one glance, he knew that he was out of time, but even so. 

“Please can I stay for a few more minutes?” He asked, widening his eyes to make himself look more innocent. 

At first, his bodyguard wasn’t buying it, then the rest of his friends joined in as they pleaded alongside him. Finally, his guard gave in as Adrien couldn’t help but smile victoriously. 

All of them spent the next few minutes quickly taking photos together, ending up with Marin shooting one with all of them together as Adrien saw his friend smile warmly at them. When it was time to leave, Adrien walked up to Marin as his bodyguard followed them. “Walk with me?” He asked as Marin nodded, handing Alya’s phone back. “Sorry this shoot didn’t go as expected,” Adrien apologized as he started to remove the jewelry. “I can return your clothes tomorrow.” 

“No need to apologize, I’m just grateful you even agreed to this.” Marin said as he took back his jewelry, glancing down at Adrien’s hand. 

“What happened to your ring?” Marin asked as he took his jewelry back. 

“Oh, it’s in my bag.” Adrien said but then noticed. 

“Hey, what happened to your earrings?” He asked, seeing that his friend wasn’t wearing his usual black studs. 

Marin immediately touched his ears, his face turning red with embarrassment. “They must have fallen off before, it’s alright, I have spares.” He said as his face burned red for a moment, looking anxious as he averted his gaze. 

They stood they awkwardly for a moment until Adrien’s bodyguard honked at them causing the two to snap to attention. 

“I’ll see you later?” Adrien asked just as he was about to step into the 

“Yeah, I’ll text you.” Marin said as they both chuckled nervously. As he watched Adrien’s being driven away, he groaned in frustration hiding his face in his hands as he could feel his ears turned red. Sighing away all of his anxiety he turned to see his friends standing behind him, all of them smiling as he felt a little intimidated by the attention. 

“What?” He asked, gripping the strap of his messenger bag as Alya especially smiled smugly. 

“So, you’re gonna text him huh?” She asked in a tone that Marin didn’t care for, his face still red as he looked back at his best friend. 

“Yeah?” 

“How’re ya gonna get his number?” Alix clarified as Marin stared at her for a moment, a wave of embarrassment washing over him as he hid face in shame. Crouching down and hiding his face in his hands once more as he accepted his friend’s hugs. 

* * *

Marin planted his face in his pillow as night came around, having already changed into his pajamas. Behind him, he could hear Plagg scarfing down on Camembert bread nourishingly. This day felt especially heavy as he had a heavy feeling in his heart. He pulled his hood over his head as he reached for his phone, glancing at a photo of Adrien that Alya had sent him. He furrowed his brow as he stared at Adrien’s eyes, his green eyes, the same shade of green as… 

But he was pulled from his thoughts as he then felt the small black Kwami nuzzling his cheek. A smile drew across his face as Plagg rested in his hands, looking up at him with a satisfied smile. 

“Time to go?” He asked as the Kwami of destruction nodded. 

“Maybe we should switch partners, I can assure you that I’d appreciate living in a bakery more than my sugarcube.” He remarked as Marin laugh, handing back his ring. 

“Somehow I doubt that little kitty. I already look like a clown when I transform, But you’re free to visit anything.” He offered as the Kwami hovered nearby. 

“I think my partner already takes advantage of you enough,” Plagg said dryly, as Marin chuckled. 

“You both are welcome anytime.” 

“Yeah, yeah.” Plagg said about to fly away, but hung back for a moment, quickly nuzzling Marin’s cheek again as he purred affectionately. “Don’t tell anyone about his.” He added, flying away quickly as Marin smiled at the Kwami. 

* * *

Adrien could help but smile as he saw Tikki eating the ice cream he placed before her. The cute Kwami ate quietly but was enjoying her meal as she licked her lips. It appeared that every Kwami had an endless stomach as she had gone through already three scoops. 

“Thank you, Adrien,” Tikki said as she finished her final scoop, bowing her head gratefully as Adrien petted her head. 

“You’re welcome,” Adrien said as both of them heard someone else enter. Looking up to see Plagg flying in through the window, the cat Kwami immediately hugging him as Adrien returned the gesture. 

“Miss me?” Plagg asked as he handed back the ring. 

“Of course I did.” Adrien responded as he placed his Miraculous back on, the black ring turning back to white as he looked down at it for a moment, recalling how Marin had pointed it out earlier but shook away those thoughts as he handed Tikki back her earrings. The white earrings reverted back to their normal Ladybug form as soon as they touched the Kwami’s hands. 

“Say hi to Ladybug for me.” Adrien requested as Tikki nodded. 

“Stop by anytime sugarcube.” Plagg added, making Tikki shoot a glare at him in annoyance. 

“We can’t ever be away from our partner’s Plagg.” Tikki scolded as Plagg shrugged his shoulders. 

“Easy for you to say,” Plagg remarked, “Your partner-” 

“Plagg!” Tikki snapped. 

“I was just gonna say, spoils you like heck.” Plagg snapped back, crossing his arms. “No wonder you’re so condescending.” He joked, looking at her with an impish grin as Adrien couldn’t help but chuckle. 

“Plagg, don’t tease her.”

“But it’s so easssyyyyyy.” Plagg remarked as Tikki sighed, nodding her head at Adrien as she flew out into the night. 

Adrien turned towards Plagg as Tikki soon disappeared, “Well, I hope you had fun today.” 

“I did actually, Ladybug is quite the host.” Plagg remarked as he rubbed his belly. 

* * *

Marin rubbed his Miraculous, sitting up in bed as Tikki slept next to him on the pillow tonight rather in her yarn basket. Marin was sketching in his book, using a reading lamp to help him see, not wanting to wake up his Kwami. But he then frowned as he reached for a green color pencil as he shaded in the green of Chat Noir’s eyes. He recalled what Mister Bug had asked him earlier if he saw something he liked. 

He did, he thought he saw the same soft shade of green that he always noticed about Adrien's eyes. 

His thoughts couldn’t help but linger as he felt a familiar sensation, the same one that lingered when he thought Gabriel was Hawkmoth. He brushed his doodle for a moment, closing his eyes for a moment as he pushed those thoughts aside. He couldn't think about that, he couldn't let his emotions cloud his judgment. Love was impractical, loving someone like Adrien was ridiculous, wanting to be closer to Chat Noir was- should be the last thing on his mind. 

“No...couldn’t be.” Marin murmured to himself as his face started to burn at the mere thought of his partner and the person he cared immensely for, closing his sketchbook and turning in for the night. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- Plagg: So what’s the first thing you notice when Mister Bug approaches you?   
Marin: The audacity 
> 
> -If there are any parallels between Marin and Gabriel, it's intentional  
-I wonder where exactly I will take this Marin noticing more similarities about Chat Noir and Adrien plot :3c  
\- MariChat is coming up ya'll, I hope i don't insert some angst in the chapter. :>  
-Hei Mao literally just translates to Black cat, it's a small reference to Marin's Chinese background 
> 
> -( I'll probably do more doddles of Hei Mao, his design is favorite of mine. His design is more based on an acrobat or a performer's)


	55. Were's Dad?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So, Chat Noir comes over for brunch after Tom catches him and Marin together on the roof. Allowing his eagerness to take over despite how much he is embarrassing his only son right in front of his cat not-boyfriend. What could go wrong?

"Cake!" Gigantain called out as he terrorized the streets with Ladybug and Chat Noir trailing behind, noticing the baby zeroing in on the Dupain-Cheung bakery. "CAKE!" Gigantain cried out in glee.

But as the hero's his the streets Ladybug noticed his parents were outside the store, having no doubt that his father was trying to protect the store while his mother kept trying to pull him back in. Ladybug threw his yo-yo around Gigantitan's arm, gaining his attention as he called out. "Pa—Mr. Dupain! Move aside! It's dangerous!"

He said as Chat Noir casually walked towards him, resting his arms on his staff. "Wow, my heart is just like that yo-yo-wrapped baby's wrist. Taken prisoner by my Lady forever." He said, but the next thing he knew, Gigantain set his partner flying, slamming into a billboard. Chat Noir gasped in chocked, quickly catching Ladybug, who landed into his arms. "Admit it, for a second there, you almost fell for my poetic verse." He teased as he placed his partner back onto the ground.

"If those are your standards, then I fell for baby August the same way." Ladybug remarked as he threw up his yo-yo, "Lucky Charm!" but immediately grew panicked as a huge plastic donut fell on him. He was stunned for a moment until Gigantitan picked it up in glee.

"Cake!" Gigantitan said, taking the doughnut and tried to eat it. But immediately was repulsed when he realized it wasn't real. "Not cake!"

"Your plastic doughnut doesn't stand a chance against the best macaroons in Paris. That baby has taste." Chat Noir said as he helped Ladybug to his feet. He sprinted first, using his staff to lift himself towards the baby's neck, but was immediately caught as the baby started throwing a tantrum, shaking the hero wildly as though he were a toy.

"My LADY I WOULD LIKE TO GET OFF THIS RIDE NOW PLEASE!" Chat Noir cried out as Ladybug closed his eyes for a moment, sensing the Akuma possessing the pacifier around Gigantitans' neck. With the baby distracted Ladybug jumped up towards on his shoulder, then using his yo-yo to break the tie around his neck, making the pacifier fall to the ground.

"Gummy!" Gigantitan called out as he dropped Chat Noir, this time being caught by Ladybug.

"See, somehow I always end up falling for you." Chat Noir said as Ladybug pointed out the pacifier.

"The Akuma's in there." He said as Gigantitan started crying, his wails breaking window's as both heroes had to cover their ears. Chat Noir was rendered useless with his heightened hearing, falling to his knees as Ladybug looked up towards his Lucky Charm. He used his yo-yo to jump up, then used the momentum from his fall to remove the encased toy.

Gigantitan eyed it for a moment, starting to gnaw it as his eyes were still wet with tears. Ladybug's expression softened as he petted the baby's head, standing on his shoulder. "Miraculous Ladybug!" He called out, turning everything back to normal as Gigantitan searched for his missing toy, about to cry again. "Chat Noir!" He called out as his partner nodded.

"Cataclysm!" He said, destroying the pacifier, releasing the Akuma.

Ladybug caught August as well as the Akuma, releasing the newly purified Akuma as he landed on his feet. "Bye-bye little Butterfly." He said as he and Chat Noir pounded fists.

"So what was it this time?" Chat Noir asked, placing both of his hands on his hips, looking down at the cooing baby, having calmed down after his crying.

"A late-night craving, huh, baby August?" Ladybug asked picking up the pacifier, unable to stop himself from bouncing the baby in his arms who laughed playfully. "Aw, you such a cutie." He said, planting a bunch of small pecks on the baby's face as August only laughed.

Chat Noir hummed for a moment as his ears flattened. "I'm a bit jealous." He stated, just as Ladybug's earring beeped.

"Don't be, now it's your turn." He said, taking out his yo-yo, he took a moment to pink August's cheeks before he was lifted into the rooftops, out of sighed.

"I meant jealous of him!" Chat Noir called out, then looked at the baby he was stuck with, who cooed innocently as Chat Noir sighed heavily. But he snapped back to attention again as August started getting fussy. "You miss him already too? I know how it feels."

"Gummy!" August cried out, as Chat Noir remembered Ladybug accidentally took it along with him. He extended his staff onto the balcony of Marin's roof, a smile drawing on his face as he saw his friend standing on there, holding the pacifier in his hands, freezing up as Chat Noir landed.

"Marin!" Chat Noir greeted as he landed, still holding August in his arms, who started getting fussy as he spotted Marin.

"Uh…" Marin mumbled for a moment as he realized what was in his hand, handing it over to baby August. "This is his I guess. I just found it on my balcony." He said nervously, avert his gaze as Chat Noir couldn't help but tease him a little.

"Oh? And were you maybe waiting for someone important? Perhaps, a handsome knight in search of his prince?" He asked, taking a step closer as a smile broke out on Marin's face.

"Right, a prince that is madly in love with a knight with cat ears." He joked, but then both of them froze as it turned out, Marin's father overheard their banter.

"Oh!" The man's eyes lit up with the fire of a thousand candles as Chat Noir spotted Marin slapping his forehead.

"Cake!" August called out as he recognized the baker. 

"What a surprise!" He said stepping up on to the balcony as Chat Noir's Miraculous started to beep. He struggled to keep baby August in his arms which was proving difficult as the baby's eyes lit up at the sight of the jolly baker.

"Oh! Well, perfect timing! I have to go and take him back to his mother." Chat Noir said, trying to escape, but was stopped by Tom placing his hands on his shoulders.

"Wait! Why don't you come have Sunday brunch with us tomorrow?" Tom asked with an infectious smile.

Chat Noirs' eyes darted between him and Marin, who was motioning "no" in a panic.

"I'll make my prize-winning pastries." Tom offered as he looked down at the hero in expectation.

"Um...How could I say no to that?" He said, his polite side taking over as he saw the dumbfounded expression in Marin's eyes, now glaring at him as Chat Noir immediately jumped off the roof. "Well, see you tomorrow then!"

* * *

"Our son's boyfriend is coming for lunch tomorrow! Do you realize Marin has a boyfriend?! And he's a superhero! On top of that! He'll be safe with him." Tom rambled as Marin slowly wanted to crumble into dust at his father's eagerness. But couldn't find the words, as the only phrases that popped into his mind were curses.

Sabine picked up on the mood as she took a sip of tea from her cup. "Aren't you jumping the gun a little, Tom?" She asked, but her husband was too swept up in his baking affair.

"You're right.' Tom agreed. "I can't be baking dessert when I haven't even started on the first course yet!"

Sabine sighed heavily at her husband's eagerness, one of the reasons that she loved him so much now was proving to be a hindrance in this awkward situation. 

" I know! I'm going to cook them a delicious sweetheart's vol-au-vent! Now, where are the candied oranges?"

"What I meant is Chat Noir hasn't said anything about his feelings-"

"Come now, it's obvious that he's in love with Marin. Besides, who wouldn't love Marin? Everyone loves our little moon!" He remarked as he quickly planted a kiss on his mortified child's head. Who then gave a pleading expression to his mother who could only shrug her shoulders in defeat.

* * *

Chat Noir flipped through the window, detransforming as he landed on his feet. 

"You finally got yourself a boyfriend! And not just any boyfriend, the best baker of the best bakery in Paris!" Plagg remarked as he flew to his cheese cabinet.

"Marin isn't my- Chat Noir's boyfriend, Plagg. We were just-"

"Flirting? Yes, you two happen to do that alot when you're together. Now it'll actually be to an end with you finally meeting his parents. Ah, I can already hear the wedding bells and the three tiers of warm and crispy bread to pair with every piece of cheese. Our life is about to change!" He said joyously

"Stop it, Plagg. You know I'm in love with Ladybug." Adrien sighed as walked to the bathroom to wash his face.

"So? I don't see the problem in keeping two pots simmering on the stove! Especially when there's actually only one pot." He mumbled the last part to himself as he gobbled down some cheese, then flew over to his partner.

"I going to have to be upfront about it with his parents, I can't just leave my friend hanging like that. I'll go for brunch, and just clear the air." He said reasonably, but was surprised.

"Are you kidding? Marin is the best person you will ever find! Marry him." He demanded, hovering behind Adrien who just scoffed at his Kwami's persistence.

"You're just thinking with your stomach."

* * *

Marin waited on the balongey, hoping, praying that Chat Noir wouldn't show up. 

"He's not coming, there's no way he'd actually show up." 

"Why wouldn't he? He cares about you after all." Tikki pointed out, effectively making Marin grow more anxious. 

"Oh crap, he can't come, if he comes here, it'll just make everything worse" Marin whined as he rested his back to the railing."What's love good for? Ruining lives, and Sunday brunches." He then snapped as Tikki sat on his knees. She gasped and then phased through the floor. Marin glanced down in the spot where she was before he froze for a moment as someone above him cleared his throat. Next thing he knew, he was looking up at Chat Noir, squatting on the railing of his balcony, looking down at him with a rose in his hand.

"Um...my prince?" He said with a nervous smile, as he could see Marin's annoyed expression.

"What the heck were you thinking?!" He suddenly snapped, standing up, now eye level with the hero who looked taken aback.

"I panicked, I'm sorry!" He said as Marin sighed heavily.

"You know what, this is fine. You just need to leave now, and my dad will just have to get over this. Problem solved." He said hastily.

"What? I can't just leave your dad sad like that." Chat Noir remarked.

"Can't you?" Marin begged as Chat Noir shook his head.

"I made this mess, I'll be the one to clean it up. Starting with entering your home, not from the roof for once." Chat Noir said, jumping off the roof as Marin screamed into the sleeve of his jacket, glancing back at his Kwami who reappeared.

"Tikki, help me." He begged as his Kwami patted his head.

"Maybe this is a good thing. You care about Chat Noir a lot, maybe you should give your relationship a try." She offered, but Marin stared at her with a dumbfounded expression.

"Chat Noir and I don't have a relationship, not like that. I like him a lot, but asking, or expecting anything more would be selfish and irresponsible." He sighed.

"But you love him." Tikki said bluntly as Marin immediately blushed. "Just follow your heart."

His heart faced at the mere thought, but he couldn't let himself feel that way. There was too much uncertainty, too many, similarities...

For a moment his mind flashed back to the other day, to the similarities that Chat Noir and Adrien shared. Even if it wasn't true, even if he was just being crazy, if the two were one in the same, then there could never be anything between them. He could never take advantage of his partner, of his friend like that.

Even if it was equal, even if they both knew each other's identities, it would just be more dangerous for both of them. No. Whatever he was feeling, whatever impractical emotions that were festering, he had to wipe them out, wipe them away.

Marin groaned as loud as he could, slapping his cheeks multiple times to push away those intrusive thoughts, then nodded as his chest swelled with determination.

"I am going to get through this, and everything is going to be fine." He said as Tikki sighed heavily.

* * *

"Welcome to our home!" Marin heard his father remarked as he bear-hugged Chat Noir who looked to be in pain as their locked eyes for a moment. The scene made Marin's stomach curl as he walked down the stairs. This was a nightmare, this had to be some kind of very specific bad dream that he was experiencing.

"Tom! Let him come up for some air, huh?" His mother pointed out as Tom laughed apologetically.

"Ah right, sorry." Tom said as he then spotted his son, grabbing his arm as he pulled him into the scene. "Mio picolo principe, look who is here, your special friend." His father said with a smile, while Marin wanted to cry. "Come on now, say hello!" He said as he pushed Chat Noir towards him.

"Uh, hello, Marin. How are you?" Chat Noir said as he scratched the back of his head nervously, holding out the rose towards him.

Marin stared at it for a moment but just as he was about to touch the flower he recoiled at the sound of his father's voice.

"Oh, he brought a pink rose for Marin Sabine! You two already know each other so well." Tom swooned as Marin averted his gaze to the corner below, his shoulder's tensing up.

"Tom, why don't we start setting the table." Sabine said as she had to drag her husband away from the scene, now faced towards the kitchen as Marin could finally breathe a little. He then flinched slightly as Chat Noir placed his hand on his shoulder, stepping closer as he whispered into his ear.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of everything." He promised, pressing the flower into Marin's hand as he couldn't help but relax for a moment, glanced at Chat Noir's reassuring smile.

"Come on now kids, I have the first course all ready for you!" Tom called in glee as Marin's anxiety returned. But was washed away fro a moment as Chat Noir panted a kiss on his cheek, quick, so that no one would see. His expression reminding him of the promise he just made.

As they sat at the table, sitting next to each other. Tom placed appetizers before them. "Voilà!" Tom said as he set down a heart-shaped two-tiered tray filled with heart-shaped pastries. "Sweethearts' vol-au-vent. For two, of course."

Marin hesitated for a moment while Chat Noir had already popped one into his mouth.

"Tell me, Chat Noir, is being a superhero a steady profession?" Marin wanted to scream while Chat Noir almost choked, having to pound his chest to get the food down.

"Tom?" Sabine said glancing up at his husband with a, what are you doing? expression; while her husband looked at her as if to say, what's the harm in asking?

"Um, I can't say it pays the bills." Chat Noir offered.

"Dad, you're being ridiculous. Superheroes can't have boyfriend's or girlfriend's when they have the mask on. It would be dangerous for both of them." Marin reasoned, but that didn't seem to affect his father at all. 

" Of course, not sweetie. Chat Noir won't be a superhero all his life. Once he's defeated Hawk Moth, he won't need to run on the rooftops with a stick saving people. "He suddenly gasped as Chat Noir took another pastry. "I know! He could work in the bakery with me! I could train you, young man." He offered as Chat Noir then dropped the pastry looking helpless as his eyes darted from person to person.

"Uh—" Chat Noir was about to speak up before he was interrupted.

"Papa, maybe Chat Noir doesn't want to be a baker at all." Marin offered as Chat Noir nodded.

"Don't be silly, everyone loves bakers. After all, once you begin your own business in the fashion industry, someone will have to look after the shop."

"Uh—"

" The "Dupain-Chat Noir" Bakery. Doesn't that sound purr-fect? I can already see the little kittens running around in the house. And pet hamsters. Do you like hamsters?" Tom asked not seeing the two supposed, lovers blushing fiercely at the notion of kittens.

"Hamsters?" Chat Noir asked. 

"Because my little moon loves them. What did you want to name your future hamster again, sweetie?" Tom asked, but Marin only groaned.

"How about help?" He said sarcastically as his father only chuckled.

"Help?! That's a funny name for a pet, isn't it?" He said as he then turned around towards the oven, a chocolatey aroma now spreading throughout the kitchen. "I'll bring the soufflé."

Chat Noir popped another pastry into his mouth, growing more overwhelmed as what should have been a 1-minute notice was now diving into an actual brunch. He had to stop eating, but the pastries were so nice and savory with a soft yet crunchy crust, anyone in their right mind couldn't have stopped.

"Voilà!" Tom said as Chat Noir's heart sank, looking at a beautiful heart-shaped chocolate souffle with powdered sugar. He wanted it, he wanted it so much.

"Tom, how about we all calm down and let Chat Noir tell us himself what he wants." Marin's mother said as Tom seemed to take the hint this time, looking at Chat Noir more openly as he placed the pastry on a coaster.

"Well, actually, Mr. Dupain, Mrs. Dupain-Cheng, Marin, here's the thing. You're really nice people and this meal is delicious and by far the friendliest I've had in a long time." He said, hanging his head as he was uncertain of what to say next. A feeling of guilt started to bubble in his stomach, stopping him from speaking. That was, until he perked up, feeling Marin hold his hand under the table, flashing him a reassuring grin as Chat Noir couldn't help but feel at ease. "Marin, is an amazing person, anyone would be lucky to have him. But...I'm afraid my heart belongs to someone else." He said, feeling Marin squeeze his hand as Chat Noir hung his head shamefully.

"But...yesterday, what you two said-" Tom murmured in pure shock.

"That was just us messing around papa." Marin said, "Chat Noir and I are on friendly terms, that's all it is. The only reason he came here today was to clear the air about your misunderstanding."

"But, couldn't you give him a chance? You two seem to-"

"No, dad." Marin said sternly as he stood up, releasing his and Chat Noir's hold. "You already know how I feel about love. This whole thing just further's my point, you're being blinded by possibility that you don't even want to accept reality."

Chat Noir's ear's perked up as glanced at his friend, then noticed Tom's somber expression while Sabrina looked between the two of them nervously. Her gaze then settled on Chat Noir as she walked over to him.

"Why don't we let these two talk things out." Sabine said as she guided him out of the living room and towards the front door.

"I'm really sorry." He apologized, but Sabine shook her head.

"You have nothing to apologize for Chat Noir, my husband just got a little eager at the thought of Marin finding someone who he loves."

"Hm?" Chat Noir looked at her curiously. "What does that mean?" He asked, noticed Sabine's conflicted expression.

As they reached the front door, she folded her hands together. "It's a little complicated, but if you ask, I'm sure Marin will tell you."

"I don't mean to pry." Chat Noir said as Sabine shook her head.

"You're not. I can tell you have a good heart Chat Noir. I'm truly sorry if we've made you feel uncomfortable, or unwelcome this evening. But if you could, please look out for my son when you can." She requested, bowing her head respectfully, as Chat Noir mirrored her gesture. 

"I always will." He promised, walking out the front door. But not wanting to leave as he used his staff to jump up onto the balcony. He waited for a few moments, hearing some yelling, and then a slammed door. He slowly peeked his head through the sunroof, seeing Marin resting his head in his hands at his desk.

"Penny for your thoughts?" He asked hesitantly, wondering if he should give his friend some space. But Marin only sighed, climbing up towards the balcony as Chat Noir helped him up.

"I'm sorry for dragging you into family drama back there, that wasn't cool." He said, averting his gaze.

"It's alright, but is your dad going to be alright? He looked a little upset." Chat Noir said, but they both knew that was an understatement.

"He's an adult, he can handle his son being defiant about one thing."

"So, that one thing..." Chat Noir said carefully, not wanting to rile up any feathers. "You wanna maybe talk about it?" He offered as Marin sighed heavily, walking towards the railing as he rested his arms on it, handing his head.

"Did my mom ask you to talk to me?" He asked.

"No, not really." Chat Noir responded as he sat on the railing.

"My parents, my dad especially, can be awkward when it comes to love. Because I don't believe in love."

"You don't...what?" Chat Noir asked in shock as he glanced at his friend. His positive, upbeat, sees the good in everyone, friend.

"Love isn't pragmatic. It makes people stupid and reckless and blind and selfish, things I never want to be or inflict on other people, especially ones that I care about."

"But-"

"Don't get started with me Chat I've heard it all." Marin sighed heavily, making Chat Noir wonder a number of things.

"Why's your dad so...insistant on you finding someone to love?" Chat Noir asked.

"Guilt?" Marin thought aloud. "It was because of his parents, my grandparents, that helped me realize how messed up the notion was. I saw and heard every ugly thing that happened. It got so bad that my dad disappeared for a while, and it all just stuck with me."

"How long?"

"Couple of years."

"YEARS?!" Chat Noir gasped as Marin looked at him with an apathetic expression, resting his head on his hand.

"Yup, it didn't help that I was a frail kid. When he came back, I was really sick, couldn't even leave my bed for months. So now all the guilt he had back that morphed into a fixation on finding someone who can protect and take care of me. I managed to shut him down with most of my friends, but then you came along." He groaned in embarrassment as Chat Noir rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Now it's starting to seem like they're looking for a reason to imprison me."

"I guess a kindly superhero would be the ideal person to look after a baker's frail son." He said.

"Hey-" Marin remarked, pointing a finger in Chat Noir's face, "I can take care of myself, I don't need to be protected." He said but was surprised as Chat Noir laughed.

"Are you kidding? You're one of the most reckless people I've seen. One way or another, danger always seems to find you." He said, recalling the numerous amounts of times that his friend was caught up in an Akuma attack, or targeted specifically." Maybe your dad was onto something."

"Ugh, don't be a dummy-" Marin said, but was stunned as Chat Noir grasped his hand.

"Not to mention, you let strange cats into your bedroom at night."

"He's not that strange." Marin retorted, pulling his hand back. "Besides, I'm not worried. After all, I have a lucky charm. " He said as Chat Noir noticed a small smile draw on his face as pulled out a familiar yellow beaded bracelet. "I know it'll help keep me safe." He said softly as he looked down at it fondly.

"Oh, was it a gift?" Chat Noir asked knowingly.

"Yeah, kinda," Marin said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. "I found it in my locker with a note. Someone made it for me with their own two hands..."

"Sounds like someone has a secret admirer, should I be jealous?" Chat Noir asked cheekily as Marin chuckled.

"It's not like that. I was just kinda glad that someone noticed me."

"Why wouldn't anyone notice you? You're amazing."

"Thanks, but I mean..." Marin's words faded as all of a sudden, the ground started to shake under them as large brambles began to break through Marin's home.

"What is-" Chat Noir remarked, but just as he was about to grab his friend, Marin pushed him back. Chat Noir's eyes widened in shock as he saw the thorny vines wrap around his friend, dragging him into their depth as he was sealed out of reach.

"Marinus!" Chat Noir yelled out in shock as he could only watch the vines rise up towards the cloud line.

* * *

"Owowow!" Marin winced as the thorns pinched him. Struggling only seemed to make the bindings worse as they tightened around him, keeping him in place. He looked around, not seeing anything familiar besides all the vines. Not even able to touch his Miraculous to summon Tikki, having no idea where his Kwami was.

"Tikki?!" He called out, his voice echoing through the halls of vines. But received no response. He didn't have his messenger bag, he didn't have his partner, he didn't even have his Kwami. He hummed to himself for a moment, wondering what he should do, maybe think about the number of ways this situation could have been avoided.

"Follow your heart they said. I bet anyone who said that never thought that they'd up in a prison of thorns." He said bitterly, but then fell face-first onto the ground as the vines retracted. He couldn't feel the ground move under him, but he could tell something was wrong as the air began getting colder, and his breath started to get shorter, he grasped his chest as he could feel it begin to hurt.

"This is fine."

* * *

Chat Noir ran through the Dupain-Cheung household, muttering under his breath. "I messed up. I really messed up!" As he opened the door to the living room, he saw Sabine looking at the vines in her living room, turning towards him in concern.

"I'm so sorry, this is all my fault!" He apologized profusely.

" Of course not, Chat Noir. It's Tom." Sabine sighed, "No matter how many times I tell him, he always takes things too far." She said, hugged herself as she glanced at a photo of her family sitting nearby.

Chat Noir placed a hand on her shoulder, smiling reassuringly at her. "Don't worry, I'll bring your husband back to his senses and get Marin out of this. I promise." He said. Then again, he promised Marin that he would take care of the situation, and then he got his father Akumatized.

"Shouldn't you wait for Ladybug?" Sabine asked as she saw Chat Noir heading for the door.

"Don't worry, I trust him to show up just in time." He said, noticing Sabine's warm smile.

"You really love him, huh?"

Chat Noir froze for a moment, "Um, of course, we're partners after all-And Marin is amazing too, can't really compare the two." He rambled as Sabine placed her hand on his shoulder.

"You never have to apologize for your feelings, I have faith in you Chat Noir." She said as Chat Noir felt a warm feeling in his chest, he nodded towards her as he ran out of the house and up the vines, his claws digging into the plants as he scaled up to the cloudline. The further he scaled, the more he feared for his friend. As he landed on top, he looked around at all the vines surrounding them. "Marin?! ?!" He called out, then spotted a large ball of vines looming overhead.

But he was greeted by a new villain landing before him, a large brown werewolf-looking creature with green shorts and vines around his wrists, ankles, and waist.

"How dare you come back after what you've done?!" This, Weredad demanded as he antagonized Chat Noir.

Chat Noir stared for a moment. "What I've done?" He remarked as he evaded Weredad's fists.

"I invite you in, break bread, and how you respond? By upsetting my son!" Weredad said as he tried to grab Chat Noir. "Haven't you done enough?!"

Chat Noir narrowed his eyes for a moment, looking at the cloud line, the fall he would have to experience he faltered now. But he took out his staff, prepared for whatever came as he looked up towards Weredad. "I'm sorry, but I promised I would keep Marin safe!" He said as he deflected one of Weredad's punches.

"Save? I'm the only keeping my son safe from people like you!"

"From people like me? You're the one who put his kid thousands of feet in the air! Heck, Marin hates heights!" Chat Noir pointed out in annoyance. 

Weredad only responded with a growl, kicking Chat Noir towards the edge. Only his claws kept him from falling down towards the ground.

"Where are you, Ladybug?" He asked under his breath as he looked up at Weredad walking towards him. "I'm sorry, but I can't let you keep Marin-"

"Don't say his name!" Weredad cried out, slamming Chat Noir to the ground as he hugged him tightly, squeezing him as Chat Noir gasped painfully. "Just give up, I'll keep my son safe from now on."

Chat Noir gritted his teeth together, stunning Weredad for a moment as he, hit his head with his own. Immediately he placed distance between them as he readjusted the grip of his weapon. "Safe? You're keeping him prisoner!" He said, then trying to scale the thorns,

"Exactly! I'll keep him safe from sadness, hardship, and anything or anyone else that could hurt him." Weredad said as he grabbed onto Chat Noir's belt tail, slamming him to the ground.

"But...you won't be able to keep him safe from the one thing that will hurt the most." He rasped trying to catch his breath as he was winded.

Weredad scoffed, "If my son desires isolation, that I will happily provide it, he even said it himself."

"No! You don't get it!" Chat Noir yelled out. "What hurts the most is solitude! Believe me, I know all about it. Nothing hurts more having to sit alone in front of a cold meal. Is that what you want for your son? A lifetime of cold meals in a prison of roses above the clouds?!" He asked, but Weredad didn't miss a beat as he knocked Chat Noir aside, making him lose his staff as it fell to the ground below.

"I will do whatever it takes to keep my son safe."

"Even sacrifice his happiness?!"

"If that's what it takes." Weredad said without remorse as Chat Noir stared at him in shock at what he was hearing. "No matter what, even if a prince or princess comes searching, daring enough to face me! Who will brave the many dangers and pick the magic rose for him! All will fall to my guard." He said, flexing his claws as he was prepared to charge.

Chat Noir forced himself to stand up, gripping his arm angrily as he glared at the villain before him. "I will always keep Marin safe." He said as he then charged towards Weredad.

* * *

Marin hugged his arms as he could see his breath started to form before his eyes, just where the heck was he? He already tried to summon Tikki by removing his Miraculous, but she didn't appear before him, this prison probably preventing anyone from getting close.

"Tikki!" He called out, but wasn't getting anything. "There must be a way out of here..." He said to himself as he closed his eyes, truly focusing as he forced himself to stop shivering. Sending the negativity, sensing a possessed item...

He eyes suddenly widened with realization as he glanced up towards a yellow light, the item that the Akuma had possessed, he was sure. As he walked towards it, the cold setting in again, his vision started to go hazy as he sincerely hoped someone could be able to help him out here. He thought he heard banging as he reached out towards the flower.

* * *

Chat Noir hung his head as his entire body ached, being beaten down by Weredad really...tired him out. He could barely lift his head as Weredad glared down at him.

"I may not be his prince, but I'm charming enough to free him. You beating me over and over or losing my staff won't keep me from saving him. I'll never give up. Never!"

Weredad scoffed as he lifted Chat Noir up by the scruff of his neck, holding him up over the cloud sea. "You're the misguided one here Chat Noir. You would never understand the sacrifices a parent has to make to keep his only child safe." He said as Chat Noir glared back, exhausted, beaten down, but still had a fury blazing in his eyes.

"No, I wouldn't. But here's something a parent would never understand; how their child has to sacrifice just to quell their "protector", even if it makes them miserable!" He said, digging his claws into Weredad's arms, but in response, received a swift punch to the face, his vision failing as the last thing he felt was his body in free fall, falling to the surface...

...

...

...

"Chat Noir...Chat Noir!"

His eyes flickered as he was pleasantly awoken in the arms of his partner, on the ground, he looked around to see Ladybug had already saved, having activated his Lucky charm. Suddenly his eyes snapped open, "Marin! He's somewhere around-" He was about to say, until Ladybug interrupted him.

"Don't worry, he's safe." Ladybug said as he lifted Chat Noir to his feet. Both of them saw as Sabine hugged her husband. Ladybug walked over to his Lucky Charm, throwing it up into the air, "Miraculous Ladybug!" He said as everything turned back to normal. Chat Noir no longer felt any pain as he then walked over to his partner, bumping fists as Chat Noir remembered.

"Wait, so where's Marin?" He asked as Ladybug avert his gaze.

"He...should be back in his room." As soon as he said that, his parents immediately ran up the stairs to check on their son as Chat Noir lingered, uncertain. That was until Ladybug placed a hand on his shoulder.

"If you have something to say, then you should say it." Ladybug said, not realizing the weight of his words as he then used his yo-yo to jump atop the roofs.

* * *

He waited until night fell, until they would be disturbed as Chat Noir snuck by, knocking on the sunroof as he crawled onto the bed, his heart falling as he saw that Marin looked exhausted, more so than usual. He was wearing his adorable cat hoodie with his hood pulled over his head, looking sullen.

"Miss me?" Marin chuckled, but as Chat Noir reached out towards him, Marin pulled away, hanging his head."We should probably stop meeting up, if you keep coming around, I'll start to get the wrong idea." He said half-joking, half-serious.

"Why?" Chat Noir asked as he rested his back against the wall, near all the photos of his friends, their friends.

"Was today not reason enough? I'm a mess, I make mistakes that hurt others, that would've hurt you, if it wasn't for some pretty extreme good luck..." Marin murmured, but froze as Chat Noir held his face in his hands, lifting his expression so they made eye contact.

"I'm not going to give up this friendship, not ever."

"But-"

"I don't think you heard me properly," Chat Noir said smugly as he smiled cheekily. "You are never going to hurt me because I already know that you care too much to ever intentionally hurt anyone. Even when you believe you've done something wrong, I'll be the one to correct you, and remind you of what kind of person you are." He said honestly as he couldn't help but be proud of the smile that broke out on his friend's face. The smile that he caused, the smile that he wanted to always keep safe.

"You're good." Marin said sincerely. "You're too good a person." He said, allowing Chat Noir to pull him into a hug, allowing him to rest on his chest for a few moments. For a few moments, he didn't think about being Ladybug, about consequences, about anything bad that could happen, taking a few moments to be selfish as he simply closed his eyes.

"Where do you think I learned it from?" He asked with a smile as he pulled the blanket around them, snuggling his friend closer as he heard his soft snores.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Wow, would you look at all this friendship, just two dudes being bros, just two bros being friends, just two friends risking their lives to save each other because they're really good friends.
> 
> -Don't make promises you can't keep Chat, (because continuity is a thing)
> 
> -Plagg and Tikki want their ship to sale, also probably everyone else that knows Marin and Adrien are "friends"
> 
> -Man, if you think Tom was protective, imagine Sabine...hint, hint
> 
> -For the record, the pink rose is still in play ya'll. It will pop up again.


	56. This is so sad, Alexa play Desperada

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ladybug is placed with his back against the wall, faced with a situation without his yo-yo, forced to choose a new Miraculous user. But while he think he's chosen the perfect person, he's going to have to face the fact that his crush isn't as flawless than he originally anticipated...
> 
> Also some Luka/Marin, that's always fun.

Marin placed the Snake Miraculous on his wrist, the bracelet turning a rose gold, as a turquoise color light appeared before him, materializing into the snake Miraculous who bowed his head respectfully. They were sitting alone as Master Fu was in his workshop, brewing ointments for his craft while Marin sat with Tikki, Wayzz, and Sass.

"It is an honor to meet you again Ladybug." Sass said as Marin smiled the Kwami. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"Come on Sass, I told you there's no need to be so formal," Marin said as he petted Sass's cheek. "I just came by today because I think I have something I think you'll like." He said as he placed a small take out box from his family's bakery. "Ta-da. Mini-matcha tiramisu cakes." He presented, placing 4 small cups on the table. Tikki and Wayzz's eyes lit up with excitement as began tasting the semi-sweet desert. Marin noticed Sass sniffing it for a moment, licking the whipping cream before then taking a bite of the actual cake.

"It is...quite good." Sass complimented, but Marin could tell what the Kwami was really feeling as he didn't seemed moved at all by the flavor.

"Hm, you don't seem to like, sweet, salty, or anything bitter..." He said to himself but then he tilted his head curiously, "How about something more savory?" He suggested.

"I am already humbled that you are trying so hard to please me, but I cannot have you go through so much trouble for me." Sass said formally as Marin's expression softened.

"It's no trouble," Marin reassured as his chest swelled with pride. "I think it helps my creativity when I come up with new recipes for you guys, I like a good challenge. Besides, I want to make something that you'll really enjoy, just like the rest of your siblings." He said as he nuzzled Sass's head. The small Kwami leaned into his touch, a smile drawing on his face at the attention he was receiving. He already knew that Sass wasn't the type to make a fuss, even if there was something that he desired. So to make him smile naturally through something that he actually liked would be a true victory.

Suddenly, an alarm beeped on his phone as Marin pulled it out to check the time. "Uh oh, we have to go now, but I promise, I'll certainly find a way to make something that you'll like." Marin said as Sass nodded his head. "I'll see you later.

* * *

"Thank you," Adrien said gratefully, carrying Kagami's bag as well as his own as he waved at his bodyguard driving away. He then walked up to Kagami

"Are you sure your friends will be okay with someone else showing up unannounced?" Kagami asked.

"Yeah, they're all friendly, don't worry," Adrien said as they walked onto the boat.

"Adrien, good to see you!"

"Hello Miss- I mean, Captain Anarka." Adrien greeted as Juleka's mom smiled at him, she was seemingly setting up the stage.

"The kids are already downstairs practicing." She informed as she returned to tuning her own instruments.

"Thanks." Adrien said as he tilted his head towards the stairs. Kagami followed him as they both heard music playing, walking in on the band members and his friends scattered about the room.

"Adrien! Kagami!" Alya said as she greeted Adrien with a hug to which he returned with a hug at her friendliness.

"Your father let you out?" Alix asked as she turned her head towards them, sitting next to Mylène and Rose on the sofa.

"We're officially at fencing practice right now, but - Oh, no, Kagami. Isn't this the wrong address?" Adrien said playfully as he glanced at Kagami, who returned his playful gaze.

"Oh, dear, I think you're right." Kagami said as the two giggled.

"Okay now shush you two." Alya said, as she turned their attention towards their shared friend. Marin was scratching something in his notebook in a deep trance, not even bother by Luka sitting back-to-back with him, strumming his guitar.

"They're so cute together," Mylène sighed as Rose agreed with a lovestruck expression in both of their eyes.

"Sure are."

"I agree. That boy and your friend seem to be very comfortable with each other." Kagami commented as Adrien looked at his friend confusingly.

"You think?" Adrien asked, as he saw Kagami nod, folding her hands behind her back.

"They've been like this for half an hour." Alya said.

"We're taking turns to see which one of us can break Marin out of his trance. We all had our turns, now it's Luka's." Alix explained as a cheeky expression drew on her face just as she seemed to be taking firecrackers out of her pocket, "unless-"

"No." Alya and Mylène said together as Alix scoffed, muttering something about her friends be no fun under her breath.

Adrien then noticed Luka waving at them in greeting, his strumming turning more melodic as Luka hummed a song. One that immediately made Marin react as his face turned red, elbowing Luka's side behind him as the taller boy had the taller boy probably told him something embarrassing. But then he glanced towards Rose who held out her hand, receiving pocket change as it appeared she had won a bet.

* * *

Marin narrowed his eyes, writing down deserts he hadn't thought about for a while, doodling costume designs for Kitty Section that aligned with all of everyone's parameters. All of the ideas bounced around in his head, making everything around him hazy.

That was until he heard that stupid song.

He dug his pencil into his sketchbook as his face burned red, feeling Luka's weight on his back as his voice near his ear. Reflexively, he jabbed his friend, with his elbow, but the impact didn't make Luka stop playing. In fact, it seemed to edge him on, a little further, as he sang, "And life will always be, la vie en rose..."

Marin wanted to strangle him on the spot, his face burning red, but couldn't as Alix then walked up to him.

"Hey, space case, we've been trying to get your attention for the past hour now," Alix said as she bopped his head with the end of an empty water bottle. "What's up with you today dude?"

"It's uh-" Marin stammered for a moment until he saw that all eyes were on him, and apparently, Adrien and Kagami had shown up, though he couldn't be sure of when they arrived.

"You're writing down food names?" Marin flinched back, hearing his friend near his hear as saw Luka glance over his shoulder.

"It's...I'm trying to come up with a dessert for a...customer," Marin explained carefully, averting his gaze as he rubbed the back of his neck, the weight on his back lightening as Luka sat properly next to him.

"This dude picky about your family's vast selections?" Alix asked.

"No no, it's more of a personal thing I've decided to undergo. I've been trying for weeks to think of something, but it just feels like I'm going around in circles." He sighed.

"Well, I don't know much about baking, but do you wanna take a break?" Luka asked as he strummed a few notes, making Marin blush as he hid his face behind his sketchbook as he eyed his guitar. Luckily it wasn't his acoustic guitar, something that Marin promised himself he would never ever touch it again for as long as he lived. Then again, he probably shouldn't touch any guitar ever again. Actually, make that any kind of musical instrument, just to be safe.

He glanced down at his sketchbook for a moment, but then nodded as he placed it back in his bag, spotting Adrien as he walked over to his friends.

"You actually came?" Marin asked as Adrien nodded.

"Of course, I didn't want to miss out." Adrien said as he placed his Kagami's bags on the ground, then walked towards the band while Marin was left with her.

He immediately grew nervous as he stood next to her, almost feeling her icy aura against his skin."Um, it's nice to see you Kagami." He greeted, grasping his arm.

"Nice to see you too, Marin. Have you come to watch your boyfriend rehearse?" She asked as Marin looked at her in confusion.

"Boyfriend?" Marin questioned. Suddenly, they all hear yelling, and piano music from outside.

" I will NOT be your second chance!" They all heard as they walked up to see what was causing the noise, but Alya pulled Marin back for a moment.

"Kagami might be on to something, you know." she said suggestively as she has an impish grin on her face.

"About what?"

"You know...Luka?" Alya prompted.

Marin stared at her for a moment, not understanding until Alya sighed, dragging her friend to the deck of the boat. They all were surprised to see Jagged Stone playing a grand piano atop a bus. But the next thing Marin knew he felt something heavy wrap around his leg as Alya screamed, grasping his arm.

"How are you not freaked out?!" Alya asked as she watched her normally timid friend kneel before a strangely eager gator.

"What Fang? He's just a little hungry." Marin said as he took out a macaroon from his bag, feeding the gator who licked the crumbs off his hands. "He's a sweethear-" He was about to say until Anarka started yelling.

"You know, perfectly well you were my first choice. You're the only one, Anarki." The rockstar said as Anarka glared at him.

"Anarki?" Juleka and Luka said in unison as they glanced at their mother.

"You can't fool me, pirate. I bet you threw your guitars overboard again!"

"No, I swear, I didn't. She sailed away from me, she left me in the lurch." Jagged said as he then took out an old looking CD. "Look how perfect we were together. Come back and play with me, Anarki."

"Jagged and our mom?" Luka asked, exchanging a worried expression with his sister, both of them looking uncomfortable at what was developing.

"We're not co-captains anymore. I work alone now, skipper." Anarka said sternly as she crossed her arms, walking away from the conversation as the rockstar sighed. However, his eyes lit up again he saw a familiar face petting his pet crocodile.

"Marin! You're here!" Jagged said as he spotted him. "Awesome designer of these rock in those shades of mine, I'm sure you can help me. I need a guitarist like yesterday. Do you play guitar?"

" Me?" Marin asked as his face ran red, technically, yes, but...

"Guitar? No, not really..." He said as Fang nuzzled his hand asking for more attention.

"Oh, that's a bummer, hey, what about you with the awesome t-shirt?" Jagged asked as Luka was placed on the spot. For once, Luka looked uncertain as he noticed his mother glaring at him but his idol was asking him to play alongside him, effectively placing him between a rock and a hard place.

"-But it's just because I'm a little rusty!" Marin suddenly spoke up as his cheeks burned focusing all attention on him. Everyone looked at him in confusion as Luka looked at him in concern, already knowing how Marin felt about playing but was outshined by the rockstar's eagerness.

"Perfect! You rock, Marin!" The rockstar cheered as Fang's tail wagged at the sound of his owner.

"You play?" Alya asked as Marin only responded with a number of sounds, none of which were words. As Luka walked over to him, gripping the strap of his guitar.

"Are you sure about this?" He asked worriedly, about to hand over his guitar.

"N-no problem." Marin

over his guitar as the sound of trumpets that made everyone look up towards a new Akumatized villain.

"Jagged Stone! So you fire me, and now you want to replace me with what? A school-kid?" She demanded.

"Vivica? Is that you?" Jagged Stone asked.

"THERE AIN'T NO MORE VIVICA. There's only Desperada now. If I can't be your guitarist anymore, I'm gonna make sure NOBODY can!" She said.

"You ship rat! I knew you were lying. Vivica didn't leave you. You dropped her just like he would drop the bar over the most ridiculous things." Anarka snapped at the Rockstar who recoiled fearfully.

"What? You were thinking of replacing me with HER?" Desperada demanded as she took out a warped looking trumpet.

" Hey! - I'm a much better guitarist than you, and I was his first choice."

In that case, you'll be my first choice too! I never miss a musical note. Vivica ALWAYS hits her targets!" Desperada cackled as she shot Anarka, cackling as she disappeared in a puff of yellow smoke. She laughed like a maniac shooting almost everyone on board. Marin spotted Kagami grabbing a microphone stand, dashing towards the enemy, but didn't last a second as she was captured along with almost everyone else.

Marin immediately ran towards the bus, hiding behind it, overhearing Desperada's voice yelling out.

"Where are you running to wannabe?!"

"Marin, you have to transform now!" Tikki informed as he peeked out behind the bus. He froze for a moment as he saw Adrien and Luka ducking for cover.

"I can't just leave my friends." Marin said, trying to come up with a plan. Suddenly, he felt a nuzzle as he looked down to see Fang looking up expectantly at him. "Not now Fang-" Marin was about to say, petting his snout, but noticed his ladybug printed tie. An idea then sparked in his head as he took out his phone.

* * *

Adrien ran towards the captain's deck, just about to walk in to transform before he felt someone grasp his shoulder.

"Not there. You'd be a sitting duck in that cabinet." Luka informed as they both peeked out towards the bridge but only saw Desperada shooting Jagged stone and his manager.

"Where are you running to wannabe?!" She called out, summoning two horns from her guitar case.

"This could be a problem," Luka said as they saw Desperada guarding the only way off the boat.

Adrien silently agreed, with Luka here he couldn't transform, they were pretty much trapped together until Desperada decided to-

A phone buzzing caught Adrien's attention as he saw Luka taking out his. He saw a fond smile drawing on his friend's face as he then turned towards Adrien.

"See Fang out there?" He asked as Adrien carefully looked out, seeing Fang's tail peeking out from behind the bus, wagging happily.

"Yeah." Adrien nodded as he saw Luka typing back.

"Get ready." Luka said, as Adrien then heard guitar playing.

Desperada immediately whipped her head around, growling at the sound of guitar playing as she charged towards it. "There you are!" She remarked, leaving an opening for Adrien and Luka to run towards. Adrien overheard Desperada grimacing as he saw her looking down at Fang who was growling having something tied around his neck as she turned her attention back towards the boat.

As Adrien took cover behind a nearby pillar he was shocked for a moment as he saw Luka wasn't behind him, sighed in relief as he saw his friend running up.

"What happened?" Adrien asked as Luka was trying to catch his breath.

"Just needed to grab something." He said, putting something into his back pocket. But then they both heard a yell of annoyance as they saw Desperada getting slammed to the ground by Ladybug's yo-yo wrapped around her. Just as the hero was about to grab her guitar she kicked him back, slipping free of the bindings. Time seemed to slow down for a moment as she lined up her shot, smiling in amusement as she held him to the ground with her foot on his chest.

"NO!" Adrien reflexively called out stepping out into the open, hearing the shot fired, frozen for a moment as a yellow puff of smoke hid his partner. But then Desperada was kicked back all of a sudden as Ladybug glanced at him, now missing his yo-yo. The villain yelled at him, trading her horn for a dangerous-looking guitar as Ladybug could only evade with his strongest weapon.

"Where's Chat Noir?" Luka asked as he pulled Adrien back to safety.

"He might not make it here in time." Adrien murmured as he felt guilt bubbling in his stomach. 

"Then we must help Ladybug." He said taking out his guitar, stepping out into the open as Ladybug was very narrowly evading the villain's attacks. He immediately started to play, garnering the attention of the Desperada who glared at him.

"Pesky brat!" She said gritting her teeth together, aiming her shots towards Luka who stood his ground. Adrien then pushed him out of the way just before the shots could take him out, the two of them now exposed as Desperada now aimed for both of them. She would have taken them out as well if it weren't for Ladybug using his scarf to blind her for a moment, then kicked her off of the bridge as he glanced towards them.

"This way - quick!" Ladybug called out, opening a sewer grate. Luka climbed down first then Adrien, who noticed his partner making sure they weren't being watched as he then followed them. He heard Desperada call out, "You won't get away for long!" As Ladybug closed the grate, sliding down as he glanced at Luka.

"You shouldn't have put yourself in danger like that." He scolded, "But... thank you."

Luka smiled at the Ladybug fondly, "You can count on us whenever you need help." He said strumming a few notes on his guitar that echoed through the sewers.

"I appreciate it, but when you're dealing with a supervillain, it's better to have a partner with superpowers." He said, but then looked up towards the grate. "Speaking of..." He said, as he was about to reach for his yo-yo, but then remembered. He crossed his arms, narrowing his eyes for a moment deep in thought. "Without my yo-yo and Chat Noir, I'll be at a severe disadvantage..." He said as Adrien glanced away apologetically. "I'm gonna have to leave you guys for now, but I'll be back soon." He said glancing at Adrien for a moment. "There should be a maintenance shed down the tunnel, hideout there and I'll find you later on." He ordered walking down the other direction.

"What about you?" Adrien asked as he watched his partner walk past.

"I need to see a friend." He only responded as Adrien knew what this meant. He felt bad for almost getting his partner shot but, for now, he could only follow Luka down further into the tunnels. Promising himself that as Chat Noir, he would surely keep his partner safe.

* * *

Marin peaked his head out of the sewers, seeing the coast was clear he immediately ran into the back alley of the shop.

"Master Fu there's an emergenc-" Marin said, opening the door, but his master froze as soon as he heard his voice. He turned towards him slowly with his cheeks stuffed the cakes he had brought by earlier.

"Master!" Marin schooled, "you're not supposed to be eating those!" He said noticing that Wayzz wasn't around right now. Master Fu had probably saw his chance when Wayzz took his afternoon nap. But there was no time for that now as Marin knelt before him. "There's a new villain, Desperada, she shot away my yo-yo and a bunch of my friends, and probably Chat Noir as far as I knew because I can't find him. So I think it's grounds for bringing a new ally into the fray." He informed quickly as Master Fu placed his plate down.

"Then there's no time to waste." He informed, removing the Miracle box out of the gramophone, placing it on the table between himself and Marin. "Marinus Dupain-Cheng. You must pick an ally you can trust to fight alongside you on this mission. Once the mission is over, you will take the Miraculous back and return it to me."

Marin narrowed his eyes, reciting the abilities of every Miraculous in his head as he mumbled to himself, but then immediately picked up the snake Miraculous.

Master Fu looked at his choice in surprise. "Sass's power is a very strong one, Marin. Whoever uses it must be wise enough. Not to be tempted to manipulate time for their own personal game."

Marin nodded, placing the Miraculous into it's box. "I understand, Master Fu, I think I know just the perfect person." He said as he could feel his cheeks heat up.

* * *

"You can hide in here. It's a bit tight for the two of us. I'll go in another one." Adrien informed as he opened a locker for Luka to hide in.

"Okay - see you later." Luka said, closing the door behind him.

Adrien walked over to the other locker, opening and then closing it as he tip-toed out of the room and ran down the hall.

"How about a little nap while we wait for Ladybug to come back?" Plagg asked as he hovered nearby.

"It's time for Chat Noir to make his entrance. Plagg, claws-" He was about to say until he then bumped unto someone, Plagg quickly hid away. Adrien's eyes widened as his face burned red with embarrassment, looking at who he bumped into.

"I'm so sorry!" Adrien immediately apologized, standing up as he held out his hand towards his partner. But Ladybug's attention was more centered on the black box on the ground. Adrien stared at it as Ladybug picked it up, making sure that it wasn't damaged.

"It's fine, what are you doing out here, is Lu-your friend, alright?" Ladybug asked as Adrien averted his gaze guiltily, silently apologizing to Luka.

" Yeah. I was just hiding a bit further down. I thought it'd be better if Desperada couldn't find us both in the same place." He said as he recognized the black box in his partner's hand. "Um, what is that?" Adrien could help but ask as he saw Plagg hovering nearby, behind Ladybug out of sight of his partner's vision.

"It's an advantage." Ladybug said as Adrien noticed his partner didn't have his yo-yo, but had his scarf back on.

"What happened to your weapon?" He asked.

"Usually my weapon disappears when I transform back, but in this case, it like Desperada's guitar case is holding it captive. Chances are, if we can destroy it, then I can get it back. But for now, we'll have to face her without a Lucky Charm."

"We?" Adrien asked as he was stunned at Ladybug holding out the Miraculous towards him.

"Adrien Agreste, this is the Miraculous of the Snake, which grants the power of Intuition. You will use it for the greater good. Once we defeat the supervillain, you will return the Miraculous to me. Can I trust you?" He asked as Adrien stared at the box presented before him. He stared at his partner for a moment as he then noticed Plagg behind him, furiously shaking his head.

But Adrien took the box, "Yes, Ladybug." He said, and then opened the box as a light formed, materializing into a snake-like Kwami. Adrien looked at the new Kwami in amazement as the Kwami looked up towards him with a smile.

"Salutations, my name is Sass. I'll shall your Kwami."

"Alright." Adrien nodded as he placed the bracelet on. "But what am I supposed to do?" He said, playing the role of a first-time user.

"All you have to say is...Sass, scales slither."

"Sass, scales slither!" Adrien repeated as he transformed into a new hero. He looked over his new form, it felt similar to when he was Chat Noir, he probably had the same enhanced strength and speed. "This feels..." Adrien said, but was speechless as Ladybug then placed his hand on his shoulder.

"The Snake Miraculous is an especially powerful one, it gives you the ability, Second Chance. With enables you to travel back five minutes to when you activated your power." Ladybug explained as he walked towards a nearby ladder.

"What will you do then?" Adrien asked as he gripped the hand where his Miraculous should've been.

"Without my Lucky Charm I can only do so much, maybe incapacitate her at the most. I'll take a blow for you if I can, but it'll have to be on you to find a way to take her out." Ladybug informed. "You need to be extremely careful."

Adrien nodded towards the hero. "I won't disappoint you, Ladybug." He said, but then blushed as Ladybug smiled at him reassuringly.

"I know you won't. You're perfect. Uh, perfectly capable of defeating Desperada!" Ladybug stammered for a moment. "I know you'll be able to handle this, I chose you for a reason after all. Alright, activate your power now, while we're in a place of safety."

Adrien nodded, grasping his bracelet. "Second Chance!" He said as his Miraculous glowed for a moment, the snakes' eyes were now lit up.

"When the head returned to it's original place, you'll transform back." Ladybug informed as Adrien nodded to him in understanding. Ladybug climbed up towards the surface first as Adrien followed, he made sure the coast was clear before walking out carefully.

Ladybug held out his hand for Adrien to stay hidden under the cover of the manhole. "I can't sense the Akuma anywhere nearby." He said suspiciously looking around, but then looked behind him as he heard a faint sound, however then disappeared in a yellow puff of smoke as Adrien gasped, about to reset his bracelet until Plagg appeared, clearly annoyed. 

"What do you think you're doing?!" Plagg demanded.

"Plagg, Ladybug needs me. He needs "Adrien"!" He tried to explain but his Kwami had his arms crossed in disapproval.

"Oh please," Plagg scoffed, "you just wanted to spend some time with your little "lovebug" as yourself!"

Adrien looked away as Plagg's observation was right on the nose. "He said that he chose me for a reason and right now I have to live up to that expectation." About to reset until Plagg hovered before the Snake Miraculous.

"No no! You can't be Chat Noir and another superhero at the same time! Which means that you're not the perfect guy for this mission!"

"Ladybug needs someone who can use the Snake Miraculous, if that what he believes-"

"Ladybug needs Chat Noir more!" Plagg retorted, "The only reason he went after the Snake Miraculous first was because he had no idea where Chat Noir was. Why can't you ever remember what I tell you." The Kwami sighed. "Chat Noir's mission, is to always support Ladybug."

Adrien averted his gaze, knowing his Kwami was right, but gently pushed his Kwami away, "This is the best way that I can support him."

"That's not how it works. Why am I bothering? You're not even listening-" He heard Plagg say just before he reset the snake.

* * *

"When the head returned to it's original place, you'll transform back." Ladybug informed as Adrien realized he was back in the sewer. Just as his partner was about to walk back up towards the surface Adrien grasped his hand.

"Wait, if you go back up, you'll be ambushed." He informed as Ladybug stared at him for a moment.

"You already reset?" Ladybug asked as Adrien nodded.

"Yeah, you said that you couldn't senes the Akuma anywhere nearby," Adrien informed as Ladybug nodded.

"Alright." Ladybug said, "We'll need to head out in a different direction." They climbed up again this time Adrien guided him down a different direction, but then noticed a bouquet lain on the ground nearby. He couldn't help himself as picked up a red rose. He grasped his partner's hand for a moment as he held out the rose before him.

"Thank you for choosing me, Ladybug."

His partner stared at him for a moment, but just before he could respond, he pushed him out of the way as Desperada slammed her guitar against him. Adrien immediately sprinted away as his partner disappeared before his eyes once more, heaving down into the subway as Plagg appeared before him.

"Thanks for choosing me Ladybug." Plagg mocked. "What were you thinking, accepting the Miraculous like that?!"

"I just need another chance!" Adrien said, as he reset his Miraculous.

* * *

"When the head returned to it's original place, you'll transform back-" Ladybug was explaining until he was cut off when Adrien grasped his hand, leading him down the sewer tunnels.

"We can't leave through that way." Adrien quickly said as Ladybug realized what he was implying.

"Any sign of Chat Noir?" He asked as Adrien averted his gaze.

"No, none. But I think we'll be okay if we find a different exit." Adrien said as they sprinted down the tunnels. As they found another ladder Adrien was about to climb up first until Ladybug grasped his hand.

"I'll go first." He ordered as Adrien looked at him with uncertainty, not wanting to see his partner disappear again. However, his expression didn't go unnoticed as Ladybug placed his hand on his shoulder. "I told you before didn't I? I'll take the blow, you just figure out a way to defeat Desperada." Ladybug said as he climbed out first, making sure it was safe before Adrien walked out.

Adrien immediately grasped Ladybug's hand as they both took cover behind a car. "If we can't see her, we can at least make sure she can't see us." Adrien said as Ladybug nodded.

"Thanks Ag- I mean..." Ladybug stumbled over his words for a moment as Adrien's expression couldn't help but soften.

"Aspik." Adrien said, as Ladybug glanced towards him. "It's my hero name." he introduced as Ladybug nodded.

"Thanks Aspik." Ladybug thanked, but then reflexively pushed him out of the way as they both heard something land atop the car. Aspik saw Ladybug disappear again as he grimaced to himself, siding under the car for cover as he grasped his bracelet. Plagg appeared before him, about to say something until Aspik glared at him.

"I know already!" He snapped at his Kwami as he reset again. However, it appeared to be the same situation over and over again.

Every time he tried to protect his partner from getting shot, he failed, more than once he became the reason his partner disappeared. That feeling of frustration burned inside of him, inside his heart as he tried to think through every possible way, anyway he could save him. But the sight slapped him every single time as Desperada took Ladybug out.

Ultimately, there was only one thing he could do as he reset the Snake Miraculous for the final time.

* * *

"When the head returned to it's original place, you-" Ladybug explained as Adrien suddenly interrupted him.

"Sass, scales rest." Adrien said as he caught Sass who looked exhausted when he fell into his hands. He couldn't bring himself to look at Ladybug, who glanced at the snake Kwami in concern, then looked at Adrien with a cold steely gaze.

"How many times?"

"25,913." Adrien said, as he tensed up, looking at Ladybug's shocked expression.

"I've already tried 25,913 times to save you but I failed every single time-OW!" Adrien was just about to explain as suddenly Ladybug flicked his forehead. He looked at him in surprise, his hand planted on his forehead noticing his partner's eyes burn before a wave of realization washed over him. He walked away for a few moments, hands grasping his hair as he was seemingly processing what he was just told.

"I'm an idiot." Ladybug staid as Adrien's heart fell, feeling like he just got slapped in the face at how badly he had messed up.

Adrien hung his head shamefully, removing his Miraculous and placing it back into the box as he held it out towards his partner. "I'm sorry I failed you." he said, eyes watering. He immediately turned his head away as he felt the Miraculous being taken hanging his head shamefully as he grasped his arms.

"Adrien?" They both turned to see Luka walking over, looked at the two of them in confusion. "I heard you voice echoing, I got worried when I saw you weren't in the locker anymore." He said as Adrien quickly turned away, wiping away his tears.

"Kind, courageous, empathetic, I think he's the one you're looking for." Adrien said, still feeling terrible, but offering some sort of consolation to his mistake. But just as he was about to run away, he felt Ladybug grasp his hand.

"This isn't over by the way." Ladybug informed as Adrien felt a fear strike his heart, only nodding. But was stunned as Ladybug pulled him into a tight hug. The moment felt like an eternity due to the shock, but he wished it would last a little longer as Ladybug pulled back. He then walked away, resting his back against the corner as Plagg phased through the wall. The two stared at each other for a moment before Plagg hugged him, not saying anything as Adrien accepted the gesture, smiling down at his Kwami.

"I don't think Ladybug is fond of his experience with Adrien Agreste. He probably hates me now..." He said with a heavy tone, but Plagg looked up towards him a rare reassuring expression.

"Sure, Ladybug loves and cares for all of us Kwami, but he would never- well." Plagg was about to reassure, but then remembered the disdain the hero held for Hawkmoth. "But what matters, is that you make up for your mistake as Chat Noir!" He hastily added as his partner sighed sadly.

* * *

"What were you looking for?" Luka asked as he walked up looking at Ladybug in confusion as he saw a small black box held towards him.

"Luka Couffine, this is the Miraculous of the Snake, which grants the power of Intuition. You will use it for the greater good and once the mission is over, you will return the Miraculous to me. Can I trust you?" Ladybug asked as he saw Luka look down towards the Miraculous box in surprise. He didn't hesitate to pick it up.

"Desperada took out my family and my friends, I promise I'll help you get them back." He said with resolve but he flinched back opening the Miraculous box. A turquoise-colored light flew around him as it materialized back into Sass.

The Kwami was shocked at the new person presented before him, looking back at Ladybug who nodded at him supportively.

"Salutations, I am Sass. I shall be your Kwami, to use my power simply say Sass, scales slither." The Snake Kwami said as Luka placed the silver bangle on.

"Sass, scales slither!" Luka said as he then transformed, holding a lyre in his hands as both of them overhead approaching footsteps.

"Sorry I'm late to the party." Chat Noir said with a carefree smile. "Miss me?" He asked as Ladybug sighed heavily.

"I was worried you were taken out, what happened to you?" He asked.

"Well someone didn't have their phone on them, so..." Chat Noir implied as Ladybug averted his gaze nervously. "Anyway, who's our new friend?" He asked as Luka stepped forward.

"Viperion, I look forward to working with you two." He introduced as Chat Noir nodded towards him. "What's the plan Ladybug?"

"Not that we have Chat Noir, we're better off then we were before, but I still need to get my yo-yo back to turn everything back to normal." He said. "Chat Noir, your staff." He asked as his partner handed it over to him. Ladybug then walked up the ladder, pushing away the manhole and used the weapon as a makeshift telescope, narrowing his eyes as he spotted Desperada upon Eiffel tower, waiting for them to appear.

"I've got her insight," He informed as he jumped back down. "She's waiting for us at the Eiffel Tower, Chat Noir, do you think you'll be able to take out one of the legs with you Cataclysm from below?" He asked as his partner rested his staff on his shoulders.

"Piece of cake." He said going on ahead but saw Ladybug still held a worried expression on his face.

"We'll be at a disadvantage without my Lucky Charm, so we're going to have to rely on you Viperion. Do you think you'll be able to handle it?"

"I think so," He said, "I guess you'll have to be our Lucky Charm for this mission." Viperion remarked as Ladybug chuckled at his comment.

"Thank for the vote of confidence." Ladybug said as he led the way towards the base of the tower.

* * *

Ladybug watched from cover as Chat Noir destroyed Desperada's vantage point from below, making her fall to the ground as she looked around wildly. The hero scoured the area, seeing that it was mostly clear of debris. He then turned towards Chat Noir who climbed up from the sewage systems.

"Looked like someone isn't a fan of my work." He joked as he saw Desperada pace with her twin horns in hand.

Ladybug turned towards their new partner placing his hand on his shoulder. "Viperion, it's your mission to figure out how to take her out without me or Chat Noir getting blasted. Chat Noir and I will protect you as best we can, but no matter what, prioritize your own safety." He ordered as Viperion activated his power.

"Alright let's-" Chat Noir was about to say, stepping towards the villain but Viperion placed his hand on his wrist to stop him.

"Wait, this time I know what to do." He said.

"How many times?" Ladybug asked reflexively as Chat Noir glanced at him.

"4." Viperion informed as Chat Noir screamed internally. "Also, Ladybug's going to need your belt."

* * *

Ladybug could hear Viperions strumming as he and Chat Noir recognized the signal, both of them dashed forward as Desperda aimed for Viperion. Chat Noir knocked one of Desperada's horns with his staff, gaining her attention for a moment as Ladybug had kicked the other one away with the help of his partner's distraction. He then used Chat Noir's belt to bind one of her hand, tightening it as Viperien trapped her other arm, both then kicking the back of her knee as Chat Noir clawed her guitar case, releasing the Akuma and Ladybug's yo-yo as he destroyed the sticker.

"I believe this is yours." Chat Noir said as he tossed his partner's weapon back.

"Lucky Charm!" Ladybug said, as he tossed the yo-yo in the air, then received as ladybug printed bangle. He hummed for a moment, glancing at Viperion who returned his gaze with a smile as Ladybug then glanced at the Akuma fluttering by. "No more mischief from you little Akuma. Time to purify!" Ladybug said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion. Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. "Bye-bye, little butterfly. Miraculous Ladybug!" Ladybug called out, throwing up the lucky charm as everything turned back to normal.

Desperada turned back to normal, looking around in confusion as the three heroes then bumped fists together victoriously.

But then, both Chat Noir's and Viperion's Miraculous began to beep.

"Uh-oh. This cat's gotta scram, it was nice working with you Viperion!" Chat Noir quickly said, running away towards the rooftops.

" Likewise." Viperion said Ladybug then stepped forward.

"Come on, I'll see you off." He said wrapping his arm around Viperions waist while the taller boy rested his arm around the hero's shoulder. Ladybug Lifted the two of them towards a nearby alleyway just as Viperion transformed back. He caught Sass in his hands just as the Kwami looked ready to pass out.

"Sorry about today little snake." Ladybug apologized as Luka passed the Kwami over to him. Ladybug then took a macaroon out of his yo-yo's storage unit. Sass sniffed it for a moment before he bit into it hungrily.

"Thank you for trusting me today Ladybug." Luka thanked as he handed the Miraculous back within it's box. As Sass finished off his snack he nodded towards Luka before warping back into his Miraculous.

"I should be the one thanking you." Ladybug said as he stored the Miraculous away within his yo-yo, then throwing it towards another building. "I'm sure we'll meet again sometime." He said as he then jumped towards the rooftops, not noticing Luka's gaze linger on the hero until he disappeared from sight.

* * *

Adrien was already waiting back on the boat, overhearing as Jagged Stone and Anarka made up over their earlier squabble, and even with the guitarist is supposedly fired. He glanced at Marin sketching in his book next to Alya with Fang at his feet. Then saw Luka walking back onto the boat, back from their most recent team up together. He waved towards him with a smile as Luka returned the gesture, but the guitarist then walked towards Marin.

Adrien was surprised for a moment as he handed something to Marin who accepted it with an embarrassed expression he seemed to be thanking him as he bowed his head slightly but Luka waved him off.

"What was that about?" Adrien asked as Luka walked towards him, hooking up his guitar to the amp.

"Just returning something." Luka simply responded as Adrien noticed Marin tying his tie to his wrist, as well as his phone to his messenger bag.

"That was reckless, you could've gotten shot."

"He's worth it." Luka replied simply.

Adrien stared at him dumbfounded at his friend's actions for a moment, but then noticed the soft expression on Luka's face. He followed his glance, seeing that it was planted on Marin talking to Kagami about something. His eyes widened as his cheeks ran red for a moment, staring at Luka who picked up on what Adrien had concluded, only confirming it with a smile as he continued to strum his guitar melodiously.

* * *

Marin sighed in relief as he stared at his friends playing, waving towards Adrien and Luka who seemed to be only focused on their music as they glanced at each other.

"You don't get a second chance when it comes to love." Kagami said bluntly as he crossed her arms.

"Hm?" Marin hummed, as he looked to Alya for an answer. "What's she talking about?" Marin asked as he looked at Alya for an answer, to which she simply petted his head with a sigh.

"Don't worry your sweet little head about it cutie pie." She simply responded as Marin was still confused.

* * *

Afterward, a few hours later as night began to fall Marin walked back into his Master's shop with Tikki hovering nearby.

"Marinus." Wayzz greeted as he Marin entered.

"Heya, were's Master Fu?" He asked curiously, looking around, but Wayzz chuckled nervously.

"He's a little...occupied. He hasn't been eating a lot of fiber lately, but I think he'll be back in a while." He informed as Marin nodded.

"Right, thanks. I'm just here to drop off Sass." He informed as he took out the Miraculous box, placing it open on the table. Marin placed the bangle on once more, placing a white box on the table as Sass materialized.

"Salutations Ladybug." Sass said, sitting down on the table instead of hovering, the toll of the day clearly still evident.

"I think I got it this time." Marin said, as he placed a white box before Sass. Opening it, he couldn't help but smile as he saw the Kwami's eyes light up.

"Egg pudding, not too sweet, not too savory." He said as he saw the normally stoic Kwami lick his lips as he tasted dessert. No words needing to be said as he quickly devoured the desert as his siblings would. Releasing a satisfying burp before his averted his gaze in embarrassment.

"Excuse me." He said, as Marin couldn't help but chuckle.

"Enjoy it, you've worked hard today." Marin prompted as he placed another pudding cup out for Tikki and Wayzz to share, savoring the desert as much as Sass did.

* * *

As night fell and Plagg was curled up in his cheese cabinet in deep slumber, Adrien was restless. He didn't bother changing out his clothes, couldn't find the will too as he flinched at the sound of someone entering his room. He sat on his bed, not even looking up as he already knew who was here, keeping his word as the moon began to rise.

Adrien waited for it, to be scolded, to be yelled at, for be belittled, he didn't just fail one time. He had repeatedly failed his partner, someone who he genuinely loved in the worst way possible. He knew that Ladybug cared for each Kwami, what he did, abused Sass's ability in a way that was unforgivable. He would accept any consequence, any negative light that Ladybug would see him in-

"I'm sorry."

"Huh?" Adrien lifted his head as Ladybug knelt before him resting one arm on his knee as he looked up towards him. Physically lowering himself so that Adrien wouldn't have to look up towards him.

"Don't get me wrong Agreste, I am not happy about what you did, to yourself or Sass. But I misjudged the situation, for that, I'm sorry." Ladybug said, lowering his head respectfully. "I hope you can forgive me."

"What? No, I was the one who messed up!" Adrien insisted, almost close to tears as he reached out towards his partner, unfamiliar with the emotional situation he had just been thrown into. "I thought-" Adrien's voice broke as tears welled up. "I thought you would hate me. I-I couldn't do it, even though you chose me of all people..."

"Adrien, you didn't do anything wrong." Ladybug said, using his first name as a sort of comfort, speaking to him personally. "You did your best, and that's all I or anyone could ask for. I needed someone who was certain of their ability to adapt to a daunting situation and confidence in their choices. You're also an incredibly kind person, you care about others even if it's detrimental to yourself, everything I could have asked for. But you're eager to please, too eager, someone like that can't inherently utilize the Snake Miraculous to its full capability, not when you're like this." He explained gently as he then placed his hand on his shoulder.

"Even though I'm not happy what you did to Sass, I'm more worried about what you went through. A Miraculous can make you stronger, but it can also mess with your head. Why exactly did you put yourself through that so many times?"

Adrien hesitated for a moment, he knew Ladybug wouldn't push if he didn't want to talk about it. But he couldn't just say, I'm so in love with you I can't imagine ever being without you. "It's...it's like you said," He murmured. "I just didn't want to fail, you chose me and I let you down."

Ladybug smiled at him, capturing him in another hug, one that he returned, wrapping his arms around his lithe waist.

"You didn't let me down." He said simply as Adrien buried his head into the crevice of his partner's neck. "And you never have to think that you have to please me when completing a mission."

Adrien pulled back, wiping away tears that almost fell. "I guess that you'll never have to worry about that. I proved that I don't deserve the Snake Miraculous." But was stunned as Ladybug kissed his cheek.

"Probably not, but the thing about mistakes is that we can learn from them." Ladybug said leaving his comment unfinished as he then stood up, jumping towards the window. "It takes a strong person to accept power, but an even greater one to accept responsibility for their actions. Give yourself a little more credit Adrien." He said as the moon illuminated his figure, just as he jumped out of the window and onto the rooftops.

Adrien's gaze lingered as pressed his hand to his cheek, his entire face turning red as he laughed to himself, realizing just how easily Ladybug managed to sweep him off his feet. Not that he minded one bit, as any previous tension was replaced a warm feeling he knew all too well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -They're just friends, calm down.
> 
> \- But if it wasn't clear, Adrien is in the love with Ladybug. 
> 
> -Running gag of season 3, Adrien/Chat Noir will never be able to keep his promises.
> 
> -Next episode is the Kagami episode, so don't worry, our girl will be getting her screen time.


	57. The Oni-chan Who Cried

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter made me very tried ;; 
> 
> Marin decides to be nice to Lila and is backfires so hard that he'd not gonna know what's gonna hit him or, his bad luck starts to get exponentially worse.  
(Marin's a sweet kid, he doesn't deserve this crap)

Marin hummed to himself as he sewed on the last black spot on a bomber jacket, smiling to himself as he stepped back from his work proudly.

"Are you finally going to give it to Adrien?" Tikki asked from her yarn basket.

"No, It's uh- not done yet." Marin said, immediately blushing as he put away his current project.

"But you finished it a while ago, what are you waiting for?" Tikki asked as she watched her partner pack it away into a light blue box.

Marin hesitated for a moment, wondering if he really needed to keep this information from Tikki. Then again it was too embarrassing to actually say aloud. "I...just want to make sure it's perfect." He insisted. "Don't you have some cookies to be eating?" He followed up quickly as he saw his Kwami placing freshly baked sugar cookies into her cookie bag.

Suddenly, Marin's phone alarm rang as he placed the blue box in his trunk along with a few other wrapped gifts. He took his phone out of his pocket as Tikki glanced at him eagerly.

"Are they ready?" She asked expectantly as Marin chucked.

"Yes sugarcube, but they're for the customers." He reminded her as picked up his messenger bag with Tikki peaking out with a pouting face.

"Adrien's not a customer." She pointed out as Marin petted her head.

"Now don't get smart with me, you know you're going to get your own box once I get home today. Now hide." He said as he walked down towards the bakery. His parents were already focused on their work, in their own world as Marin saw a box set aside with his name written on a post-it note on top. He picked it up, choosing to take the front door today as he didn't want to interrupt their work.

As he turned towards the school he spotted Nino talk to Lila.

"Adrien said he'd help me, but I don't want to bother him with it. He's probably forgotten anyway. He might think I've got a crush on him, just like all those other girls who are constantly hanging all over him."

Marin overheard Lila say as he walked over towards them.

"Adrien's a great dude. I'm sure he won't mind. I can put in a good word for you if you want."

"Oh, you'd do that for me? Oh thanks, Nino, you're the best!" Lila said as Nino nodded with a smile, then ran towards Adrien as he spotted him.

Marin thought he overheard Lila chuckle at something as he walked up towards her. "Good Morning Lila." He said as she looked back towards him, a smile drawing on her face as she grasped his arm, making him uneasy at the forwardness, but it was fine... "What were you and Nino talking about?"

"Good Morning Marin." Lila said as the two walked to school together. "We were just talking about you actually.” 

"Me?" Marin asked in confusion.

”Yeah, you and those delicious smelling cookies in that box you’re carrying.” Nino pointed out as he started to drool, he then waved towards Alya who was waiting for him, quickly crossing the road to meet up with his girlfriend. Leaving Marin and Lila alone together. 

"Yes of course, everyone loves them, especially Adrien."

Marin blushed as her compliment, smiling. "Well thanks Lila-"

"He loves them so much he actually takes time to indulge your passion at almost every lunch break, it's hard to see him without you or that girl these days." She said as Marin's smile quickly faded. "It's so hard to him alone to ask him anything these days."

Marin didn't respond for a moment not sure at what she was getting at. "That girl? You mean Kagami?" He asked in surprise, wondering for a moment where Lila saw her, but then remembered that fencing practice was always held on their campus.

"Kagami..."Lila murmured under her breath as she started scowling. "Are she and Adrien close friends?"

Marin's heart fell as he thought about the two of them together. "Yeah, they like each other alot." He explained as he felt Lila grip his arm tighter, her nails digging in much to his discomfort. "Is there something wrong Lila?"

"Huh?" Lila said as her she suddenly dropped her frown to give him a sheepish smile. "It's just that, I'm not doing so well at math, and I wanted to ask Adrien to help me out. But with you already taking up so much of his free time on top of his busy schedule, I'm just sure he'll say no." She explained as she looked up towards him sadly.

"I don't monopolize his time-" Marin tried to saw, about to point out that Adrien was the one who always invited him to hang out, cookies or not.

"Like I said, everyone's talking about how much attention he gives you, it's a little intimidating to ask him straight up when I know he just wants to make everyone happy." She said batting her eyelashes at him.

Marin gripped the white box in his hand, hanging his head. "I'll...just say I'm busy-" He was in the middle of says as Lila suddenly released her grip on him, running the rest of the way towards class as he stood atop the stairs.

"Thank you Marin!" She said with a smile as he was left alone.

* * *

At the end of class, Nino waved his hand at him to garner his attention.

"Don't forget about Lila dude." He said as he walked out with Alya.

"I said only if I was free!" Adrien called back as he sighed. He glanced back towards Marin hopefully, hoping that his close friend would be able to get out of this situation.

"Hey Marin, you up a study session?" Adrien asked as he noticed the white box in his hands, his mouth already watering.

"Sorry, but I can't today. I forgot, I um, was going to do...a thing, sorry again." Marin said as Adrien noticed he averted his gaze, his classic tell when lying. But before he could question him further, Marin shoved the cookie box in his hands, then quickly latched onto Juleka as they walked out of the room, the girl looking confused as she was dragged out.

Adrien looked at his friend curiously as he opened the box, seeing red macaroons with black spots and filling. Marin's parents were probably doing a Ladybug themed cookie this week. As he was wondering what flavor it was Lila walked up to him with a smile on her face. "Hey, Lila. Nino told me about your problem. I can still help you with your schoolwork if you want." He said politely.

"Really? You'd do that? You're such a great help! You're saving my life, you know." Lila said happily s they walked out of the classroom together.

"No problem, Lila. Happy to help." Adrien said as Lila then grabbed his hand.

"Why don't we go to your place to do our homework? It would be so much quieter, would it?" She said abruptly as Adrien was surprised by the sudden contact.

"My father would never agree to that." He informed, for once, glad for his father's strict rules. However, he felt nervous as he saw Lila dawn a Chesire smile on her face.

"I bet you I can change his mind." She said as she dragged him towards the front entrance.

* * *

Marin noticed Lila going into Adrien's car as Adrien opened the door for her. His blonde-haired friend noticed him for a moment as Marin was walking towards the park, giving him a smile which Marin didn't return, only walking away as he clawed his chest.

"Why did you agree to what that girl said?" Tikki asked as she popped out of his messenger bag. "You love spending time with Adrien."

" I know, but...Lila's still adjusting to our school, if she's having problems it's the least I can do." He said pragmatically, thinking through his answers as Tikki looked at him in disbelief.

"But she didn't even ask what Adrien wanted, she just pushed you out of the way!"

"Don't be dramatic sugarcube, sometimes people need help and get nervous when asking. She's just probably more comfortable asking me than Adrien, after he's one of the smartest in the class."

"But Max is smart too-" Tikki was about to reason until her partner cut her off.

"That's enough Tikki." Marin said, trying to cap off his growing anxiety for the day. "Lila's a friend and you're being dramatic about this." He said, but then sensed his Kwami's displeasure as she pouted hiding away in his bag as he sighed heavily. He didn't like being annoyed at his Kwami, but he didn't want to think about Lila and Adrien anymore today. Just as he was about to walk into his family's store, he hesitated, thinking about the jacket packed away in the trunk of his room. He wasn't a fan of being at home today either. So instead, he opened the door, spotting his mom behind the cashier.

["Mama, I'm going to my secret garden, I think I'll be home late tonight."] He said as his mother waved towards him with a smile.

["On one condition."] She said with a warm smile, one that was contagious as Marin chuckled, a smile drawing on his face as he walked into the store past the customers. He quickly kissed her cheek. ["I love you, my heart."] She said as Marin groaned as his mother's sappy nature, but couldn't argue against the results as his sour mood quickly disappeared.

* * *

"What's the worst grade you've ever gotten?" Lila asked as she sat next to Adrien in the car.

"An A- in math." Adrien explained as Lila nodded. "Listen, Lila, you should forget about this. My father can be harsh with anyone he thinks is an intruder." He said, but Lila only laughed.

"You wanna bet?" She asked as Adrien shrugged his shoulders wondering where she was going with this. "If I can get in, then you have to take a photo with me, if I can't then I go home."

Adrien didn't really want to agree to anything she said, but a chance to spend a quiet evening studying seemed too good to pass up. "Alright." He said as they pulled up towards the front door. Adrien sad that Nathalie was already waiting for him at the entrance of the house. His bodyguard opened the door for the two of them and Lila walked next to him as they approached his father's secretary who had a disapproving expression on her face.

"I'm sorry, Adrien, but you know your father-"

" Excuse me, but is there any way I could ask him directly? Just in case." Lila asked as Adrien stared at her, amazed by her forwardness.

"Mr. Agreste is busy designing and must not be disturbed for any reason," Nathalie told her as she did with most of his friends. But just as he was about to inform Lila that she'd lost, he spotted a mischevious glint in her eye. On that quickly turned into a faux sadness as she made her eyes water.

"Oh, Adrien. I so wanted to help you make up all the schoolwork you missed due to all the modeling you've been doing lately. What will your father think if he finds out about your lower grades, Adrien? Who will he blame?" Lila asked, turning her back towards Nathalie as his classmate placed her hand on his shoulder.

Nathalie was shaken by the new, her disapproval turning to concern as she glanced at him. "Adrien, have your grades gone down?"

But before he could answer, Lila managed to intercede. "He'd never tell you himself up when I saw Adrien crying the other day because he only got an A-, I just felt like I had to offer him my help. I would've taken half an hour." She said easily as Adrien was stunned at how easy she was doing this. "I understand. You're only doing what you think is best. I did what I could, Adrien. Good luck." She finished saying as she started walking down to the stairs.

"If it's only half an hour..."

"If you really insist, I'll do it!" Lila said with a smile as she grabbed Adrien's hand, running into his house with a triumphant smile on her face. "See? You never know until you ask nicely." She said as Adrien pulled back from her.

"You didn't ask nicely. You lied, Lila." Adrien pointed out as Lila shrugged her shoulders.

"You told me yourself that your A- in math is your lowest grade, didn't you?" She remarked as she walked past him once they entered his room, looking around as she spotted the wallpaper on his computer.

"Ah, is this your mom? You look so much like her. I look a lot like my mom too you know. Isn't it just crazy how much you and I have in common?" She asked as Adrien

"Wow, does Marin know you keep a framed photo of him near your desk?" Lila asked as he noticed her looking at the framed photos he kept near his bed. There were quite a few most of them of the class photo's they all took together. But that one, in particular, was the only one he had of his close friend, due to his camera shyness.

"Probably? He has photos of me in his room too." He said absent-mindedly as he took out some reference materials. An amused smile drew on his face as he recalled the expression Marin had when he confronted him about it, causing him to smile in amusement.

"This girl in red is pretty. Who is she?" Lila then asked again as Adrien noticed she stretched out on his bed.

"That's Kagami. We take fencing classes together." He said, trying to keep his composure and not immediately throw the sheets into the wash.

"She looks so nice. You'll have to introduce me to her sometime. Oh, what a cute bracelet." She said and Adrien froze, grasping the binder in his hand as he saw Lila had picked up his lucky charm that was resting near the photos.

"Lila, didn't you want me to help you with your homework?" Adrien immediately asked as Lila took notice of his tone, a sly smile drawing on her face as she grasped the charm in her hand for a moment, holding it behind her back as she then sat down next to him.

* * *

Marin placed a pair of red noise-canceling headphones on, a pair that Nino had gifted him on his birthday. Even though they were extremely useful in crowded areas, they also impaired his senses, as he almost got whacked by a wooden training sword. He fell back on his butt as he immediately pushed off his headphones, looking up at Kagami of all people who had a look of surprise on her face.

"Marin." She said as she helped him to his feet.

"H-hi, Kagami." Marin said as he accepted her help, his voice cracking as he practically whimpered out her name.

"Kagami, who is this boy?" A nearby woman called, the same woman Marin recalled Kagami had escorted to the movie premiere.

"Adrien's school friend, Marin Dupain-Cheung," Kagami said as Marin felt like he was under a microscope, feeling the cold glares from both women, wanting to run away as far as he could. "This is my mother, Tomoe Tsuguri."

"Um, nice to meet you ma'am." He said simply, about to run as fast as he could but was prevented due to social obligation. "Well, I should probably go-"

"Is this the same Dupain-Cheung who Mr. D'Argencourt spoke highly of?" Kagami's mother inquired as Marin saw Kagami looking uncertain.

"Um." Marin mumbled under his breath as he grasped the straps of his messenger bag. "I just tried out, but I didn't get in." He explained quickly, now unable to leave due to the attention he was receiving.

"Then perhaps you could indulge us for a moment." She said, as Marin froze, noticing Kagami's surprise quickly warp into hostility. "My daughter appears to be distracted, perhaps she would have more focus if she had a partner to spar with."

"Oh, I shouldn't-"

"Do you have somewhere to be?" Kagami asked as she gripped the hilt of her weapon.

"Well...no, but-"

"Then it's settled," She said sternly as she walked towards her mother, taking her Shinai as she then handing it towards him. The weapon felt heavy in his hands, far more heavy than a saber or his yo-yo. As he placed his messenger bag on the bench, he noticed that Kagami was accustomed to the weapon in hand, it made sense, she was probably trained almost all traditional arts.

"Begin!"

Marin heard as he wasn't expecting Kagami to dash towards him so quickly. He only had time to hold his weapon to defend as she slashed her Shinai against him.

"You can't win a battle if you don't take any risks!" She said as she then swiftly disarmed him as she pointed the tip of her weapon at his throat. "Hmph, for someone who garnered a compliment from Adrien, you don't seem to be that strong." Kagami remarked as Marin's heart raced.

As he processed what had just happened, he frowned at Kagami, picking up his weapon as Kagami turned her back towards him. He gripped the hilt of the Shinai in his hand, looking back at the cold-hearted girl who was standing before him.

He didn't say anything, only taking a deep breath as he calmed his nerves. Kagami may have had the first move, but now it was his turn.

* * *

"Please don't tell me you're still a fan of that... that...insect."

Adrien could see the hostility radiating off of her, but before he could question her on it, there was a knocking at the door.

"Time's up, Adrien. Your father could come out of his office at any minute." Nathalie informed as Adrien felt some relief.

"I guess I won the bet. How 'bout a little souvenir photo?" Lila said, the next thing he knew, his phone was snatched from his hand, and before he knew what was happening, Lila kissed his cheek, taking a photo of the two of them as he reflexively smiled at the lens. " Feel free to ask if you need any more help with your math!" She called out as she placed the phone back into his hand, running out the door as he grimaced at the photo. He quickly deleted it, sighing heavily as he saw that Lila had made a mess of his photos.

He took a small break, placing his Ladybug photo's back in the trophy, and the photos of his friends back in their proper place. However, he flinched as he heard the front door slam close followed by Nathalie being interrupted by his father.

"In my office, NOW!" Adrien overhead as he watched the entire scene unfold from the door of his bedroom.

* * *

Marin jumped back as his and Kagami's weapons clashed together. Kagami had the advantage of strength and years of training. But he was used to daunting fights like that.

He pulled back as he allowed Kagami's momentum to cause her to lose balance. But she recoiled by yowling, catching him off guard as she hit his wrist, knocking the weapon out of his hand, about to strick again just as her mother stepped in, grasping her daughter's weapon in hand to stop her.

"Match." Kagami's mother said as Marin fell back, feeling pain in his wrist as he saw rage on Kagami's face suddenly fall as Tomoe spoke up again. "Your performance was disappointing."

"Mother, I-"

"Kagami." Tomoe said sternly with disapproval, shaking her head. "The point of the exercise was to control your strength and temperament. You have failed on both accounts,

"Hm?" Marin turned towards Kagami's mothing who had her hands folded on her lap. He was stunned for a moment, unfamiliar with how to respond as he could feel Kagami's glare on his back.

"It appears that you have quite the combat experience age."

"Oh uh, that's not exactly true ma'am. I'm sure Kagami has way more experience than me about-"

"Kagami may have years of training, but she does not have the temperament for battles such as these."

"Mother." Kagami suddenly said, speaking up, as she walked over with anger written all over her face while her mother didn't even turn her head towards her.

"You can't hide how you feel from me girl. You hold anger towards his boy, which clouds your judgment."

"I don't!" She insisted as Marin glanced towards her,

"He has the same feelings towards you." She said and immediately Marin wanted to leave as soon as possible. "But has the experience to channel that rage into his skills."

Kagami hung her head, gripping her fist as Marin held up his hands defensively, somehow now pulled into this whole mess. "I'm the one who was accepted into the D'Argencourt's fencing school, not him." She said, using that fact as some sort of justification.

"Are you sure about that?" Tomoe asked as Kagami looked taken aback, she looked like she wanted to say something but grumbled something under her breath as she picked up her water bottle.

"I'm taking a break." She stared, walking away towards a tree as Marin was left with her mother. He handed back her weapon, weighed down with anxiety, but turned towards the older woman with a frown on his face.

"I'm not sure I feel alright being used like this, ma'am." He said, able to put two and two together if Tomoe was acutely aware of how her daughter truly felt, and if she could pick up on his momentary negative emotions.

"My daughter is young and brash. For the amount of skill she has, it's hindered by her personal feelings."

"But I've seen her fence, she's amazing!" Marin insisted.

"She is accomplished but not honed," Tomoe explained simply, but before Marin could argue any further he heard the sound of something crashing. He turned his head to see that Kagami had struck a tree clean through, gripping her weapon in her hand as Marin saw her transform. As she turned her head, the new villain glared directly at him.

"Kagami, she's-" Marin stuttered, now panicking as he glanced at his messenger bag. He couldn't transform here, but he couldn't abandon Kagami's mother, so he was essentially stuck.

The next thing he knew, the villain had disappeared for a moment as her thorned weapon clashed against Tomoe's Shinai. Marin was stunned by the scene unfolding as the older woman stood her ground against her newly Akumatized daughter. He had never seen anyone stand up to an Akumatized villain without a Miraculous, then again, she was a world-class athlete.

"Kagami-" Marin said, but was shut up as the villain roared at him, jumping back.

"It's Oni-chan!" She proclaimed as she saw her mother holding her weapon towards her. For a moment she looked indecisive before jumping away towards the city.

Marin let out an anxious sigh, "You weren't really going to fight her were you?" He asked, but didn't receive an answer as Tomoe sat back down on the bench as her hands were folded on her weapon.

"My daughter has had her difficulties with anger, however, it is out of my hands now."

"So you're just going to sit here?"

"In a manner of speaking. I trust that Ladybug and Chat Noir will be able to return my daughter to me." She said simply. "I suggest you return home now."

"Yes ma'am." Marin said he quickly grabbed his bag, bowing his head towards his elder as he then grabbed Kagami's fallen phone, hoping that he wouldn't be noticed.

As he ran towards the main street, he ducked down into an alley. He rested his back against the wall, grasping Kagami's phone in his hand, luckily it was still unlocked, but that it didn't remove the growing pit in his stomach.

"I'm a thief!" He gasped out as Tikki hovered nearby.

"Not if you don't return it?" Tikki offered as Marin whimpered at his Kwami. His hand still throbbed, but he was still able to unlock Kagami's phone, seeing something that made his heart stop. There on Kagami's phone was a photo of Lila kissing Adrien's cheek in his room.

His brain stopped working for a moment, not sure of how he should react.

"Marin?" Tikki asked, hovering nearby. Her concern was growing for her partner, poking his cheek a few times as Marin took a deep breath, placing Kagami's phone in his bag.

"Kagami was already angry when she got this, meaning that Lila's probably going to be her target." He said coldly.

"What about Adrien?" Tikki asked.

"I don't think Kagami would ever hurt him, she cares about him too much." Marin said, his voice wavering for a moment, but he didn't have the time or the emotional capacity to attempt to confront this new wave of emotion. No matter how he felt, he had to help out.

"Tikki, spots on!"

* * *

"Why are you so nice to that girl? She lies with every breath and snoops through your drawers as soon as your back's turned." Plagg asked from his cheese cabinet.

Adrien sighed, trying to just focus on his homework. "You snoop through my drawers too, Plagg."

"Yeah, but we both know I'm only looking for cheese. But she... well, we have no idea what she's looking for." Plagg said as he hovered nearby.

"She's friends with my friends, Plagg. I can't just be rude to her. She's probably not used to having friends, that's all." He tried to reason, after all, he didn't really know Lila that well, maybe what he saw was just a front. After all, it wasn't like he was truthful all the time. But before Plagg could respond, he saw his Kwami quickly hide as he heard something creak behind him, turning to see a newly Akumatized villain standing at his window.

"You and I were made for each other, Adrien." She said. "I will protect you from anyone who tries to harm you, especially from Lila."

Adrien was confused, but even though he wasn't Lila's biggest fan, hurting anyone was wrong. "She's not dangerous. She just craves attention!" He tried to reason but that seemed to only make the villain angrier.

"She doesn't deserve your attention. What she deserves is punishment!" She proclaimed as she then jumped out towards the streets. Adrien ran towards the window, watching as the new villain was now hunting down on of his classmates.

"Wow. With all these girlfriends chasing you, I guess it was only a matter of time before they ended up fighting each other." Plagg commented as Adrien glared at his Kwami.

"I don't have any girlfriend!" He insisted as Plagg nodded.

"Right because you're going to marry the Baker boy and get the bakery right?" He asked eagerly as Adrien rested his head on his hands.

"Plagg, claws out!" He could only say as his face burned red.

* * *

Ladybug raced across the rooftops, spotting Lila at the mercy of Oni-chan in the park, her weapon pointed towards the girl. He threw his yo-yo towards Oni-chan's sword, trying to pry it away from her, but Oni-chan instead grabbed the cord, pulling the hero down towards her.

"How kind of you to join us Ladybug!" She said as she pinned Ladybug to the ground, holding her sword to his neck, keeping him in place as she had easy access to his Miraculous. Or so she may have believed.

As she reached for his Miraculous, he grasped his yo-yo, about to activate his charm but was interrupted by a staff tapping Oni-chan's shoulder. The villain turned her head angrily as she saw Chat Noir sitting on a nearby fencepost.

"Excuse me, hasn't anyone taught you to respect other's personal space?" Chat Noir asked cheekily with a smile on his face. Oni-chan jumped back as she evaded Chat Noir swinging his staff at her.

"Lila, stay back, she's dangerous." Ladybug said as he grasped Lila's arm, but she pulled back, glaring up at him.

"I was perfectly capable of defending myself!" She insisted, but as soon as she said that, a red horn grew out of her forehead, shocking the two as Lila screamed. "What is this disgusting thing?!"

"My cue to get you out of here." Ladybug said as he grasped her wrist. "Chat Noir!" He called out as he spotted Chat Noir brawling with Oni-chan, using his staff as a makeshift sword.

"Leave her to me!" Chat Noir called back as Ladybug carried Lila to safety, using his yo-yo to scale the rooftops. Oni-chan's eyes darted towards the escaping hero, about to chase after them, until Chat Noir blocked her way, knocking her back against the gate.

"Get out of my way!" She demanded as Chat Noir hummed to himself for a moment.

"Mmmmm, nope." He said decidedly. "See, my amazing partner's counting on me, and I really don't want to let him down. That's our thing see." He said with a happy smile, resting his staff on his shoulders.

* * *

Ladybug landed on the street, placing Lila down but just as soon was pushed away as she looked at him with a disgusted expression. He was unnerved by this, used to being ignored completely rather than having disgust geared towards him. However, this wasn't the time to be insecure, not like he could ever afford to when he was Ladybug.

"Hide somewhere for now, at least until Chat Noir and I deal with Oni-chan-"

"I don't need you, or Chat Noir to handle something that...that freak!" Lila snapped, placing distance between her and the superhero, the horn on her head grew larger. The hero stared at her for a moment, picking up that the curse placed on her was reacting to her lies. Ladybug sighed, not wanting to leave his partner alone for too long but stopped as he heard a strange sound.

"Is your horn glowing?" Ladybug asked as Lila's red horn started emitting what sounded like a signal. He took out his yo-yo as it notified him to a message. Opening it up, he tilted his head in confusion, looking down at the strange symbol that appeared on his yo-yo. What kind of message-" Ladybug asked aloud but was enveloped in light for a moment.

* * *

"Adrien, Adrien, Adrien. All the girls are fighting over him. No one's fighting over me. I'm so much more sophisticated, funnier, and definitely better dressed than him." Chat said in a teasing tone, seeing his works infuriate the villain before him.

"How dare you compare yourself to Adrien, you mangy cat! Adrien is perfection personified! He's the only one who's worthy of me! And the only one I will ever love!" She yelled at him, swinging her sword with great strength and speed, knocking away Chat Noir's staff.

"Excuse me?" Chat Noir asked, flabbergasted as Oni-chan followed up her attack by knocking him back onto a tree. As Chat Noir lifted his head towards her he saw the horn on her head start to glow, emitting what sounded like a signal; which probably meant bad news. Chat Noir gripped his fallen staff, launching himself at full power towards her, about to swing away as she suddenly was replaced by an all too familiar face.

"-is this?" Ladybug finished asking, just in time to receive one of Chat Noir's fully powered attacks. Next thing he knew, Chat Noir had stuck his partner into a tree. Having successfully knocked his partner out, Chat Noir kneeled at Ladybug's side, uncertain of what to do.

"Ohhh crap."

* * *

On the Parisian streets, Oni-Chan chased after Lila, blocking her way as she had tried to escape.

"Do you get it now? I'll hunt you down wherever you go. Just give up on Adrien, and I'll stop tracking your every move." Oni-chan said as she held her weapon towards Lila's neck, enjoying the fear-laden on the girl's face as she fell to her knees.

"Alright. I'll give up... on Adrien." She said, but her true intentions were revealed as the horn of Lia's head grew longer.

Oni-Chan scoffed, "You're an awesome actress, but you're lying. Your horn betrays you, see? It will only disappear once you've sincerely given up on Adrien." She explained as Lila looked at her fearfully, standing back up.

"But how could I possibly give Adrien up? I love him so much! It's too hard for me, honestly! You can't ask me to do that." Lila insisted, her horn revealing the truth in her words. "But I have to, I guess the only thing that would persuade me to give him up if you got rid of Ladybug for me." She said

A smile drew on Oni-Chan's lips, finally seeing the girl's true colors. True that she loathed this person, but so long as Lila kept her word and stayed away from Adrien, it didn't matter what became of her. "If that's the only thing that will make you give him up, I'll do it."

* * *

Ladybug groaned, feeling nauseous as his head felt fuzzy. He still felt the wounds he received from Kagami from earlier, now paired with the blunt for he had received by surprise. Now he was looking up at his partner who sighed in relief as he hugged him tightly for a moment. Clearly not understanding that Ladybug was still winded from the attack...

"Did you wack me with your stick?" Ladybug asked with a furrowed brow, trying to process what just happened.

"Um, well..." Chat Noir chuckled nervously as he pulled back. "Can't say I never hit on you?" He tried to joke, but it was only received by a deadpanned face. "Right, too soon." Chat Noir nodded as he helped Ladybug to his feet.

"Oni-chan can probably use that horn on Lila to track her down. And considering that you trying to attack her earlier, I hope, it seems like she switches places with the people who open that text message from her." Ladybug said talking out his yo-yo. "Come on, we have t-" He was about to saw, but was cut off as he felt a rush of vertigo, making his head spin.

"Woah there!" Chat Noir said as he studied his partner, cradling him on his arms. "I've always wanted to sweep you off your feet, but not like this." He said as he placed Ladybug against the tree again, feeling a rush of guilt despite playing off a cheerful tone. "You hold back for a little while, I'll handle the Queen of Thorns and save the damsel in distress." He said with a wink.

As much as Ladybug wanted to argue, he could hardly think straight, just hoping that he wouldn't end up throwing up. He felt some comfort with Chat Noir's presence, especially after the day he'd had so far, but in this condition, he would be more of a hindrance than anything.

"Alright, just be careful." Ladybug said, holding his head in his hand, feeling Chat Noir squeeze his shoulder before Ladybug heard him walk off. Ladybug took a deep breath as he gripped his yo-yo in his head, for a moment closing his eyes as he felt restless.

* * *

"Help, Cat Noir!" Chat Noir overheard, looking down below, he saw Lila kneeling on the ground, clutching her ankle. "It hurts so much! I think I might've broken something!" She exclaimed as her eyes welled up with tears.

"Don't worry, I'll find you some help." Chat Noir said as he picked her up. He looked around for a moment, seeing if there were any police officers but then saw a fire truck driving by. As he ran towards it he looked down towards Lila.

"What happened to the villain? Wasn't she after you?"

"Yeah, but I managed to run away after Ladybug disappeared from sight. I was so scared," She said wrapping her around his neck, "Please don't leave me alone." She begged, looking genuinely sad as Chat Noir couldn't turn his back towards a terrified citizen.

* * *

Ladybug evaded another one of Oni-Chan's attacks, sad for all the trees that she had cut through while she smiled sadistically at him.

"Abandoned by your precious kitty huh?" The villain remarked, marking him as a target as Ladybug gripped his yo-yo, knowing that he'd need some extra help with his partner absent like this.

"Lucky Charm!" He said, throwing up his yo-yo, in his hands fell a ladybug printed bottle with a white tag. "Hm, Tylenol." Ladybug read a lot, popping a pill in his mouth as he evaded more of Oni-chan's attacks. It wouldn't kick in for a while, so as of now, he was vulnerable so long as his body was still sluggish. Turning his back to her now would prove to be fatal, she was stronger, faster, and had the motivation to take him out at any time. Ladybug pulled out his yo-yo as he never once took his eyes off of Oni-chan, about to call Chat Noir for help. However, Oni-chan picked up on his plan, not giving him a chance to even dial.

"Looks like your luck's run out." Oni-chan said with a smile as she almost hit him again. Ladybug kept his gaze on her, wondering why she wasn't going after Lila. Perhaps she decided to go after him, after his Miraculous? But why had she changed her mind so easily? One thing was for certain, he was in no shape to take her head-on, then again even if he was in peak shape he would still be no match for her.

But then he recalled what he had picked up earlier, realizing what he had to do. There was no way he could take on Oni-chan on his own, and he had no idea when his partner would return. But what he did know was who Oni-chan was, what she was feeling, and who may have been the cause of that anger.

His plan was risky, but maybe a little risk was good.

* * *

Lila held onto Chat Noir's hand as the fireman checked her leg. "Well, this is what happens when you don't wear knee pads."

"Is it bad?" Chat Noir asked as he could see Lila wincing in pain, but the fireman stood up, seemingly unconcerned.

"Oh, course not. You should be more worried about her horn instead because her leg looks fine." He said as Chat Noir stared at him.

"Excuse me?"

"Her ankle is fine, nothing broken or sprained. She just had an overreaction to a bad fall, but other than that horn on her head, she's fine." He said as he walked back towards his truck. Chat Noir immediately whipped his hand away from Lila, growing annoyed at the girl.

"See, isn't that great, you're fine, I have to go now-" He said, but stopped as Lila had grabbed his belt tail.

"Wait, what if that girl comes back, I'll be at her mercy, you have to protect me!" She said, but then her horn started to glow, growing larger as Chat Noir put two and two together. He thought it was strange that there was no sign of his partner, especially since that it was made clear earlier that Oni-chan was after Lila. But he forgot, at the end of the day, all every Akumatized villain ever wanted was a Miraculous, and his partner was nowhere in sight.

Immediately, he dialed his partner up but received no response. He then turned his attention back towards Lila, then he saw a familiar rush of Ladybugs as Lila's horn was gone, meaning only one thing. "You just wanted me to leave Ladybug alone with the villain? Do you hate Ladybug that much!?"

Lila looked up at him innocently. "Me? Of course not. Why would you say that? Is it because he's been left alone to fight Oni-Chan all by himself?" She asked as Chat Noir gritted his teeth together. He left his partner alone and vulnerable because of his own mistake. Just because Ladybug had used his Miraculous Ladybug didn't always mean that he had caught the Akuma, for now, he had to focus on finding him.

"What you just did is really terrible. You should be ashamed of yourself!" Chat Noir said as he used his staff to jump onto the rooftops, not waiting for a response from Lila as he chased after his Ladybug.

* * *

"Miraculous Ladybug!" Ladybug said, throwing up the charm in the air. It wasn't like it would've helped him out during this fight, and if Chat Noir was near Lila, maybe he'd take the hint and come running back. But for right now, all he had to rely on was himself. "You know, I don't know why we're even fighting, after all, you were after that girl Lila earlier," Ladybug observed. as he folded his hands behind his back politely. " She must be really smart if she has you going after me instead of her." He said in a condescending tone.

"Adrien is mine, no one is ever going to get in between our love! If I destroy you then he'll be mine forever!" Oni-chan informed as he tried to attack him again, gripping the hilt of her weapon, but the hero was too swift always interpreting that she'd attack him, so he ensured that there was never any way to close the gap between them.

"Really?" Ladybug asked in disbelief, as he then jumped on top of the fence railing. "Seems to me like you're a little insecure about this whole thing." He said as he saw Oni-chan getting angrier. "Oh wait, does Adrien even like you?" He gasped, with a surprised expression on his face.

Oni-chan's eyes widened as she processed what he just said. She didn't respond, instead "Of course Adrien likes me! That girl said that she'd give him up if I defeated you!"

"Oh you mean this girl?" Ladybug said, holding up Kagami's phone with the photo of Lila kissing Adrien on it, honestly, even holding it made him feel dirty. However, it probably did far worse to Oni-chan who was enveloped in a rage. "Seems to me like you let yourself be manipulated. Sure, she may have promised to give Adrien up if you defeated me, but it wouldn't matter if Adrien already was in love with her." He said, breaking the straw in the camels back. Seeing Oni-chan burst into a pure rage as she had no comeback. After all, he knew all too well what it was like to be in love with in some who only had eyes for someone else.

Oni-Chan went berserk, destroying everything in her path as she seemingly didn't care about the Miraculous anymore, all she wanted was to make him stop talking. He stood before the fence, as she was about to impale him, but before she could so that, he used his yo-yo to trap her weapon against the bar then swiftly, the kicked down, ignoring the pain of the thorns as he at least managed to crack it a little. It was enough that the Akuma fluttered out.

"No more mischief from you little Akuma. Time to purify!" Ladybug said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion. Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. "Bye-bye, little butterfly."

Ladybug took a deep breath as he saw Kagami had turned back to normal, on the ground before her was a pressed rose, probably something that was very important to her. He picked it up carefully, holding it towards her along with her phone. She gasped for a moment before accepting her rose and phone back, holding them both close to her chest.

"If you don't mind me asking," Ladybug asked already knowing the answer. "Was this about a boy?"

Kagami looked away for a moment, looking ashamed. "Yes, but...no as well. I allowed my temper to get the better of me. I was mean to one of Adrien's best friends, and thought..."

"You thought?" Ladybug prompted with a gentle tone.

"I thought he was in love with some other girl, after all, he sent me that photo." Kagami said holding up the photo that made Ladybug's blood boil, but he would never let it show.

"Kagami, I know for certain is that Adrien would never fall for someone who'd do something so mean."

"How can you be so sure?" Kagami asked as Ladybug pulled her to her feet, grasping her hands.

"I am Ladybug after all." The hero said with a playful smile as Kagami seemed to grow starry-eyed for a moment.

"My Lady!" The two overhead as they saw Chat Noir landing nearby, looking frazzled as he was out of breath. "W-what's happening here?" He asked trying to play it cool, but failing miserably.

Just then, Ladybug's Miraculous beeped.

"I have to go, but don't worry, Chat Noir will take care of you." Ladybug said reassuringly as he took a few steps back. He was about to throw his yo-yo up, he winced in pain, grasping his wrist. He could feel his body start to ache, the pain no longer being dulled. How unfortunate for him that he was attacked by everyone besides Oni-chan today.

"Wait- Ladybug!" Chat Noir called out as he walked over to his partner. "Are you ok-"

"You can save it for next time!" Ladybug said abruptly, but as picked up his yo-yo, throwing it up with his other hand, quickly running away as Chat Noir had a guilty expression on his face.

* * *

"Hey, Adrien? Could you help me with my homework after school?" Lila asked sweetly. "After getting attacked by that freak, I seemed to have forgotten everything that you taught me yesterday."

Lila didn't need a horn to show when she was lying. "Sorry, I've got fencing. Besides, I think you're already light years ahead of me when it comes to calculus." He said sternly, looking back towards Marin who hadn't approached him all day.

"Oh please Adrien, I have memory loss issues after all the traveling I've done. I need alot of help to try and catch up with you guys." Lila said, about to grasp his arm, but he took a step back from her.

"Lila, Nathalie and my bodyguard got reprimanded last time because of you." He said sternly.

"I'm sorry, Adrien. Please, I didn't mean to." She said, sounding a genuine this time, but with Lila, he couldn't be sure.

"Lila, you can count on me if you need help. But not if you hurt the people I care about." Adrien said sternly as he walked to the back of the classroom, only having a few moments before he had to run to practice, but he needed to get something off his chest.

"Hey." Adrien greeted as Marin didn't look at him immediately, looking exhausted. His eyes then drifted towards his friend's wrist, seeing it wrapped in cloth. "What happened to your wrist?" He asked now concerned.

"It's...nothing, just had an accident," Marin said.

"Are you mad at me or something? You haven't talk to me all day." Adrien asked, getting straight to the point.

Marin took a deep breath as he turned towards him, "I saw that photo, the one that Lila took in your room." Marin said bluntly as Adrien felt a chill go up his spine. He felt bad, for some reason, though he wasn't sure why.

"That...was Lila messing around." Adrien sighed scratching the back of his head as he felt an unlying embarrassment that now two of his friends had saw that damn photo. "I just lost a bet is all, it was just a joke."

"Sorry I sent her your way, I can see you don't-" Marin was about to apologize but was cut off by Adrien suddenly slamming his hand on the desk.

"Hey, this isn't on you. Lila's just looking for a little attention, other than this, she's practically harmless."

"Adrien," Marin said seriously, "this isn't okay."

"Well thank, but I can take care of myself, you don't have to worry about me." Adrien said, coming off rather curt, but before he could properly explain, Marin walked past him.

"Right, I guess I'll see you later then." He said as Adrien was frozen in place, deciding tha he didn't want to make the situation worse by chasing after someone who needed the space.

* * *

"Lila, what's going on?" Marin asked as he had cornered her near the edge of the courtyard. Everyone had already gone home, so it was just them. "I tell you about Kagami and next thing I know she's akumatized because of a photo you sent to her?"

"It was just a harmless little prank, Adrien doesn't mind." Lila explained as-a-matter-of-fact like.

"Lila, Adrien already has someone he likes. Messing with them like this-" He was cut off as Lila pushed him on the bench, trapping him between her arms as she looked down at him with a smile on her face.

"Oh please, cut the nice boy act, I've already seen enough." She said as Marin froze in place. "You've got everyone fooled don't you? Thinking that you're all sweet and kind and honest? But really, you're just like me, always telling people what you think they want to hear. It's no wonder everyone likes you."

"What are you talking about?"

"Oh come on Marin," Lila sighed with a happy smile on her face. "The sad frail-kid who too pitiful to be offensive to anyone? It's probably why Adrien keeps you around. With you next to him, it just makes him look better; after all, anyone would feel sorry for someone as pathetic as you. Even I fell for it for a little while."

"Adrien's my friend Lila, he's not like that," Marin said, but every time Lila spoke, it felt like someone was punching his heart.

But Lila scoffed at the notion. "Come on, you love the attention. After all the awards and recognition and it's not enough for you. Now you have to get Adrien's attention all for yourself? It's more than a little selfish if you ask me. If you didn't have the talent no one would even give you the time of day. Gangly, Timid, too eager all the time; it's repulsing. If you actually cared about anyone, you'd get as far away from them as possible."

"Say whatever you want to about me, but it doesn't change what you did." Marin said, his voice wavering along with his resolve but tensed when he saw that Lila's smile hadn't wavered.

"Now you're blaming me for something that was out of my control? I didn't know what would happen to Kagami, honest, and here you are making me out to be some kinda villain." She said, solidifying her own innocence on the matter. "If if wasn't for you, I wouldn't even have gone over there. So think about that if you ever decide to gossip about what happened." She warned, but then pulled back as her phone rang. "I suppose that's my cue to leave, I hope you'll think about what I said today Mari, after all, I do think we could be really good friends. Ciao." She said with a carefree expression.

"Hello?" She asked as he walked away, leaving Marin on the bench, feeling winded even though he hadn't moved at all.

He sat there alone on the bench, feeling a chill that spread throughout his body on this rather warm day. He only moved when he looked down to see Tikki sitting on his hand, looking up at him in concern. Normally, he'd try and reassure his Kwami that he was okay, but right now, he didn't feel like smiling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -why is this so long? It shouldn't have been this long XD
> 
> -Horray, Lila actually acting like a villain. 
> 
> -This was a very hard chapter to write, what with all the extra content.
> 
> -Fun fact, the weapon that Kagami practices with is specifically called a Shinai, not a Bokken, more commonly used for Kendo training while a Bokken is more katana based.
> 
> -Marin's gonna be beat up more though this season, almost like his bad luck is getting worse...
> 
> -The next episode is fluff, a nice step away from all the angst I'm setting up for.
> 
> \- Please comment or review, it really help me out, thanks for the support. :D


	58. Oblivio-us Teens are Oblivious

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 2 kids and 2 magic jewelry bugs wake up in an elevator in a building with no memory of who they are and are being chased by a villain hunting them down. 
> 
> The punchline? Almost everything gets retconned because of a magic teapot.

His head ached, feeling as though someone had hit him with blunt force. As his vision cleared, he saw that someone with a pair of the bluest eyes he'd ever seen was hovering just above his face, looking down him.

"Who are you?" He murmured, looking up towards someone who was dressed in a ladybug patterned suit and mask, looking at him in pure shock as he pulled him behind the cover of a glass viewing area.

"I'm your..." The Ladybug themed person wavered for a moment as hugged him close, appearing to be wary of something, but he couldn't be certain as to what. "Please tell me this is another one of your jokes Chat Noir."

"Um...I don't think so..." He replied getting a better look at this boy, dressed in a Ladybug print costume with a scarf, and black thigh-high boots that were very stylish; the only thing that seemed out of place was the ceramic turtle attached to his belt. "Am I Chat Noir?" He asked, only receiving a concerned expression from the person in the ladybug costume.

"This isn't good." He murmured, seemingly checking for something as the ladybug then placed his hands on his shoulders, looking at him seriously. "Okay, listen. I'm Ladybug, you're Chat Noir, we're partners that protect Paris from villains." He quickly explained.

"Ladybug..." Chat Noir, said aloud, thinking it was rather fitting but flinched as he heard a distorted voice.

"You can't hide from us! Chat Noir is already down, it's only a matter of time before you join him Ladybug!"

Chat Noir peaked from behind the air conditioning unit, seeing a large purple person who was walking towards them, shooting lasers in their direction.

"What is that thing?!" He harshly whispered as Ladybug pulled him back to safety.

"Oblivio."

For some reason, Chat Noir felt something on his head flatten, feeling a pair of cat ears that oddly appeared to respond to his emotions.

"Listen, we need to head to that elevator. I'll cover you, but if it goes wrong, and I get hit I need you to do two things." Ladybug said as Chat Noir felt strangely calm, staring into his partner's bright blue eyes.

"Okay?!" Chat Noir said just nodding along as he was trying to process what was happening right now.

"First, don't lose your head, you can do this; Second, if-" Ladybug said, as Chat Noir then heard something beeping. The source came from his ring that had a paw emblem, as well as Ladybug's earrings. The hero, Ladybug, narrowed his eyes, realizing that time was against him. Chat Noir had no time to ask anything further as the villain was almost already on them. Ladybug ran out first, using a yo-yo as a shield as he defended himself from the villain's attacks.

"Go now!" Ladybug called out as he deflected the shots aimed at him.

Chat Noir only obeyed, feeling the tension as he pressed the button for the elevator. He felt the air tense up as he then heard a grunt, turning to see Ladybug fallen to the ground just a few feet away from him with the villain standing over him.

"Your Miraculous is ours, Ladybug!" Oblivio said as they then pointed their weapon at him. Time seemed to slow down as Ladybug seemingly tried to use the turtle at his side to deflect the attack, but Oblivio made contact first. The shot landed as Ladybug was knocked out and the villain was knocked back.

What happened next was all on instinct.

Chat Noir reached for something, anything, discovering that he had a baton attached to his belt. He threw it, unintentionally extending it as the weapon hit Oblivio just as they were recollecting their thoughts. Just as the elevator arrived it able to distract the villain for a moment as Chat Noir grabbed his partner, wrapping his arms around his torso as he dragged him into the elevator.

"NOOOO!" Oblivio yelled out just as the elevator doors closed and Chat Noir heard his ring, and Ladybug earrings beep faster.

* * *

He grumbled for a moment as he felt his head hurt, as though something had hit his head.

"Um, hi?" He overhead as he realized that he was the arms of a stranger, a boy about his age who was cradling his body in a catsuit of all things with ears to match.

"AH!" He reflexively reacted, immediately breaking away, but hitting his hand on an elevator wall as he backed away. "Owowow-" He winced as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Hey are you okay?" The cat boy asked as he reached out stunned by the new personality of the capable person he had just met.

"Wha- what am I wearing?! Why am I dressed like some kinda of clown!?" He half yelled, utterly confused as he saw his reflection in the mirror above.

"Look, I don't know what's going on, I lost my memory too. But I lost it just before you did." The Cat boy explained as he sat before him. "You told me that I'm called Chat Noir, and you were called Ladybug." He- Chat Noir, informed.

"Ladybug?" He asked in disbelief. "That's a stupid name, why would anyone call themselves Ladybug?!"

"Well, I think it may come with the territory." Chat Noir observed as he gestured to all of Ladybug's costume, a smile of amusement slipping through for a moment before he realized just how freaked out Ladybug was.

"Those can't be our names though, can it?" Ladybug asked, but before he could get an answer he heard a sudden beeping sound close to his ear. He saw that Chat Noir's ring was beeping, and all of a sudden they were no longer wearing their costumes. Instead, the costumes apparently turned into two strange creatures who were lain out on the ground.

"AHH- What are those?! Bugs? Mice? Bug mice?!" Ladybug screamed as he hit behind Chat Noir who seemed unphased by the appearance of the new creatures, curious almost. A smile grew on his face as he picked up both creatures in the palm of his hands.

"Hi there," He said with a smile. "Who are you guys? Genies, like the one in the lamp from that story?"

"Hungryyyyyy." The black cat-like one groaned but perked up as he seemingly caught the scent some something, sniffing around Chat Noir as his eyes shot open. "What's that delectable smell?!" The cat-bug asked as Chat Noir searched his pockets for a moment, wincing back as he felt something squishy in his pocket.

"Ugh, Camembert?!" Chat Noir asked, repulsed by the smell as the black creature immediately grabbed it.

"I've never seen anything so beautiful!" He said, immediately gobbling down the cheese. Meanwhile, the red one was still weak, only looking up towards Chat Noir looking tired, barely able to keep her eyes open. Chat Noir felt sad as he saw how weak the creature looked. He patted down his pockets once more but didn't seem to have any more cheese on him.

"Hey, do you have any snacks on you?" Chat Noir asked as he turned back towards the other boy, Ladybug who was sitting in the corner, trembling in fear like a small animal. He appeared to be overwhelmed by this entire situation, to the point where he didn't even want to talk. It seemed like losing his memories had hit Ladybug harder than it had himself. But before he could ask him if he was alright, the elevator began to shake violently.

"What is that?!" The red bug asked worridly as the lights began to flicker.

"Nothing good!" Chat Noir reasoned, as he placed the red bug on his shoulder and then tried to open the elevator doors, but to no avail. "Ugh, they're stuck!" He said, then saw the black cat fly past him, phasing through the door as the tremors began to get worse. "What just..." Chat Noir asked himself in surprise as the red bug followed suit. Whatever these two animals were, there was no way they weren't anything but magical. A second later the doors sprang open

"Come on, we gotta get outta here!" Chat Noir said, forcing Ladybug to his feet as he grabbed his wrist, the two just narrowly escaped just as the elevator fell. Chat Noir sighed in relief, looking up at the two flying creatures. "Thank you." He said gratefully as the black cat scoffed.

"Hmph, you two should have just phased through the doors too." He said turning his head away while the red bug slowing fell to the ground. Chat Noir gasped about to catch her, but Ladybug beat him to the punch, holding the small creature in his palm of his hands. Taking a closer look, he saw that Ladybug without his costume looked felt significantly different, his giving off a timid and feeble aura. His hair was a mess only really kept together by pink and white pins, and even though his outfit looked professional it was offset by the wrinkles, making it look like he just got out of bed. What really drew his attention however was the bandaid wrap around his wrist, implying that he was injured along with a ladybug patterned tie that was wrapped around the same wrist.

"Okay everyone we're gonna keep our cool here. We've all lost our memories but I'm sure we'll be able to—" Chat Noir was about to say, but a banging in the elevator shaft caught their attention, sounding like there was something, or someone climbing it. "Get out of here!" Chat Noir said, grabbing Ladybug's hand, the uninjured one as he ran in a random direction.

* * *

Ladybug had no idea what was going on, he had awoken in the arms of a beautiful stranger. A stranger dressed like a cat but who transformed into a human being, it was almost like something out of a fairy tale. Unfortunately, he most certainly wasn't the kind of person play any part like that, a chair or a table maybe, but no leading role. Right now, all he could do was follow Chat Noir's lead as they passed by rooms that were destroyed, covered in debris until they ended up running into a restroom. The two of them gasped for air, Ladybug more so as he felt like his heart would give in, wheezing for air.

"Sorry for dragging you like that, I realize this must be as crazy for you as it is for me." Chat Noir apologized, however, Ladybug only responded by still trying to catch his breath. But his attention was grabbed as his bag started to move, making him flinch back. He opened it to see the red Kwami was munching down on some cookies that were in a plastic case, her face covered with crumbs. But as soon as she was caught, she looked up towards the two boys apologetically.

"I'm sorry, I was hungry." She said as she hovered, still holding half a cookie in her hands. A smile broke out on Ladybug's face as he chuckled, cleaning away the crumbs with a handkerchief that was in his bag.

"Thank you Marinus!" She said with a smile.

Both Chat Noir and Ladybug looked at her in surprise.

"Is that his- how did you know his name?" Chat Noir asked pointing towards Ladybug- Marinus.

"It's written in there," The red bug said, flying back into Marinus's bag and pulling out a pink floral patterned notebook. Marinus took it from her, looking on the back to see, Property of Marinus Dupain-Cheung, written in neat cursive writing.

"Marinus..."Chat Noir murmured for a moment before a smile drew on his lips, "That's a pretty name." He said, but was surprised as Marinus turned his head away, blushing fiercely. It was almost cute.

Chat Noir then patted down his pockets, feeling something in his back pocket and pulled out what looked to be an ID card. "Adrien Agreste," He read aloud, "I'm Adrien Agreste."

"Well that's great and all, but who are we?" The black cat asked impatiently while the red bug was resting on Marinus's shoulder.

"You two are probably someone important if you came out of our jewelry like that." Adrien reasoned looking down at his ring, noticing that it was white now while Marinus's earrings were now black. "Okay. We're stuck in the building with amnesia being chased by a villain that took away our memories, so I'm guessing we have to find a way to defeat it." Adrien reason as he saw Marin's face pale at that goal.

"How do you know what that thing's called, and how it's the cause of us losing our memories?" The red bug asked.

"Because Ladybug told me." Adrien said, looking at Marinus who was hugging himself nervously, not enjoying the spotlight being set on him. But there was no time to worry about that now, as the door started to bang.

Adrien immediately looked around for a place to hide, but there was no obvious place that wouldn't be found in 10 seconds. He was surprised as Marinus grabbed his arm, pointing towards a vent that was above them, just above the stalls.

"It's too far up." Adrien said as Marinus walked towards it. Even if they could reach it, Adrien assumed that Marinus wouldn't have the strength to pull him up. Before he could say anything, however, Marinus was already waiting for him, lacing his fingers together to give him a boost.

"Are you sure? Your wrist-" Adrien pointed out.

"We don't have time, just hurry up!" The black cat snapped, causing Adrien to comply. He was lifted up until he had to balance on Marinus's shoulder. They wobbled a little, but ultimately, Adrien was just barely able open up the hatch, tossing it down as he climbed into the duct.

"Alright, come on." Adrien said as he reached out towards Marinus. For a moment, he wondered how he'd be able to pull up Marin on his own, however, he was surprised. As he gripped his partner's hand, he didn't expect him to be rather light, after all, he was taller than him, perhaps he was just stronger. As Adrien pulled him in, the two genies closed the vent behind them. The vent was cramped between two of them, Adrien felt a little embarrassed holding Marinus in his arms the vent leaving no space between them, but neither of them dared to move a muscle as they heard the door break down. Footsteps echoed through the bathroom, for a moment there was some silence as Adrien sighed, releasing some tension as his heart was racing. But then both of them flinched as a sudden bang rang in their ears. The sound continued until the villain roared on frustration.

"Ugh! We will find you!" Oblivio said as he seemingly walked out of the bathroom. Even though the coast was seemingly clear, Adrien and Marinus both silently agreed not to backtrack as the underlying fear of being caught was still present. Adrien looked down towards Marinus as the two were tangled together. Marinus immensely averted his gaze as he pushed himself away while Adrien chuckled nervously, the former taking the lead as they both crawled through the vents together.

"Um, quick thinking on the vent back there, you seem to be good with situations like this." Adrien complimented. He looked back for a moment seeing Marinus hanging his head, not reacting to his compliment at all.

"You're striking out here pal." The black cat commented, his voice low enough so only Adrien could hear. Adrien scowled at the magic cat. He wasn't striking out, he wasn't striking anything, he was just paying a compliment.

Once they reached the end of the vent, the two genies peaked out first. Once they confirmed the coast was clear Adrien carefully pushed the vent through, placing it to the side as he jumped out. He stumbled for a second as the drop was higher than he expected, so in turn, he held out his hand towards Marinus, hoping that it would help him balance. But it Marinus fell for the same illusion, as he took Adrien's hand he stumbled into his arms. Reflexively, Marinus wrapped his arms around Adrien's waist, the two froze for a moment before Marinus immediately broke away.

"I-" Marin gasped for a moment, then bowed his head. "Sorry!"

"Oh, no- you don't need to apologize!" Adrien said, still flustered from the contact. But turned his head away as he didn't want his gaze to linger on Marinus. "Why don't we head upstairs now?!" He asked, not waiting for an answer as he walked ahead. He wasn't sure why, but even knowing that Marinus was walking behind him made his heart race to the point where it started to hurt a little.

* * *

They peaked into an empty office space, cautiously walking around as they saw the room was a mess, yet abandoned.

"We can hide out here while we figure out what to do." Adrien said as he took out his phone, but was prevented from accessing it. "A four-digit code..." Adrien said aloud. " I don't suppose you remember yours?" He asked, but Marinus shook his head as he stood before the windows with the red bug hovering nearby.

Adrien ran to a desk, picking up one of the phones, but didn't hear a dial tone on the other end. "The phone lines are down, neither of us can remember how to unlock our phones, there's a villain hunting us down; we seem to be running out of options here." Adrien sighed.

Marinus looked back at him for a moment, wanting to be positive but couldn't find the words. Suddenly, an idea came over him as he took out the book from earlier. He saw that it had a lock on it, one that needed a key. Marin looked through his bag but couldn't find anything that could fit in the this really was his. In his bag, all he could see was a small bag filled with cookies, a pouch of various art supplies, a small sewing kit, and a mini first aid kit. All things considered, if he had a bag filled with drawing supplies as well, then he probably used the book often; implying-hopefully- that he had to have kept a key on him somewhere. It was a stretch, but it was all he had to go on.

Marinus patted down his pockets, feeling something in his back pocket, something that was attached to the back of his pants. He untied the charm looking down at what appeared to be a lucky charm of sorts. He didn't recognize it, but it didn't have what he was looking for, so he placed it in his bag. Then, he touched his neck as he felt that he was wearing a necklace. It was tucked under his shirt, having a bright red jewel of sorts tied with a cord, along with a small silver key.

He quickly removed his necklace and easily unlocked his journal. He flipped through a few pages, seeing drawings and magazine clip outs all referring back to fashion, all dated with a few notes on each design, pretty standard to say the least. But then, as he turned more pages, the random magazine clippings were more geared towards one model in particular. Marinus's face burned with embarrassment, thinking about all the time and effort that had to be placed in making these collages, no wonder he'd locked his book was random, one page could be filled with cutouts and the next was some strange doodles of what looked to be bananas? His eyes widened as he then turned the next page to see a pressed flower, a pink rose that was pressed in the pages. As much as he was curious about the flower, it wasn't what he was looking for.

Then, he spotted 4 numbers, circled in red marker next to a polaroid photo of Adrien taped in, one that looked to be from a magazine clipping. The caption read, "Don't Forget!". Marin hummed thoughtfully, taking out his phone and dialing the 4 numbers, which apparently was the code as his phone was unlocked. The wallpaper on his phone was oddly a yarn basket of all things, it seemed strange to make a yarn basket the wallpaper for anything.

"I got it!" Marinus called out as Adrien turned towards him.

"Got what?" Adrien asked as the two walked towards each other.

"I got my phone unlocked," Marinus explained as Adrien's eyes lit up.

"That's amazing how'd you manage that?"

Marinus was about to answer until he remembered how he got the code, his mind racing back to everything that as in his journal. He didn't know what his relationship was with Adrien, as far as he knew, Adrien would be creeped out by all the photo's of him within the journal he kept. It has creeped him out, that was sure.

"I uh... found the code in my journal," Marinus said lamely, rubbing the back of his head nervously. "My phone's almost out of battery, I think I'll be able to make one, maybe 2 calls before it dies."

"Still, it's great that you managed to find it." Adrien complimented again but saw that Marinus wasn't very receptive to his praises. Then he saw that Marinus was looking through his phone in confusion. "What's wrong?" He asked, then looked at Marinus's phone to see that there were no clear names listed on his contact list, everyone was a dessert with a picture of their namesake attached to their contact info.

"Cupcake, Cookie, Truffle, Coffeecake- What kind of names are these?!" Marinus grimaced in disbelief as he scrolled through having no idea who to call.

"Hey, I think that one's me." Adrien pointed out as he saw the name, Adrikins next to an actual photo of himself. Accidentally clicking on the icon, he opened up the full picture, one where he and Marinus were sitting on a bench together, looking friendly towards each other. "We look close." He pointed out kind of happy that he and Marinus seemed to be on good terms.

" Yeah, we're sitting on a bench together!" Marinus said quickly exiting out of the photo, maybe too quickly as Adrien noticed his hastiness.

"Wait, stop!" Adrien called again as he saw a turtle picture next to someone nicknamed, .

"What? What is it?!" Marinus asked now startled as Arien pointed to the contact information.

"Before you lost your memory you had this...turtle thing that you were carrying around."

"So?"

"So maybe it's a sign or something," Adrien said shrugging his shoulder. "Even if it's just a coincidence, it's something to go on." He offered as Marinus sighed, there were a number of things wrong with Adrien just suggested. However, it wasn't like he had a better idea, so he simply dialed the number. He grew anxious as the phone rang, for a split second, every possible bad thing that could happen seemed to rush into Marinus's head. But luckily, it only lasted for a moment as someone picked up from the other side.

" Hello?" A voice asked from the other side of the call.

"Um... Mr. Turtle?" Marinus asked hesitantly.

"Marinus, is there a problem?" A voice from the other side asked; a higher-pitched one that he was expecting.

"Well... um-" Marinus stammered, not sure of what to say as his head started to get fuzzy the more he grew anxious. He was almost sure that he wasn't good at talking to people. However, he then felt a hand on his shoulder as Adrien looked up towards him, nodding assuringly. Marinus felt a little at ease, all things considered.

"I can't remember who I am or who you are or who the magic fairies are, now there's a villain chasing us- me and Adrien Agreste- but I think I'm supposed to call you because Adrien said that I- well, Ladybug had some kind of turtle charm before he- I, got my memory erased." Marinus rambled as he felt embarrassed explaining this whole confusing situation.

"Oh no, that's not good." The voice on the other side said. " You two aren't supposed to know each other's identities..."

"Why not?" Adrien asked.

"Because it's extremely dangerous, but for now I guess it's fine." The voice from the other side said, ignoring Adrien's question. "Ladybug will be able to fix this with his Lucky Charm, now tell me, where are your Kwamis? The Faries." Mr. Turtle clarified.

"Um..." Marin turned his head, spotting the red bug, but then his stomach sank as he saw the black cat flying out of the building. "Just the red one..."

"Listen carefully, the red Kwami's name is Tikki. She gives you your powers Say, "Tikki, spots on," and you'll transform into Ladybug: your powers are Lucky charm; which is part of your other power, Miraculous Ladybug; which can undo anything effected by the power of an Akuma: As well as purification, once the item the akuma has possessed is destroyed the akuma will be released, you can then use your yo-yo to capture and purify it so it doesn't cause any further trouble. Adrien, your Kwami's the black one. His name is Plagg. Tell him, "Plagg, claws out," and you'll become Chat Noir again; your power is the Cataclysm, with one touch you can destroy or corrupt."

"Right, thank you," Marinus said gratefully and then hung up. He exchanged a nervous glance with Adrien who saw that Plagg was gone as well.

"So, what are we suppose to do now?" Adrien asked, then saw Marinus was sitting with his back to a pillar, sitting on the ground.

"Take two seconds to process what's happening?" He recommended feeling winded after gaining so much information in such a short amount of time.

"I'm fine with that." Adrien said as he sat adjacent to Marinus. He looked up towards a giant poster, one that appeared to be for a movie, a Ladybug and Chat Noir movie of all things.

He overheard Marinus talking a deep breath, "So...what about us? Do you think we know?"

"Know?" Marinus asked, but knew what Adrien meant.

"You know, do you think you know about each other identities?" Adrien asked hopefully.

"Mr. Turtle said that we shouldn't know each other's secret identities. There's probably a good reason that we don't know." Marinus reasoned.

However, that didn't sit right with Adrien. "Sure, but just before you got your memories erased...it kinda felt like you, like Ladybug cared a lot about me. Do you feel like that? About me now?"

Marinus's mind went in a hundred different directions as he hugged his journal. "I feel like we're more than just partners...maybe friends?" He said carefully. Being friends was all he could, should, really hope for if he ended up being some kind of creepy stalker. Adrien was confident and was incredibly patient with him as he struggled not to lay down and cry from the stress of the entire situation.

"I wish we could make sure."

"Why?"

"Even if we can't remember, I think I'm supposed to care about you a lot." Adrien said as he grasped his shirt. He was uneasy around Marinus, a good kind, a kind that he'd correlate more towards excitement than dread.

"Maybe..."Marinus wavered for a moment, glancing toward Adrien's direction. "Maybe there's a way we could-"

But then they both tensed up as they heard a door open and close.

"Ladybug! Chat Noir! You remember your BFF Oblivio, don't you? Don't tell us you've forgotten us." Oblivio yelled out angrily as they overheard the sound of something crashing, probably a desk being thrown across the room.

"I'm not convinced that this monster is really our best friend," Adrien whispered sarcastically as he, Marinus, and Tikki hid under a desk. "If that guy catches us, it's ov-" Adrien was about to say but then he saw Marinus whispering something to Tikki. The Kwami nodded, phasing off as Marin reached for a roll of tape sitting on top of the desk.

"Can I borrow your phone?" Marinus asked holding out his hand, just before placing his journal back into his bag.

Adrien stared at him for a moment before silently complying, watching as Marinus wrapped his phone in the tape. He then placed it on the ground as he glanced at Adrien seriously. "I'll call your phone with mine, and once he comes around, we run for it. Ready?" Marinus explained as Adrien looked at him in surprise, wondering if this was the same timid boy from earlier.

A confident smile drew on his face as Marinus dialed his phone. Both of them heard rapidly approaching footsteps gaining closer and closer. Marinus and Adrien moved carefully as they hid under another desk. Marinus quickly pulled Adrien's phone to safety as Oblivio growled in annoyance.

"We know you're in here, you won't get away this time!" They called out, but then started running again as they heard a door open and close from across the room. "There!" They called out, sprinting away after what they believed were their targets.

Neither Marinus or Adrien moved until they heard the door close, Marinus let out a sigh of relief as he handed back Adrien's phone. "Tikki's going to lure Oblivio away as far as she can, it'll give us some time to figure out a plan."

"Plus, this room will be the last place Oblivio will think to look for us, it's brilliant." Adrien praised, this time Marinus didn't seem so averse to taking the compliment, but it only lasted for a second before he averted his gaze. "We're doing pretty well, even without powers, don't you think?" Adrien pressed as he stood up, holding out his hand to help Marinus up.

The taller boy accepted the gesture but had a frown on his face. "So far we've been lucky with these close calls, but we have to put an end to this so we can get our memories back." He pointed out as Adrien sighed, placing his hands on his hips.

"When you're right you're right. So, do you have a plan?"

"Me?" Marinus asked in surprise.

"Yeah." Adrien said as-a-matter-of-fact-like, "You seem to be good with situations like this."

Marinus's face burned with embarrassment as he noticed the window looking especially appealing to look at. He placed his bag on the desk and walked up towards it for a moment, placing his hand against the glass, feeling the cool temperature at his palm. He took a slow deep breath, placing his forehead against the window, hoping that the cold would help him calm down.

He knew they had to defeat Oblivio. He knew that he that Plagg was missing so, for now, it would be on him and Tikki to take on Oblivio alone. Except that there was no way for him to do this alone. If Adrien took Adrien's words into account then there was a chance that the reason that they failed was due to his partner being taken out first. But maybe there was something that he was missing, something that could help them tip the scales in their favor. If he could figure out how Oblivio's power's work then perhaps...

Marinus opened his eyes, his chest swelled with confidence, "Adrien, maybe we can-" However it all came crashing down as he turned to see Adrien holding a book that was all too familiar. His journal, in his hands, opened up, and the rest was history.

* * *

Adrien wasn't sure what to do.

His partner was seemingly in his own world as he was thinking. So he crossed his arms, leaning back against the desk behind him, tracing Marinus's figure with his eyes as he waited. There was a chance that he wouldn't be able to figure out a plan, that was a given. But every time Adrien looked at him, something inside him was always set at ease, maybe it was natural for him to rely on his partner like this. After all, the first time he had met Ladybug, the hero had saved him when he was at his most vulnerable.

His bag fell over, something fell out from his journal.

"Hm?" Adrien hummed curiously as he saw there was a page that was bookmarked. "Um, Marinus?" Adrien called out, not wanting to touch the personal items of an incredibly timid person but didn't want to leave it on the ground. As he picked up the book, it opened up to a page that had a pink rose pressed within. Alongside it was a very detailed drawing of Chat Noir with a cheeky smile on his face.

Next to it was was a few words. "Today, I found out Chat Noir's eyes are actually green-Also using a Cataclysm can be a power trip but that's for another time. I couldn't shake the idea that they reminded me of Adrien's eyes...today I also noticed the silver ring on his hand. One that looks eerily similar to Chat Noir's. I've read through the pages of the Master's grimoire more times than I can count, and read that the Miraculous are known to change color, but only more experienced Miraculous holders can change the shape of their Miraculous at will. Luckily my earrings are a common design, hardly anyone notices them. But a ring like that...if Chat Noir is really Adrien..."

The words then stopped as there was something redacted with a black marker.

"Adrien, maybe we can-"

Adrien's head immediately shot up, just in time to see Marinus's face go pale. He immediately closed the book holding out his hand towards his partner, "Wait I can explain!" He said, but Marinus placed his head back onto the window, now more defeated than ever as he hid his face away.

"I didn't mean to read it." Adrien said honestly, "But when it opened I couldn't help it...but that's no excuse." Adrien sighed as he held out the book towards him. "I'm so sorry."

"It's fine, this is fine." Marinus said clapping his hands together trying to end this conversation, but he did not sound fine. "We just are going to have to defeat the villain and turn everything back to normal and forget that we forgot our memories and then never talk about this again. Okay, good plan."

Adrien frowned at his partner who was now clearly going through some kind of panic-induced breakdown under the guise of being composed. "Or we could talk about this?" He suggested. "Like how you wanted to earlier?"

Marinus hand his head, holding his face in his hands. "Could you please forget about that?" He now begged, but Adrien shook his head.

"I saw what you wrote about Chat Noir, about me." He said honestly, as Marinus blushed fiercely."I know that we don't have any of our memories, but I know what I'm feeling for you is real," Adrien said as he clawed his shirt, "I like you Marinus; Anyone would be blown away by how amazing you are, and somehow you always end up surprising me when I think I've figured you out." Adrien said as he started the smile, feeling a warm feeling swell in his chest. "Which makes me want to spend more time with you." He confessed as Marinus looked like he was just about to pass out. "How do you feel about me?"

"I..." Marinus stammered for a moment, trying to gather his thoughts, looking at him with a conflicted, yet sincere expression. "I don't think I should tell you how I feel."

"Why not?" Adrien asked, about to ask if it was something that he did, but then remembered how he literally just read through Marinus's journal, so he thought he didn't have any right to ask the follow-up question.

"Because, if I do tell you, then it'll be real, not just something that's in my mind." Marinus explained. "That scares me more than the literal villain running around this building, doesn't it scare you at all?!"

"Feeling?" Adrien asked, a little confused.

"Truth!" Marinus clarified, but then grumbled to himself, messing up his hair. "Ugh, we don't have time for this. We're heroes, and we have to get rid of that villain and turn everything back to normal."

"What about us?" Adrien asked. "We're not supposed to know each other's identities, if we go back now then we'll forget about the time we spent together. It may be messed up to think about, but doesn't it feel honest? That we don't have to hide who we really are?"

Marinus faltered for a moment, thinking about what Adrien said, but just then Tikki phased back into the room with a panicked expression on her face. "There's trouble! Oblivio's going to erase the entire city's memories!" She warned as Adrien and Marinus shared a worried expression. It took no time for a more determined expression to take old on Marins's face.

"Then we don't have a choice." He said walking over to the desk and placing his journal within his bag, placing it back on as he turned towards his Kwami. "Tikki...spots on?" He said nervously for a moment as suddenly he was surrounded by light for a moment. When it faded, he saw his reflection in the window, cringing at his outfit. " In the clown suit again."Ladybug grimaced as he felt far too exposed.

"I think you look good." Adrien offered. "Like a real superhero."

"Thanks, but I don't feel like a superhero at all." Ladybug said, looking over his costume again, wishing he could just wear a parka or at least some kind of tarp.

"You've already proven that you are one, with or without a costume," Adrien said reassuringly as Ladybug smiled at him.

"You're sweet." Ladybug said as he noticed he had a yo-yo at his belt. He gripped his weapon in hand as he took a deep breath. "Alright, so long as I can find Oblivio's weakness, I think we should be alright." Ladybug said as he turned towards the door, but then Adrien grasped his hand.

"Wait, you're not fighting this guy alone are you?!" Adrien asked.

Ladybug nodded. "You don't have your kwami or your superpowers. And without your costume, you'd be put in even more danger." Adrien sighed dejectedly, wondering how Ladybug was able to stay reasonable at all times. Perhaps it was part of the reason that he like him so much, despite how annoying he could be. However, he was surprised as Ladybug placed his hand on his shoulder, looking at him with a sincere expression on his face."We've gone through all of this together, I just don't want anything bad to happen to..." Adrien said, but then time seemed to slow down as he felt arms wrap around him, trapping him in a warm embrace. He was stunned, too stunned to even reciprocate much to his regret as Ladybug stepped back.

The hero clapped his hands together to divert attention away from what just happened. "OKAYCOOLTALKBYE!" Ladybug said, slipping on a few papers as he struggled to run out of the room, all the way swearing to turn everything back to normal and erase this whole embarrassing escapade of a day as he ran up the stairs. Except that he had no idea how to do that.

All he knew was he had a magic power, a yo-yo, and that something called a Lucky Charm would be able to help them out. He hoped that somehow, it would all just come together as he opened the door to the roof, and then was almost shot.

"WAH-" Ladybug gasped as he evaded ducked for cover behind a glass wall, feeling a rising tension as the villain approached him.

"So you're decided to hand over your Miraculous, Ladybug?" Oblivio ashed as he pointed his weapon towards the hero.

"No, I don't think so!" Ladybug called back, sounding a little whiny as he gripped his yo-yo.

"Seems like you've already forgotten about your last defeat! How silly of us, of course, you've forgotten!" They remarked, now running towards him as Ladybug tried to keep distance between them, noticing that when Oblivio was shooting, they had to use one of their hands.

That gave Ladybug an idea, but he didn't have the speed or accuracy to pull it off, not like he was now.

* * *

Adrien was frozen as part of him wanted to feel that feeling of warmth once more now that he could clearly identify was this feeling was in his head; something that was far stronger than like. He chuckled to himself, having no idea how the same person could keep surprising him over and over again in such a short amount of time. As much as he would have liked to linger on his growing affections, he had to find some way to help his partner.

Right now, there wasn't much he could do as Adrien. But maybe if he wasn't Adrien...

The blonde's eyes scanned the room, looking at the fallen packaging materials lain about, quickly getting an idea as he picked up the packaging tape and boxes. It wouldn't the most glamorous of an idea, but at least he'd-

"What are you doing?"

Adrien turned to see the genie- the Kwami, from earlier had returned with a confused expression on his face as to what he was creating. "Plagg!" Adrien called out in relief.

"Plagg? Is that my name?" The Kwami asked excitedly as Adrien nodded with a smile.

"Yeah, we're supposed to be partners."

"Hmph, well, I do owe you from earlier," Plagg said, crossing his arms as Adrien smiled fondly at the Kwami.

"Alright, let's help out our friends, Plagg, claws out!" Adrien said aloud as his Miraculous began to change color.

"What's that gonna do-AHHH!" The Kwami yelled out as he was sucked into the Miraculous.

* * *

Ladybug tried to block against a punch but was knocked back as Oblivio pushed him to the ground.

"You've forgotten your reflexes, huh? Now we're gonna make sure you lose everything else, including your Miraculous!" Oblivio promised as they pointed their weapon down at the hero. But then the blast was knocked back as Ladybug was surprised, looking down at a staff fallen to the ground. Next thing he knew, someone else stood before him protectively, picking up his weapon.

"Invading the personal space of a gentleman, did you forget your manners?" He asked looking back at him with a cheeky smile on his face.

"Adri—" Ladybug was about to say before he immediately covered his mouth. But then, his partner picked him up, carrying him as Oblivio began to fire at them again, the two taking refuge behind an air conditioning unit. "What are you doing here?!" Ladybug harshly whispered.

"Hey, pretty cool, right?" Adrien- Chat Noir asked gesturing to his hero uniform.

"That was reckless!" Ladybug scolded, secretly thinking how cool Chat Noir looked but held a stern expression as his words didn't seem to go through Chat Noir's head.

Chat Noir he tilted his head with a playful smile on his face."I didn't know you cared so much." He inquired, leaning his head closer to his partner.

"I-" Ladybug stammered as he was blushing furiously. "Of course I care, dummy!" He snapped back, but somehow grew weaker as he saw that Chat Noir was smiling brighter."We need to focus." Ladybug said, taking out his yo-yo, he thought back to what said about his powers. "Lucky...Charm? WHA-" He said hesitantly, but then a horde of magic ladybugs erupted from his yo-yo. He quickly caught a ladybug printed teapot before it crashed on the ground, landing on his stomach.

"Wha- what am I suppose to do with-" Ladybug asked as he then heard Chat Noir's staff extent, seeing that he was blocking the blasts from Oblivio's blaster.

"You got a plan bugaboo?" Chat Noir asked, defending his partner. "We won't stand a chance until we stop him from firing at us."

Ladybug looked down at the teapot, wondering how this could possibly help them; then he remembered how Oblivio's powers worked. A confident smile drew on his face as he gripped the handle of the teapot. "Yeah, just trust me!" Ladybug called out.

"Of course I trust you, what's the-" Chat Noir asked, but then stumbled for a moment as he felt Ladybug use his shoulder as a ledge, jumping on him to gain extra height as he then used his yo-yo to wrap around Oblivio's hand. He then slammed the teapot on Oblivio's raised hand as he bound his arm behind him leaving him completely defenseless.

"Now!" Ladybug called out and Chat Noir sprung into action towards the stationary villain.

"Cataclysm!" Chat Noir called out confidently as he touched Oblivio's blaster, destroying it with one touch.

Ladybug released his yo-yo as Oblivio turned into two children about his and Chat Noir's age, then saw a dark butterfly fluttering by, the Akuma no doubt.

"No more mischief from you little Akuma. Time to purify!" Ladybug said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion. Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. "Bye-bye, little butterfly."

Chat Noir walked up to him as they watched the white butterfly fly away. "We work well together." He said but saw that Ladybug was more focused on the giant orb hovering above them, Oblvio's presence lingering.

"I think this is where my other power comes in." Ladybug said, picking up the teapot. "It'll undo everything affected by the villain's powers."

Chat Noir hesitated for a moment, "I guess that applies to us too." he sighed, "You think we'll feel this way about each other when we turn back?"

No idea.

Ladybug thought to himself, almost saying it aloud. But then he picked up on what Chat Noir was thinking, seeing his partner's ears flatten. Instinctively, he took hold of his partner hand, looking into his captivating green eyes as he spoke sincerely, though embarrassed.

"If we feel this way about each other now after everything we just went through, there's no way it wouldn't happen again."

"Then, just in case..." Chat Noir prompted with a smile, taking Ladybug's hand in his. There wasn't that much of a difference in their heights, Ladybug was only slightly taller than him after all, but even so, he felt the need to lift himself on his toed, initiating the kiss as he placed his hand against the back of Ladybug's neck as his partner laced their dingers together. The kiss only lasted for a moment, but the two couldn't help but smile, breaking away, resting their foreheads against each other's as both of them couldn't help but giggle, feeling the same feeling of joy.

Neither of them let go of each other's hand as Ladybug threw up his lucky charm in the air, turning everything back to normal.

"Miraculous Ladybug!"

* * *

When Ladybug opened his eyes, he realized he was holding Chat Noir's hand, who looked equally confused, the two stumbling back from each other, dazed by this situation. Suddenly, he remembered, "Oblivio!" He said, recalling how Chat Noir what taken out first, but then after that, everything was a blur.

"Uh, Ladybug, Chat Noir?" Both Heroes turned to see Alya and Nino standing before them with sheepish grins, looking almost guilty.

"You two haven't happened to see a supervillain named Oblivio, have you?" Chat Noir asked as Nino and Alya exchanged a look of embarrassment.

"You've defeated it already, dude."

"Yeah...actually, he was kind of us." Alya clarified as she and Nino chuckled nervously.

"Oh, okay." Ladybug and Chat Noir responded together, bumping their fists together with some hesitation as they had no recollection of defeated the villain.

"Have to admit, we do make a good couple, don't you think?" Chat Noir said as he rested his staff on his shoulders.

"Hm?" Ladybug murmured, giving Chat Noir a curious look. "We're partners, not exactly a couple." He pointed out bluntly.

"Still, what other duo do you know who could take out a villain and not even remember it happened?" Chat Noir joked but smiled in amusement as he saw Ladybug actually taking his question seriously as he had a pensive look on his face.

"Oh, you guys did a little more than just, take us out." Alya said, looking like she was about to explode with excitement as she held up her phone. Chat Noir leaned in to take a better look, and he suddenly felt flushed.

"What doesn't even make any sense, forgetting your identity is something inherently unique and we're the only superheroes in Paris-" Ladybug muttered under his breath, but was pulled out of his thoughts by Chat Noir turning his partner's head towards Alya's phone.

There was a brief silence because Chat Noir laughed aloud, "Well one thing's for sure, we would make a good-looking couple. "He joked again, but his ears perked up as he rested his sights on his partner. Uncharacteristically, Ladybug looked flustered as he hid his face in his hands. Chat Noir was taken aback by the sight, he would've expected his partner to brush this off, using his reasoning to explain what was happening in the photo. Normally, Chat Noir would have consoled his partner, trying to dispell his grief and uncertainties. But then again, this was an ultra-rare opportunity. The hero leaned towards his taller partner, resting his arm around his shoulders while donning an alluring smile. "Clearly, we're meant for each other bugaboo, you're the only one who doesn't see it." Chat Noir teased whispering the last part in Ladybug's ear.

"D-Don't joke about this kinda stuff!" Ladybug stammered, pushing his partner back as Chat Noir was surprised by how emotional he was acting. Ladybug then covered one of his ears as his Miraculous started beeping.

"What's the big deal, we don't remember so it's not like it counts." Chat Noir pointed out, but then grew salty as he recalled the many times they'd actually shared a kiss, but somehow, never when either partner wasn't unconscious or out of their senses. He flattened his ears as he wondered what kind of force would never allow them to share a moment of passion without some kind of Akuma interfering.

However, Ladybug, on the other hand, looked like he was about to pop. He looked like he was about to snap about something but stopped as his Miraculous began to beep more furiously.

"Better make your usual lecture quick, bugaboo, or else Alya will have an even bigger scoop to post." Chat Noir pointed out as Alya looked all too eager.

Ladybug gripped his yo-yo in his hand, feeling complete humiliation, but surprisingly, for once it wasn't as Marin.

"You should only do that kind of thing with someone you love!" Ladybug snapped, running away furiously as he then jumped off the building, not even looked back as Chat Noir groaned into his hands.

The hero felt Nino pat his head as a form of comfort. "He finally returns my feelings and we forget all about it!" Chat Noir cried out as Nino nodded.

"I know buddy."

"He says that we're partners and good friends, but how does he expect me to be friends with someone so amazingly adorable!?" Chat Noir asked in defeat as he then rested his head on Nino's shoulder, who continued to be comforting to the defeated hero.

"I know buddy."

"I love him so much." Chat Noir conceded as he then fell into a full-fledged hug with his- Adrien's best friend.

"I know buddy." Nino sighed as he allowed the hero to lean on him through this trying time.

* * *

Marin scanned the new photo on the Ladyblog, his fingers interlaced as he just stared at the screen for what turned into hours. Tikki looked between the two for a while, now getting worried for her partner who looked to be on the verge of tears.

So what if he kissed his partner and all of Paris knew? So what if he made a fool of himself once the picture was shown to him? So what his feelings that were locked away deep in the depths of his heart threatened to bubble up to the surface- where they were far from welcome- and transform him into a person he no longer would be able to recognize? He kept almost all of his feeling towards Adrien hidden away, Chat Noir was no different, after all, he had met the two around the same time. He would just...never talk to hero ever again, in his entire life...forever...

"Marin?" Tikki asked, waving her hand before his partner's face before he sighed heavily, resting his head on his hands.

"This is fine."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -So much procrastination because why did this turn out to be 9k
> 
> -If Marinus and Adrien end up dating, Adrien would probably instigate most stuff, it'd be super fluffy.
> 
> -The bananas were the back of Adrien's head, Marin couldn't really draw well back then
> 
> -The of my fic was actually Wayzz, couldn't find a way to slip it in, but here it is. Wayzz and Marin are texting buddies and has to pick up the phone because Fu is tech illiterate.
> 
> -Well would you look at that, he kept the rose...
> 
> -Nino is a very good friend


	59. This is what's called, a pro gamer 2.0 move

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marin just wants a nap, but he has too many commitments and is about to get another one as Max gets akumatized...again.  
\--  
New Hei Mao fan art: https://aminoapps.com/c/miraculous/page/blog/miraculously-ladybug-chapter-update-this-is-what-is-called-a-pro-gamer-2-0-move/WjRq_3KtXukr3rknmd02Do1Za04KMv6xRK

"When were paid holidays instituted in France?" Tikki asked, holding up a history textbook in her hands. Marin's desk was cluttered with various books, empty plates, mugs, and wrappers.

"Tikki, sweetie, please don't talk about holidays right now." Marin groaned as he was struggling to juggle staying awake and not accidentally sew his hands to a shirt.

"But it's for your history test tomorrow, Marin." The red Kwami pointed out.

"Uh, okay. First paid holidays. Summer 1936."

"Good job." Tikki praised, but then her smile quickly faded. "Um... you're drawing on a T-shirt right now."

"What? Ah!" Marin grimaced, standing up as he saw that he was drawing on one of his finished shirts in permanent marker.

"Perhaps you should take a little break, Marin." Tikki suggested gently as Marin tried to salvage the shirt.

"I can't, Tikki. Between my chores, homework, studying, commission work, knitting presents, and defeating Akumas, I don't even have time to-" Marin began to complain, but then Tikki hid away as the hatch to Marin's room opened.

"Marin! Ultimate Mecha Strike tournament time!" His father said as he popped up with both of their customized controllers in hand.

"Dadddd!" Marin complained, "I'm busy! I don't have time to play games!"

["Don't snap at your father Xiang."] His mother called from below as Tom's face fell. However, Marin huffed in annoyance as he turned back to his work.

["I'm busy Mama, I've got too much homework!"] Marin called back. ["Can't you play with him?"]

"Aw, can't you hang out with your old papa?" Tom asked again. "It's been so long since we last played."

Marin took a deep breath, his annoyance quickly fading and his expression turning more apologetic. "Please don't temp me dad, I'll think about taking a break until I finish everything on my plate first."

"But mio figlio piccolo, if you keep the rolls in the oven for too long, they'll burn."

Marinus looked at his father pensively, "Then I'll just break them in half and eat the inside?"

Tom sighed "Fine. That's too bad. But remember, watch your apple pie, little moon. It's bubbling all over your cinnamon flan." His father said sadly as he closed the hatch behind him.

"Apple pie in cinnamon flan?" Marin muttered under his breath, as he thought about how he would be able to make a dessert like that. Bake the flan within the apples perhaps? Custard, apple slices, cinnamon, and caramel all in a baked pastry...

Suddenly Marin slapped his cheeks, scolding himself for getting distracted and thinking about baking when he should be working.

"Okay." He said aloud, turning towards his Kwami who was hovering nearby, no longer hiding. "Tikki, quiz me while I finish up this sewing, doing the poster sketches will be my break." Sacrifices had to be made as he removed a mental block; he could easily find the time to finish all his projects, after all, sleep was more like a suggestion.

"That doesn't sound like a break Marin." Tikki said as she held his textbook.

"I'll listen to music, while doing it?" He offered, but his Kwami didn't look convinced, however, she didn't say anything as she continued to quiz him for the rest of the night.

* * *

As Miss Bustier collected the last of the tests, Adrien started to pack up his things, but then Max walked before him.

"Hey guys, anyone wanna help me beta test a new game I'm making? It's a fighting game with Akumatized villains programmed in."

"Woah, that sounds incredible!" Nino said as his eyes lit up, but then flinched slightly as he remembered he was sitting right next to Alya. "But, uh, Alya and I have plans."

"Sorry Max." Alya apologized as she and Nino walked out of the room holding hands.

"Adrien?" Max asked hopefully but he shook his head.

"Your game sounds amazing, but I've got fencing right now. Then my Chinese lesson, then a photoshoot..."

Max sighed, "Thanks anyway." he said in disappointment. Adrien watched him walk to the back of the room where Rose, Juleka, and Ivan crowded around Marin. They were trying to wake him up but with little success as per usual.

"Sorry Max, we'd gladly help you deep up the game if it weren't for our costume fitting at Marin's." Adrien overheard Rose say.

"The test!" Marin suddenly snapped to attention, about to stand up but Ivan and Juleka placed their hands on his shoulder to make him sit down.

"The test was earlier Marin, you took it and then fell asleep," Ivan explained as Marin groaned, slamming his face back on the table with Juleka petting his head.

"I don't think he'll be able to help you out either." Rose apologized as Max lowered his head in defeat.

* * *

At the end of the day Marin yawned loudly as he sat at the end of the stairs at the entrance of the school with the Kitty Section bang, holding a plastic cup in his hand. He took out his phone and getting more annoyed with each passing second.

"Where's Luka? He should be here 20 minutes ago." Marin asked, turning back towards Juleka and Rose, who were playing cats cradle with some pink yarn.

"He said he was coming after class." Juleka mumbled, but it wasn't an answer that Marin wanted to hear as he began tapping his foot in annoyance. He had a bunch of other things he could be doing in the time it was taking to wait for him. He took a sip of the hot liquid in his cup, grimacing at the flavor.

...Are you drinking coffee?" Ivan asked. "I thought you hated bitter things."

"Don't tell me how to live my life Ivan." Marin warned as he was running on almost zero sleep and at this point would've probably eaten the beans to stay awake. He never actually despised the flavor of coffee as he had enjoyed a good Tiramisu now and again. But he couldn't stand the raw flavor of it, always repulsed by how strong it was. Yet here he sat, cup in hand, without any added milk or sugar.

When ordering from a vending machine you get what you paid for.

Marin thought to himself as he took another sip of the beverage scrunching up his face at the raw taste of it.

"Hey." Luka called as he was walking down the stairs with a carefree smile on his face, waving towards his other bandmates. "Thanks for waiting." He said gratefully but picked up on their mixed reactions towards him, all of them turning their heads towards Marin who had crushed his now empty cup. "Something wrong?" He asked.

Marin tried not to grit his teeth together and respond curtly. After all, it wasn't Luka's fault. It wasn't like he had asked him to be on time for once in his life. It wasn't like Luka, or anyone else knew what it was like to juggle deadlines, plan ahead of time, have aching muscles, or be harassed by a supervillain almost every day. A wave of negativity rushed over Marin, begging to be let out, wanting to yell at someone over the tiniest thing. But, he wasn't a child, he couldn't just throw a tantrum and expect anyone to go along with it.

Marin instead took a deep breath, trying to calm down his restless heart and shook his head, feeling bad as he turned back towards his friends. "No, it's nothing, let's just get this fitting done-" He was saying, but then Ivan disappeared before their eyes, shocking everyone. Then Rose and Juleka followed, along with a few other people.

"What is-" Luka asked in shock.

Meanwhile, Marin's hand started to tremble. "Not today, please not today." He muttered under his breath.

"What do you do when no one wants to play with you? You give them no choice." A voice rang out. Marin looked around him, seeing everyone take out their phone and he followed their example. On his and everyone else's screens was Max, Gamer 2.0, with a cheeky smile on his face. "Ladybug, Chat Noir. All of these people were once akumatized and then saved by you. If you want another chance at freeing them, you're going to have to come and play with me." He laughed as the broadcast was then cut off.

Marin fully crushed the cup in his hand to death, an indication of what he would do to Gamer 2.0 if he ever got his hand on him.

"Jules..." Marin heard Luka murmur in concern his annoyance disappearing for a moment as he saw the concern on Luka's face. Both his sister and mother were akumatized, and probably were again. Marin's expression fell as he remembered that his own father was akumatized as well.

He stepped towards the older boy, placing a hand over his phone so his attention would be on him. "Ladybug and Chat Noir are going to save your sister and our friends Luka." He said assuredly. "But even so, you should probably go home and check on your mom." He said as Luka nodded.

"Are you going home too?" Luka asked.

"Yeah, I need to check on my dad, but I'll text you later!" Marin called out as Luka ran towards his bike. But as soon as Marin turned the corner towards his family's shop, he immediately ran down an alleyway, hidden from the main crowds.

"I think you're gonna have to take a break for this." Tikki said as she flew out of his bag.

"Then let's make it quick before I pass out from exhaustion," Marin said bitterly, throwing his crushed cup in the trash. "Tikki, spots on!"

* * *

Ladybug landed on a rooftop overlooking a familiar black pyramid that had formed around Princess stadium along with Chat Noir who had just arrived on the scene.

"First one who finds a way in wins." Chat Noir said playfully, but Ladybug didn't respond to his quip. The hero took out his yo-yo, setting it on it's telescope setting as he saw movement from the newly created structure. "What do you see?"

"Looks like an invitation." Ladybug said as he saw two small pyramids flying towards them. He took the a radio earpiece out of his yo-yo as Chat Noir followed his example.

When the two pyramids drew closer, they opened up, beckoning the two heroes to step inside. "So, Ladybug and Chat Noir? Ready to play?" Gamer 2.0's voice asked, broadcasted from the two pyramids.

Chat Noir looked at Ladybug suspiciously, "What if it's a trap, M'lady?"

"The trap was me ever thinking I could get through this day in one piece." Ladybug grumbled inconspicuously as he placed a radio in his ear.

"...What?" Chat Noir asked in confusion, picking up on his partner's sour mood.

"Nothing. Gamer 2.0 wants to play a game, so let's play his game." Ladybug responded, stepping into the pod.

"If you say so." Chat Noir shrugged, trusting his partner's judgment as he placed the radio in his ear before stepping into the pod as well.

Within the confines of the pyra-pod Ladybug looked around, only seeing a lit-up station before him."Welcome to Miraculous All-Star Brawl! If you win, I'll set you free. You, and all of them. But if you lose..."

"We give you our Miraculous." Ladybug finished, "Your motivation isn't exactly original, Gamer 2.0."

"Perhaps not, but the way I'll claim your Miraculous will be!" Gamer 2.0 snapped back. "We'll be fighting with every one of the villains you've faced before, a gauntlet where it all ends with the ultimate final boss, me!"

Gamers works got under his skin as Ladybug thought about how much time this would take.

"He's got us there. Usually, Akuma battles aren't this fun." Chat Noir said through his radio.

Ladybug sighed heavily as roster of villains they fought appeared before them. He was trying his best to avoid thinking about playing games for the past few weeks and here he was, forced to play a video game instead of working. Even so, he couldn't help but get even more annoyed at all the people that Gamer 2.0 had kidnapped to be part of his game as his eyes rested on the Reflekta. He recalled how worried Luka was about his little sister earlier and quickly chose The Mime.

"Your hastiness will be your downfall, Ladybug. My chance of winning has just shot out 86%!" Gamer 2.0 said as he chose Riposte.

They both materialized onto the stage as a voice boomed from above. "The Mime! Riposte! Ready? Fight!"

Ladybug was surprised as he realized that within Gamer 2.0's game, they actually became the characters they chose. His head raced for a moment as he realized the power he now had at his fingertips, his frown turning into a smile.

"I'm gonna slice you into sashimi!" Gamer 2.0 said within Riposte's form, charging towards him.

Ladybug mimed the first thing that came to his mind, a shield to protect himself from Ripostes sword strikes, recalling the last time he had faced the villain in battle. However, he forgot to account for the fact that he wasn't fighting Kagami as Gamer 2.0 impaled his weapon in the ground, using the momentum to knock him over, slice through the source of his power, the photo in his hat.

"Winner: Riposte!" The announcer voice boomed as Ladybug was then teleported back into the pyramid pod, his arms still bound in the console.

"You sure you don't want to give up now, Lady-loser!" Gamer 2.0 laughed as Ladybug was stunned at his easy defeat.

"A game with just one round? Where's the fun in that?" Chat Noir shot back. "My turn! My turn!" He said eagerly as he took control of the console. "Frightningale. Stormy Weather. Awesome! But maybe a little too awesome for a first battle. Oh, my copycat! Nah, I'd be too good as myself. That'd be too easy."

"Hurry up!" Ladybug snapped at his partner through the microphone.

"Alright, alright, Fine. If we need to hurry this up..." Chat Noir murmured to himself as he chose Mr. Pigeon of all villains, surprising his partner.

"Mr. Pigeon?" Ladybug asked as Chat Noir materialized on the arena as said villain. "Isn't that a little risky?"

"What? I've always wanted to train pigeons." Chat Noir said as he looked over his new form just as Dark Cupid materialized before him.

"Except that you need to have pigeons to train them." Ladybug pointed out, seeing that the character didn't come with the source of his power. "And aren't you allergic to feathers?"

"Details." Chat Noir brushed him off, blowing his whistle. After a moment, alone pigeon flew towards him. "See? Here's one." Chat Noir said proudly.

"Aw, poor little guy." Ladybug could help but pity the little bird that got trapped in the stadium after Gamer 2.0 had taken it over. "He probably got separated from his friends."

Chat Noir sighed as he petted his new friend, "Classic Ladybug, being cute as always." He muttered under his breath as he looked fondly at his new friend. "I'm gonna call him Fiery Phoenix."

"More like Mega Flop Phoenix." Gamer 2.0 laughed obnoxiously. "This is gonna be the fastest victory ever." Gamer 2.0 claimed as Chat Noir gasped, offended by his words.

"How dare you! He comes from a long line of proud fighting birds, he may have been the smalled of his brood but he persevered and survived just to fight by me on this day!"

"Psh- no bird is going to save you!" Gamer 2.0 scoffed aiming his bow towards the Pigeon man in what he thought was going to be an easy victory. But then Ladybug watched as Chat Noir and Fiery Phoenix defeated Gamer 2.0 swiftly with precision and teamwork, easily securing their second win.

"Winner: Mr. Pigeon!" The Announcer said as Chat Noir's face lit up with glee.

"Pound it, Fiery Phoenix!" He said, pumping his fist with the small birds wing, who then looked confused as his new friend then disappeared.

"Impossible!" Gamer 2.0 said angrily.

"Your sure you don't want to rethink this and just skip to the final battle?" Chat Noir offered as both heroes overheard Gamer 2.0 grit his teeth and then take a deep breath.

"Rules are rules, even I'm not going to sink so low as to cheat my way through this."

Knowing Max, or Gamer 2.0, this was probably true.

"So how do you want to do this bugaboo?" Chat Noir asked as it was Ladybug's turn. He stared at the screen, feeling dragged down by his lack of sleep and earlier loss. His hand moved for him as he then materialized on the arena as Befana while Gamer 2.0 took the form of Dark Owl.

Ladybug looked around on the field, not seeing the source of Dark Owl's power as he revved up Befana's bike. He gained altitude, pointed his revolver towards the villain below and fired blindly, only thinking about getting rid of him. However, he wondered why he even chose this villain, it was stupid on his part, he didn't have good aim as evidenced by missing Dark Owl as he evaded the shots.

"Owl mist!"

Ladybug narrowed his eyes as he tried to see if there was any movement through the mist. If he couldn't spot Gamer 2.0, changes were he wouldn't be able to-"

"Owl Boomerangs!" Dozens of weaponized boomerangs were aimed towards him, effectively knocking him off the bike and giving Dark Owl a chance to kick him off the arena.

"Winner: Dark Owl!"

"Hoo hoo! No one is as laser-precise as the Dark Owl!" Gamer 2.0 cheered as he disappeared as well.

Ladybug clenched his teeth together angrily as he lost again. Of course, Dark Owl would have the gear to aim past his own smoke bombs. He should have taken advantage of his flying advantage, not aim blindly like an idiot. His mistakes were adding up, if Chat Noir weren't here...

"My Lady?" His partner asked through the radio, "Is there something wrong? You're noting acting like yourself today."

Part of him wanted to snap at Chat Noir. How could he ever understand what he went through on a daily basis, how much stress he was under on top of being forced to play a game that was preventing him from working? But complaining about such things would be futile, after all, he only knew Chat Noir as he was, not knowing how he really felt about having the responsibility of being a Miraculous holder.

Chat Noir always asked him to rely on him, now was the time to cash in on those words.

"Looks like you're going to have to take the lead on this kitty." Ladybug said with some restraint, uncomfortable about placing all responsibility on his partner rather than take some of the burden on himself.

But, Chat Noir didn't complain, sounding almost eager as he was presented with a new opportunity. "No problem, just make sure to cheer for me, bugaboo." Chat Noir said as Ladybug was grateful no one else could see his face turning red.

One by one Chat Noir took on all of Gamer 2.0's lined up villains, defeating them with a smile on his face as Ladybug closed his eyes, taking the time his partner had gifted him an resting his mind for a little while.

* * *

After Chat Noir defeated the last villain Ladybug had an apologetic look on his face.

"I think we're ready for the final boss. Stop hiding behind your toys and get in the ring, Gamer 2.0 2.0." Chat Noir threatened as he

Gamer 2.0: I am the final boss, but how are we going to figure out who should battle me?"

"What do you mean?" Ladybug asked.

"Well, I'm sure you'd agree that two against one would be very unfair, so the only way to know which one of you will take me on is if you two fight each other!" Gamer 2.0 cackled with glee as both Ladybug and Chat Noir were summoned to the field.

"Ladybug. Chat Noir. Ready? Fight!" The announced said. However, neither of them moved a muscle, never even considering the thought that they would have to fight each other.

"What are you waiting for? Start fighting! If you don't, everyone will be imprisoned forever!" Gamer 2.0 snapped.

Ladybug gripped his fist defiantly, trying to think of another way to win without fighting Chat Noir. "We can't let that happen..."He said, but couldn't bring himself to face his partner, feeling ashamed that he was too weak to even handle Gamer 2.0's challenge.

Chat Noir smiled softly as he looked at the turmoil that was written all over his partner's face. Always looking for another way when there was a clear solution right before them."I love battling by your side, my lady, but I could never bring myself to fight you." He said as he caught his partner's attention.

Ladybug froze, not processing what his partner was implying as he was backing up towards the edge. "Chat Noir? What are you doing?"

"I'm trusting you with my life here, Bugaboo." Chat Noir said, winking playfully as he fell off the edge.

"Chat Noir!" Ladybug called out in a panic as he reached out towards his partner, but he was too far to stop him.

"Winner: Ladybug!"

Ladybug's head spun as the Gamer 2.0's laughter rang in his ears, just as a new screen appeared before him; one with all the villain's weapons that Chat Noir had used in battle. "You're the one who wanted to get this over with. Now, since this is the final battle, in addition to your own superpower, you get to pick four items from your inventory. Although, I wouldn't even bother if I were you because I'm going to beat you no matter what."

Ladybug narrowed his eyes, wanting to beat up Gamer 2.0 with his own 2 hands. But this wasn't the time to be emotional, a lesson that he was reminded of over and over again. Chat Noir had trusted him to win this game, and that was what he intended to do.

"Lucky Charm!" Ladybug said, throwing up his yo-yo, and from it, he caught a Ladybug printed sack, one whose smell he knew all too well.

"A sack? You think you can beat me with a sack!?"

Ladybug scanned over the weapons and chose out the three that he would help him out the most, no matter what villain Gamer 2.0 would choose: Volpina's flute, Sandboy's pillow, and Chat Noir's ring.

"Only three?!" Gamer 2.0 taunted, "You're just asking me to take your Miraculous."

The black-spotted hero didn't respond to his threats, as he placed the ring and flute on as he stepped onto the pillow. Gamer 2.0 materialized before him with a grin on his face.

" Ladybug. Gamer 2.0. Final fight!"

"Given what you chose, in precisely thirty-six seconds, you will lose." The villain predicted as he transformed into various villains one at a time.

But instead, Ladybug responded by breaking open the sack of flour, hiding in its explosion of white powder.

"What in the-?" Gamer 2.0 asked as Ladybug then called out.

"Cataclysm!" The arena then began to break as Gamer 2.0 fell towards the ground, however, he was undeterred by the hero's attack.

"I am the game master! I can play any character. You thought you'd break me with that ridiculous little magic trick?" Gamer 2.0 asked as he transformed into Befana, aiming his pistol towards the white puff of smoke. "Be a nice fairy and give me that Miraculous!" He demanded but was only met with the sound of the flute. Various illusions of Ladybug appeared, almost all of them evading Befana's shots. "Ha, you think you little trick can stop me?!" Gamer 2.0 asked as he transformed into Dark Owl, using his owl boomerangs to attack the illusions.

Almost all of them were taken out, leaving one left.

"There!" Gamer 2.0 grinned, transforming into Stormy Weather as conjuring up a cyclone aimed towards the hero. Ladybug was knocked off the pillow, and unable to grab onto anything fell to the ground.

"I won! You're out, Ladybug!" Gamer 2.0 said in glee, but then his smile faded as the hero didn't disappear. Instead, he looked just as confused as the villain as he touched the ground, then erupted into laughter.

"Ha, looks like there's a glitch in your game, Gamer 2.0." Ladybug mocked as Gamer 2.0's eyes widened in shock.

"No! That's impossible!" Gamer 2.0 gasped as he hovered a few inches above the ground, hesitantly, he poked the ground, and almost immediately he fell. The next thing he knew, he lost his power, transforming back into his original form.

"Winner: Ladybug!"

Gamer 2.0 looked Ladybug who had a playful smile on his face, he reached out towards him as the image of the hero disappeared before him.

"You almost had me." The real hero said as he appeared from behind some of the fallen debris of the platform.

Gamer 2.0 sighed, but a smile drew on his face after a fun match. "You got me. Good game." He said before disappeared, leaving behind his glasses which Ladybug caught. He broke the glasses in two, releasing the Akuma.

"No more mischief from you little Akuma. Time to purify!" Ladybug said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion. Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. "Bye-bye, little butterfly. Miraculous Ladybug!" Ladybug called out, throwing up the lucky charm as everything turned back to normal.

Chat Noir reappeared before him dawning a knowing smile as his arms were crossed. "You see? Wasn't I right?" He asked as Ladybug knelt down next to Max who looked around in confusion. He looked up at the two heroes with realization, lowering his head shamefully.

"I'm sorry, it happened again." He apologized as Ladybug helped him to his feet, handing back his glasses.

"Don't be, fighting you was a little fun this time around." Ladybug said as Max looked up at him in surprise. "You're very creative Max, don't ever doubt that." Ladybug said as then his Miraculous started to beep.

Both heroes jumped onto the edge of the stadium as Ladybug turned towards his partner.

"You're running out of time you know." Chat Noir pointed out.

"I know, I just had to say...I'm sorry for pushing the responsibility on you this time around." Ladybug apologized.

"Are you kidding?" Chat Noir asked, surprised at him. "You've done a lot more heavy lifting than I have, probably more than I realize. I was just grateful you relied on me when you realized that you needed to. It's nice to feel needed." Chat Noir said, smiling brightly as Ladybug averted his gaze.

"How do you do that?" Ladybug asked hesitantly, "Manage to remain so relaxed when you're a hero? Aren't you scared you'll eventually be overwhelmed by all of this? Of being a hero and living a double life?"

Chat Noir stared at him for a moment before shaking his head. "Of course not, because I know there are people I can rely on when I'm myself and when I'm Chat Noir. Besides, the times when I have the most fun, my favorite moments, are when I'm with you, my lady." He said with an honest look in his eye.

Ladybug's eyes widened for a moment, as he clenched the yo-yo in his hand, turning towards Chat Noir with an annoyed expression. There were a number of things he wanted to tell his partner but held back, not wanting to mess up another thing today. Instead, he turned towards the city and jumped onto another building, running as fast as he could to avoid his partner's gaze, silently hoping that Chat Noir wouldn't be able to pick up on his unsettled he was making him.

Not noticing the smile the cat-themed hero had as he looked at his partner fondly. "And I would give up everything up for someone like you." He said to himself, smiling inwardly as he jumped back into the stadium to take Max home.

* * *

Later that evening, Marin text Max to meet him in front of his family's bakery. Greeting the shorter boy with a smile as he ran up towards him.

"Hi Max." He waved in greeting as Max caught his breath.

"Hey- so you wanna test out my game?!" Max asked eagerly, his eyes lighting up with excitement.

"Oh, not me, I'm too busy." Marin clarified as Max's expression fell, "But I know two other people who would jump at the chance to play a game like yours!" He said as he pulled Max into his parents' shop as they were cleaning up at the end of the day.

"No- wait Marin-" Max harshly whispered as Marin ignored him, placing his hands on his shoulders.

"Mom. Dad. I know I don't have time to play with you guys these days, but Max does. And he has a super fun fighting video game he designed which he needs beta testers for."

"A video game? He made himself?" Tom asked.

"With bugs to find?" Sabine finished asking before the two erupted with excitement.

"To the living room!" Tom immediately announced, dragging Max upstairs who had a sheepish grin on his face.

["Are you coming?"] Sabine asked as Marin held his hands behind his back.

["Nah, I'll finish up inventory Mama, you go have fun with papa."] Marin said as his mother kissed his cheek.

["Don't worry about that, we'll take care of it later. Why don't you go spend some time with your friends? Just don't forget to lock up the shop!"] She said before going upstairs. Unintentionally making Marin remember.

"Oh no, Luka!" Marin recalled, immediately taking out his phone and calling. He completely forgot about the shirt fitting and checking back up with him. Marin paced in the shop as Tikki flew out to munch on some day-old chocolate croissants. His phone rang a few times, and then he sighed for a moment as he heard his friend's voice on the other side.

"Hi Mar." Luka said simply as Marin grew more anxious.

"Hey, sorry I didn't text you earlier, I was so busy I wasn't thinking and I completely forgot the shirts, and then-"

"About that," Luka cut in, for a moment making Marin's heart sink to the ground with worry. "I was talking about it with everyone else, and it's alright if there's no deadline on the shirts."

Marin was stunned for a moment. "But, I mean, I was the one who offered, it's fine, I can-

"I know, but they can wait a little while." Luka insisted. "You looked a little stressed out, and this is the least we can do for you."

"But-"

"We're your friends Mar, not just clients," Luka said gently, yet was firm with his words.

Marin was uncertain of what to do, rubbing the back on his neck as he glanced at Tikki who nodded encouragingly. "If you guys are sure..." He almost whimpered out.

"Of course. There's no hurry on this, just relax, you can come over and hang out if you want to." Luka offered.

Marin checked the time, it was going to get late soon, but if he didn't have to worry about the shirts, he could reasonably get Jagged Stone's new poster out ahead a schedule, or, he could...

"Yeah, I'll be over right away." Marin said a moment later, his head racing as Luka spoke up again.

"Awesome, see you. later then." He said before Marin then hung up the phone. He wasn't used to being so spontaneous like this, usually, he was always planning ahead. He stood in the store holding his phone, uncertain of what exactly to do next so he just sat on the chair behind the counter, next to Tikki who was still eating.

"Those still good?" He asked as Tikki nodded eagerly. The two took a moment for themselves, sitting and eating stale croissants together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -And then he hung out on a boat and had a sleepover because he and Luka are good friends.
> 
> -I am slowly converting Marin into a middle-aged adult, next thing you know he'll be complaining about back pain and white hair


	60. Do You Know, The Bakerix Man?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marin is unsatisfied with the state his family is in so he tries to do something about it. 
> 
> Meanwhile, no childproof locks can hold Adrien.

Marin sat on the staircase next to this kitchen holding his phone in hand. He was texting his friends back and forth about finding Andre, much to his chagrin. So long as he was home in time for dinner his parents probably wouldn't mind despite it being his father's birthday. It would make Tikki happy to actually try the legendary ice cream maker's cold treats, and there was a high chance that Adrien could show up. But on the other hand...

"It really is a shame, Rolland! It's your son's 40th birthday today! And, uh, I know how much Tom would love it if you- Ah." Marin overhead his mother saying. He turned his head to see his mom sigh heavily as it appeared she had been hung upon. She then sat at the table, resting her head on her hand, looking deep in thought.

["Was that gramps?"] Marin asked as he placed his phone into his jacket pocket.

Sabine looked up at him with a troubled expression on her face. For a moment it looked like she was about to deceive him, but then conceded the idea. ["Yes..."]

["So he's definitely not coming."] Marin confirmed as he walked into the kitchen, resting his back against the fridge and crossing his arms. ["Why are you even trying? You do this every year and he responds the same way."]

["Because it would've made your dad so happy."] Sabine said simply.

Marin rolled his eyes at that, wondering why his dad still held hope. ["He should expect this by now, shouldn't he? Not even Nonna comes around that often. I don't even know why you're trying to push something that's never going to happen. Gramps already made up his mind."] He expected his mother to scold him for his pessimistic attitude, but instead, she placed her hand on his head.

["Dad doesn't talk very openly about his feelings, but I know he's sad that he doesn't see his own father anymore. It's a shame really, to not be able to see your loved ones for so long."] Sabine mused sadly.

Marin hung his head as familiar negative emotions began to stir in his heart.

From his perspective, it was always his mom going out of her way to try and quell whatever anger his father and gramps held towards each other. He'd never seen his father try to talk to gramps, and he knew if he asked his mother would just defend his decision to never make the first step. At the front of these mixed emotions was resentment and anger towards people who were supposed to be adults. People who could so easily talk openly but at the same time didn't want to bridge the gap.

But in that regard, he wasn't any better, after all, he wasn't a helpless child anymore. He couldn't just reason; If gramps wanted to be here he would be; anymore without trying to do something himself.

["Why exactly doesn't he want to see dad anymore? I can understand Nonna, but you and me as well?"] Marin asked as he walked towards his mother.

["It's a little complicated…"] She said slowly, choosing her words very carefully. ["Your grandfather is like your father, it's not easy for them to step away from their beliefs. Once they were...challenged, he doubled down and kept to himself. After that, your father was more than a little grief-stricken-"]

["Yeah, I remember, I was there."] Marin said curtly, his patience wearing thin. ["But how hasn't he left his home or seen a single person for over 10 years?"]

Sabine chuckled, then stepped off the stool she was sitting on. ["Your grandfather was always a passionate man. I have to start baking the cake for your father, why don't you keep him company for a little while in the bakery? You know much he loves spending time with you."] She suggested, kissing his cheek as she then walked into the kitchen.

Marin grumbled to himself as he followed her. ["Hasn't dad tried to talk to him once?"]

["He's thought about it, but he doesn't want to go through more trouble."] Sabine said as she started pulling out ingredients. ["Are you going to help me?"] She asked turning towards him.

Marin thought about it for a moment, normally he'd jump at the chance to bake something, but right now he wasn't in the mood. ["Nah, I think I'll refill the cookie jar"] He said as he took the empty cookie jar- courtesy of Tikki- and walked down towards the Bakery.

* * *

Marin sat at the cashier counter watching his father do prep work, though he seemed to be a little off today. Usually, he hummed his kneading song while preparing the dough, but he was unusually silent and wasn't properly pinching the edges of the dough. Marin placed a Pizzelle cookie in his mouth as he could feel an awkward tension growing between them. He could feel his father knew why he was loitering around the bakery but didn't want to acknowledge why. He loved his father, really he did, but he did wish that his dad could be more forward about such matters.

"Papa, why hasn't Gramps left his house in 10 years?"

He noticed his father tense up at the question. It was rare that he asked something prompted like this, but here they were. "Oh? Uh, well, because he's very fond of tradition, and, uh... if you wanna know more about it, you should probably ask Nonna. Oh- I'm running out of flour gotta go, love you!" His father said, failing to notice all the sacks that were behind him, in favor of running out of the bakery still covered in flour.

Marin sighed heavily, he wasn't a fan of calling up his Nonna, but then again...

* * *

"Oh, he's always lived in the past. Well, it's complicated. If you really want to know about it, you should probably ask your dad or your mom. Oh- I left my bike running, gotta go! Ciao Bel!"

Marin stared at a back screen as the video call with his grandmother ended rather abruptly. He groaned to himself, turning his attention towards Tikki who was watching the news.

"Marin, did you know they're building a train under the English Channel? Isn't it amazing?" The Kwami asked, turning towards her partner who sat down before his desktop just behind her. He couldn't help but smile at her, nuzzling her cheek affectionately with his hand. It wouldn't improve his entire mood but certainly helped. "I can't believe how many inventions humans have made since I last had an owner." The Kwami said in amazement, hovering before her owner.

"That's right, it was even before Master Fu became a guardian right?" Marin asked, welcoming the change in atmosphere.

"Yup, the only time we Kwmai's get to experience the outside world is when we're assigned to those who champion a Miraculous. Other than that, our only contact comes from the gifts we receive from our birthday."

"Doesn't that ever get lonely for you guys?"

"No, after all we have each other, and if we wanted we could reach out to a guardian. But even so, the earrings of creation and ring of destruction are extremely precious, it's extremely rare that Plagg and I are ever allowed to leave. So we're very fortunate so soak up all the culture we can for now." Tikki said with a smile, but it quickly faded as she saw the fallen expression on Marin's face. "What's wrong?"

Marin hesitated for a moment, reflexively wanting to keep quiet what was bothering him. However, Tikki was always the exception, she was his partner, after all, someone who he knew he could be honest too about anything.

"It's just kinda funny is all. There are you guys who have to hide away to protect yourselves, but even so, you still enjoy the limited freedom you have. Whereas some people don't know how good they have it, locking themselves away for selfish reasons and never realizing how good they have it." Marin huffed at her rested his head in his arms on his desk. Tikki landed on his head, looking at him curiously.

"Then...shouldn't you do something about it?" She suggested carefully, already having an idea of what her partner was going through.

Marin couldn't help but smile at the simplicity of his Kwami's reasoning, always grounding him when he was scatterbrained. "When you're right, you're right sugarcube."

* * *

Adrien glanced at his bodyguard as he pretended to look out of the window. He was finished with his photoshoots for the day and had already snuck in a good hour of study in between. Now all that was left was deciding how to escape this time. Adrien took out his phone, reading over a few recently sent texts, both between Alya and Nino who had managed to decypher where Andre was going to be. Today was the day he was going to have that legendary ice cream, no doubt about it.

His eyes scanned over the road and began to smile as traffic began to build within their lane. He glanced down at Plagg for a moment, winking at him to signal his Kwami to sping their plan into action.

Plagg smiled deviously as he phased through the car's seats, well camouflaged against the black interior.

Adrien coughed once to cover the sound of clicking and then as soon as the car stopped opened the door to escape. He glanced back at his bodyguard apologetically who was shocked at his ward's most recent escape.

"I promise I'll be back by dinner time, I already did my studying!" He called as he then slammed the door close, taking off in a sprint through traffic and through the alleyways.

As he was running through with a triumphant smile on his face Plagg hovered nearby, cackling. "I can't believe he thought he could trap you with childproof locks."

"Live and learn." Adrien remarked as he opened his shirt. Plagg hid away in his pocket just before Adrien hit the main streets again. He took out his phone with a smile still evident on his face.

[Adrikins: Got away from Gorilla, going to have to go ghost for a little bit so he can't track my location.]

[Cookie: NICE DUDE!]

[Cupcake: Solved Andre's puzzle :P Meet us at the Louvre!]

[Adrikins: On my way. Is Marin coming?]

[Cutie Pie: Can't, have plans.]

Adrien's smile faded as he read Marin's text.

[Cookie:WHHAAAAAATTT?! NOOOOO!]

[Cupcake: :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( ]

[Adrikins: ;; ]

[Cookie: YOU MADE OUR SON CRY]

[Cutie Pie: lol.]

[Cookie: THIS IS NO LAUGHING MATTER!]

[Cutie Pie: It's my dad's birthday, I'm running some errands.]

[Cupcake: Any chance you could run by us?]

[Cookie: lol]

[Cutie pie: As much as I'd love to I can't, this will probably take me the whole day to do.]

[Cupcake: But now Adrikins is going to have to get ice cream alone!]

[Cutie Pie: Just share him]

[Adrikins: I can get ice cream by myself, I'm a big kid.]

[Cookie: NO WAY. IT'LL BE TOO SAD ;;]

[Cutie Pie: You guys can decide this for yourself, I have to do work. TTYL]

[Cupcake: They grow up so fast. ;;]

Adrien chuckled just before he turned off his phone. Sure he was looking forward to having ice cream with all his friends, but 2 out of 3 wasn't bad all things considered.

* * *

Marin had spun a lie about going to the park to work to his mother, when in fact he was now standing in front of his grandfather's house. He wasn't sure why he thought he had to lie, so his mother probably wouldn't have stopped him, and his father wouldn't have to will to do so either. Honestly, it was a little frightened at the fact that deceiving others was now his reflex whenever he felt guilty about something. But that was a problem for future Marin, right now he had to focus on the task at hand.

"What are you waiting for, Marin?" Tikki asked poking her head out of his messenger bag. "Aren't you going to go in?"

Marin shook his head. "It's not that easy sugar cube. If I tell him who I am right away, he won't listen to me, just like with mom."

"But aren't you his grandson?"

"Whom he hasn't seen in over a decade. If he's not going to listen to my mother of all people then he's certainly not going to open up to me." Marin assumed. "I'd have better luck being a stranger." He explained, and then signaled for Tikki to hide once a familiar truck pulled up.

"Hi Gilbert." Marin greeted nervously as he saw a familiar man step out of the truck with a flour sack on his shoulder.

"Hiya Marin, what are you doing here? Is there something wrong with Rolland?" Gilbert asked in concern.

"No, well-" Marin stammered as he rubbed the back of his neck. " No. I actually need a favor if you wouldn't mind."

"A favor?"

"Yeah, could you let me deliver the flour?" Marin asked boldly.

The deliveryman looked at him in confusion. "Sure, but why today?"

"I uh, just thought about seeing him, I doubt that he'd let anyone else in so I need a cover?" Marin asked, gripping his wrist, fully expecting to be turned down so he was surprised when he heard a "sure."

Gilbert handed over the sack and almost toppled Marin over, due to the weight, being denser than the bags he was used to.

"You need some help?" Gilbert asked, ready to help.

"No, no." Marin insisted. "I can do at least this, I am a bakers son after all."

Gilbert smiled at him in amusement, placing his hat on his head to complete the delivery boy look. "You can leave the hat in the house, I'll come by and pick it up next time I see him."

"Thank you very much!" Marin said gratefully as Gilbert walked back to his van and drove off. "Now then." Marin huffed at he tried not to drop the flour, but he was always so close to falling over as he scaled the staircase.

"Tikki- Tikki the door. Tikki the door!" Marin said with urgency. Tikki quickly did as she was asked, opening up the door for her partner and then quickly returning to the cover of his bag. The moment Marin stepped into the house it felt like he was blasted back to the past. Almost everything was as he remembered it being despite how young he was when he last visited this place right down to the smell of yeast.

"Put it in the usual place Gilbert."

Marin froze just as he was about to step into the parlor, hearing the familiar raspy voice of an old man. Part of him was terrified, what if this plan was dumb, what if his gramps would kick him out the moment he saw him? What if he would hate seeing him? What if he would yell at him after sending all those letters?

But Marin realized as Tikki poked her head out his bag that he wasn't alone. He felt a wave of nostalgia overtake him once he stepped into the parlor, his eyes were trained on an old man who was working in the kitchen who in comparison, he was significantly taller than.

"Um, good evening sir." Marin greeted as his grandpa suddenly turned around, clearly surprised that his usual Deliveryman was replaced.

"What are you?!" He demanded, as part of Marin's heart sank at those words.

"I'm uh, an intern? I'm doing the delivery today." Marin said adjusting his borrowed hat to cover more of his face.

"An intern?" Rolland asked in disbelief, "for a flour shop?"

"Uh, yes sir, I'm in line for an apprenticeship there. See, I wanna open up my own bakery someday..." Marin's words trailed off once he spotted a familiar guitar sitting nearby. It didn't have it's strings and was covered in a good layer of dust, evidence that it hadn't been touched in a long time.

"It's good to have asperation. Just leave the sack in the kitchen and be on your way." Rolland said as he then turned back to his work." Salt." He said and 2 mice pushed a har of salt towards him.

Marin observed the framed photos and trophies as well as the bronzed bread as he walked over to the kitchen, taking in all that he saw while he still could.

"Your appliances seem really old, do you live alone sir?" Marin asked already knowing the answer. He once tried to watch television on this old thing when he was young, but it practically short-circuited when he tried to turn it on. He recalled the bittersweet memory of his grandpa trying to get him to stop crying, even playing a song for him on his guitar that was now abandoned. "Seems like kinda a lonely place."

"Are you a flour delivery boy or a detective? Good day." Rolland snapped, growing more irritated the longer this stranger stayed in his house.

Marin frowned at him, realizing that his gramps turned more sour since the last time he'd saw him. He walked over to the kitchen, placing the flour nearby a few empty sacks stacked up. His gramps had probably gone through that should be a month's supply in what appeared to be a week. It shouldn't be possible unless he was actually selling it, or he was eating it at every meal. Marin cringed at the thought of anyone eating that much, his mind flashing back to Master Fu for a moment.

"Do you eat bread alot?" He asked as he clapped the flour off his hands.

"What's it to you?" Rolland snapped.

"Nothing, it's just-" Marin stammered, looking for anything to change the topic and saw the oven. "Ah, that oven. It's a limited made wood burning Panyol from 1972 right?"

Rolland turned towards him with a shocked expression on his face. "How do you know that?!"

"Ah- um, it's a passion of mine?" Marin offered, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "I have to know everything about every aspect of baking if I want to ever dream of owning a bakery." It wasn't really a lie, part of him desired to take over the bakery from his family, but that was a long way away. "It's uh, part of our curriculum at culinary school."

"The delivery boy wants to be a baker?" Rolland asked in disbelief, a smirk of amusement drawing on his face before erupting into laughter."And you're studying through delivering flour?"

"I'm don't just study ovens or ingredients, some people have said I'm the best baker in the city." He recited, really not wanting to sound like a jerk, but this man laughed at his fake dreams. Sure he was lying through his teeth but to be belittled over a fake dream he had constructed from nothing? It was hardly a laughing matter.

Almost immediately Rolland started to laugh harder, almost crying at his statement.

Marin frowned for a moment, but then a sly smile took hold. "I'm pretty proud of my baking skills sir. I'm probably even better than an old-timer like yourself."

"Old-timer?!" Rolland scoffed. "This old-timer has been baking since before you were even thought of!"

"Baking good bread is about the technique, and it seems like we have a similar technique." He claimed, feeling a swell of victory as Rolland looked up at him, his interest now peaked by this stranger.

"Oh really, then show this old-timer how babies learn how to fold bread at baking school." Rolland snapped his fingers, and three mice pushed ingredients towards him, as well as a large glass bowl intending for mixing, rather cutely. Marin's eyes rested one multiple jars of flour, all of them without labels, looking identical. He could feel Rolland's eyes on him, almost taunting him as he placed a challenge before him.

Or what the old man thought was a challenge.

Marin picked up each mason jar, able to smell the difference between them, then felt the grains in his hand. He was easily able to discern what each flour was and measured out what would mix into bread flour and what needed to be added. He noticed the small mice had formed a small peanut gallery, watching him as he mixed the ingredients together.

"Um, should they be in the kitchen?" Marin asked holding his hand out for the small rodents to familiarize themselves with him.

"They're fine, they're my assistants." Rolland insisted. "They're clean and well disciplined."

Marin looked down towards the mice who all of them sniffed his hand curiously before then scattering all of sudden. They returned moments later with an unopened bag, one that caught his attention as he picked it up curiously.

"Rice flour?" Marin asked as he recognized the smell and texture of this specific flour.

"Never mind that!" Rolland snapped as he tossed the bag away on the other empty sacks.

"What's wrong with rice flour?" Marin asked, observing that the old man lost the previous spark of competition he had.

"It's...unnatural!"

He almost laughed in amusement at the wooden ladle being pushed towards him by one of the mice, but shook his head in favor of mixing the flours together by hand. He was surprised at the diligence of the mice as they then pushed started to seemingly organize the flours. But then he looked over the table, frowning as he couldn't find what he was looking for among the ingredients that were set out.

"Looking for the yeast?" Rolland asked, signaling once of the mice pushed forward a small glass bowl filled with said ingredient.

But Marin smirked, adjusting his hat ever so slightly at the old man's tricks. "I know the smell of sourdough anywhere sir." He said as Rolland chuckled. "Any baker worth his salt knows you put a starter in the dough."

"So the delivery boy knows how to bake bread." Rolland scoffed as the mouse pushed away the glass bowl. He then reached for a small canister that was sitting on his shelf, one made from glass the was colored brown, making it look like a roll. He showed it off proudly as Marin recalled seeing the same one when he was young. He felt a pang of melancholy as he reheard the story for the first time in years.

"You see this sourdough starter? It's been passed down from generation to generation in my family. Ever since my indomitable ancestor Gaul Paindemix who was the generated baker in the village of Armoique and a comrade of the great king Vercingetorix. But then the king fell, and then everyone started putting tomatoes and cheese on bread! Blasted Pizza!" Rolland complained as he handed the jar of starter to Marin.

"...You're mad at Pizza?" Marin asked as he noticed one of the mice pushing a small jar of familiar white flour towards him.

"That's not how you do things! You don't put tomato sauce on bread! It's not how bread was meant to be eaten!" Rolland began to rant off more, as Marin added the extra flour within his mixture.

"But didn't Pizza originate from China?" Marin pointed out as he, by hand, mixed all the ingredients to form a dough. He then nodded towards the mice in thanks as they pushed a small jar of water towards him. Like they already knew what to do.

Rolland immediately brushed him off. "It doesn't matter where it came from, the fact is, it was the dang Italians that started that vermin of a dish. Now it's everywhere!"

"So you don't like Italians?" Marin asked carefully but recoiled back as Rolland glared at him.

"I just don't like unnecessary things! There's a proper way to do everything, and pizza was completely unnecessary! Bread should have just stayed bread!"

"...Alright." Marin said as he handed back the starter. He focused on mixing together the ingredients before carefully saying. "You know, pizza is pretty good."

"You...you like pizza!?" Rolland gasped, the betrayal evident on his face.

"Yeah, I think it makes the bread taste even better than it would be alone." Marin said as he finished off his dough then scraped off most of the wet dough that was sticking to his hands. He then noticed he managed to lose the little respect he had garnered from Rolland as the old man turned back to his own dough, folding it on his own. Marin narrowed his eyes slightly as he could see who his father picked up his technique from.

"Learning how to fold sourdough?" Rolland chided as he stepped back, challenging him again as Marin placed his dough directly on the counter.

"You take the dough and fold it evenly, bringing it back to the top and then pinching it evenly. It gives it elasticity and develops the gluten. Which ensures a long shelf life after baking." He said easily while Rolland rolled his eyes.

"Psh, you're just a schoolboy repeating his lessons." The old man said, then crossing his arms. "There's only one proper way to bake a loaf of sourdough bread."

Marin hummed for a moment as he glanced at his grandfather. "You know, there's a lot of ways to bake a sourdough, I think it's good to add some texture."

"Texture?!" Rolland chided as he pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. "These young people and their, "texture", who in their right mind would ever want their sourdough to taste different?!"

"Well, maybe something different is good once in a while?" Marin offered as he saw Rolland grow more annoyed. "Have you tasted sourdough with different flours added to it? Maybe if you just added some of that rice flour?"

"Of course not! Rice flour in bread?!" Rolland scoffed angrily. "It's ridiculous! You sound just like my son, why he..." Rolland stopped himself before he started another tangent.

"You have a son?" Marin prompted, wanting to know his grandfather's take on what happened.

"That's all over, I don't have a son anymore, not since he betrayed me."

"Because...?"

"BECAUSE HE PUT RICE FLOUR, IN BREAD, MY OWN SON!" Rolland snapped angrily as he became more forceful with his folding.

"Good Sourdough bread isn't about the flour you mix, it's about how much love you can knead in." Marin said with a smile, but froze as his grandfather spoke up again.

"Who told you that?" Rolland asked suspiciously.

"Are you a baker? Or are you a detective?" Marin asked back with a cheeky smile on his face, despite the fact that he was screaming on the inside at his slip up. Rolland dropped his questioning, but still had a suspicious look on his face. "My mom told it to me. She doesn't really bake, but she always says that when I help her mix the flour." Marin said sincerely as he smiled at the memory of when he was young enough that moth could hold him in her arms. "When I was really little, she'd even let me add chocolate."

"Chocolate?!" Rolland gasped with his hand on his chest, looking like he might have a heart attack. "What kind of baker are you?"

Marin couldn't help but laugh at his reaction. "My dad did that same thing when he found out. See, I was sick a lot as a kid. I couldn't leave my room most times, and I couldn't have sweets that often. So my mom thought it would be fun to add creative stuff in bread. She'd let me help her bake sourdough bread, I'd add chocolate to the flour mix, and then when it was done we'd both have warm honey milk together."

"Your mother sounds ridiculous," Rolland muttered under his breath.

"It sounds like your son is ridiculous as well." Marin pointed out, then saw Rolland's expression wince for a moment, not long enough that he could discern what it was. "...If my bread is as good as yours, would you do something for me?" Marin suddenly asked without thinking.

Rolland glared at him, "What? What do you want?"

"It's standard playground rules, the loser has to do any one thing the winner asks of him."

Rolland scoffed, "Childs play."

"Afraid your bread is going to lose?" Marin pressed, seeing that same spark of challenge in his grandfather's eye.

"Your bread will never be as good as mine, but a baker never goes back on his word." Rolland said, holding out his hand. Marin returned the gesture, shaking on what was a gentleman's agreement.

Marin turned back to his work with a little smile on his face. Part of his plan had come together, now he just had to do what he did best. He carefully folding the ends of the dough to make the perfect shape, reflexively singing out a familiar tune.

"_Little bread rolls kneaded with love, are much better when they come out of the oven~"_

"That song..."

Marin froze as he realized he had messed up.

"There's no way you'd know those lyrics! Who are you?!" Rolland demanded as Marin stopped folding his dough.

He took off his borrowed hat, holding it at his chest as he looked down towards his grandpa. He could see the old man scanning over the face of the person he thought was a stranger. Suddenly his eyes widened as he took a step back.

"Um...nice to see you again, gramps?" Marin said nervously but flinched back as he could see the fury brewing in his grandfather's eyes.

"LIAR!" Rolland snapped. "My grandson is- he's not-" Rolland grasped his head in frustration, turning away as his anger started to bubble to the surface. "ANOTHER BETRAYAL! That's not how things are done!"

"What betrayal?" Marin questioned, but at this point, his grandpa wasn't listening instead he favored to continue rambling on.

"Go home to your mother, you'll get ill if you're outside too long!" The older man scolded.

Marin rolled his eyes, he heard this enough from his parents. "I'm not a little kid any more gramps, I'm not going to get sick so easily anymore! Like it or not, you agreed to taste my bread! And a baker ever goes back on his word!" He reminded the old man.

"Fine! Then wait outside!" Rolland demanded as he pushed Marin out of the kitchen then closed a sliding door to divide them.

"Gramps! Like it or not, it's dad's birthday, you have to see him!" Marin called out, but didn't receive and answer. He groaned to himself, resting his back against the door. "Well, that went well." He said as Tikki peaked her head out of his bag.

"I thought so." The Kwami said. "After all, you bonded, and he seemed to like you."

"Well, not anymore," Marin said. "Now that he knows I'm family, there's no way I can convince him to see dad."

"It's still early, he still has to try your bread after all." Tikki said.

"Somehow I don' think bread is going to fix everything Tikki-" Marin was about to say but then felt a familiar negative energy. He suddenly stood up as he could feel the presence of an Akuma close by. "Tikki, do you-" He was about to ask before he was suddenly knocked back. Marin tumbled to the ground as he was suddenly faced with a large bread monster looking down at him. "Gramps?!"

"There's no more Gramps here, now I am Bakerix! And to those who refuse to do things the proper way will have to face my indomitable anger!" Bakerix proclaimed as he held the sourdough starter case in his bread hand, then seemingly drank it. The moment he did, he seemed to grow stronger as the bread that made up his body expanded, making him grow in size. "Soon, Paris will return to the way it was before! Before it became..." But the villain didn't finish his words, instead, he lept through the roof, giving no regard to the destruction of his home as he then jumped towards the city.

"Ohhhhhh this is bad." Marin grimaced as he jumped to his feet.

"I'll say." Tikki agreed, watching her partner turn off the oven, but something caught her attention. She hovered over to a broken photo, one that seemed to be stuffed to the brim with opened envelopes hidden behind a photo.

"Tikki!" Marin called out, garnering the attention of his Kwami. She flew over towards him holding one of the worn-out letters.

"Look, these are in your handwriting!" She said, handing one to her partner. Marin held one of the letters in his hand, his eyes widening in surprise as he saw the seal was broken. He wavered but ultimately tossed it aside.

"We'll handle those later, right now we have a job to do. Tikki, spots on!"

* * *

"Welcome! Would you like some of André's Sweetheart's Ice-cream?"

Adrien walked up towards the ice cream maker as Alya and Nino stepped aside to allow him to go first. He couldn't hold back his smile as he asked.

"Is your ice-cream really magical?"

"What do you think?" André asked as he pulled out a cone.

"I think you have to believe." Adrien said earnestly, his eyes lighting up as he watched the ice cream man work.

"You're spot on, son! Strawberry with black chocolate chip! Blackberries for their hair, and blueberry ice-cream just like their sky blue stare! On the house!" André said happily as handed the cone to Adrien.

His heart raced as he held the cone in his hand recognizing the color pallet in hand.

"There's love in your eyes! André can see it clear as day! This love is true!" André said with a big smile.

"You think?" Adrien asked as he stepped aside for his friend to get their ice cream.

"Of course, André's ice cream can bring anyone together!" The ice cream maker said confidently and then he turned towards his friends as Adrien walked towards the benches across the street.

He admired the ice cream in hand, wondering if what André said was true. He hoped it would be, he hoped he could find something like Nino and Alya had but something that would be unique just for him.

Adrien's thoughts scattered once Plagg popped his head out of Adrien's shirt and started sniffing at his dessert.

"You want some?" Adrien asked, taking a spoonful of the strawberry ice cream and holding it towards Plagg. However, the Kwami gagged, he was almost physically repulsed by the notion.

"Gross! Who would want sweet stuff like this when you could have a nice warm camembert?"

"Anyone who doesn't want to stink like cheese Plagg." Adrien chuckled. But just as he was about to try the ice cream he heard a scream behind him. He turned around to locate the sound but the next thing he knew he saw a car flying towards him. However, not even a second later he was tacked to the ground, his face immediately turned red as he saw Ladybug's face hovering a few inches from his own.

"Are you okay?" Ladybug asked as he pulled Adrien to his feet, holding onto his hand. "Where's your bodyguard?"

"Um...must have lost him in the commotion," Adrien said sheepishly as Ladybug looked at him in disbelief. But before he could respond, a large akumatized villain lifted up another car, glaring at the hero.

"I'm going to get rid of all of this modernity, starting with you!" The villain proclaimed as Ladybug wasted no time in ensuring Adrien's safety. He picked him up in his arms, then used his yo-yo place distance between them. Adrien felt his heart face as Ladybug then hid him behind a nearby Ad. Ladybug peaked out from behind cover, seeing that the villain was making his way towards the Louvre.

"Are your friends here?" Ladybug asked quickly, not realizing how close he was to making Adrien's heart burst due to their closeness. The hero had him pinned to the ad, but paid him no mind as he was only focused on the villain that had appeared.

"Ah- yeah, my best friends are waiting at the Louvre for me." Adrien informed.

"Alright, you hide here, I'm going to deal with him." Ladybug said now standing up. "Ah, sorry about your ice cream" He apologized, bowing his head apologetically just before he used his yo-yo to reach higher ground, no doubt wanting to get the advantage against the villain that was easily 5 times their size.

"It's fine..." Adrien murmured, almost whispering as he suddenly felt light-headed.

"Are you done swooning?" Plagg asked in annoyance at his partner, seeing how stunned he most recent contact with Ladybug had left him practically helpless.

"It's just sweet how much he cares." Adrien pointed out.

"Psh-" Plagg scoffed. "He cares about everyone."

"Why can't you just let me have this?"

"Because it's my job to keep you humble, not indulge in your utter devotion towards someone who's clearly career-oriented." Plagg quipped rather observantly.

For a moment, Adrien wondered where he learned such vocabulary, but that was a question for another time. He quickly made sure he was unnoticed, seeing that there was no one in sight." Plagg, claws out!"

* * *

Ladybug shoed away the civilians surrounded the Louvre, faced head-on against Bakerix and his enhanced strength.

"There's no need for heroes! Leave protecting people to the police!" The villain demanded as he tried to punch Ladybug but kept missing.

The hero jumped on top of a nearby ad, "They still do, but it's our job to protect civilians from threats like you." Ladybug retorted now trying to keep his distance. He could sense the negative energy coming off in waves but couldn't get close enough to grab the possessed flask without risk of getting caught.

Bakerix glared at the ad Ladybug was standing on. "A train that goes under the sea?! That's not how it's done! You take a boat and get seasick if you want to go to England!" The villain proclaimed, throwing a tantrum that sent shockwaves through the ground.

Ladybug narrowed his eyes, training on the flask at Bakerix's side. He knew he couldn't reach for on his own, so instead, he took out his yo-yo, then dashed towards Bakerix as far as he could. At the last second, he used a punch thrown at him to spring off of, fully intending to catch the flask in one move, but then Bakerix grabbed his arm. With the villain's super strength now faded, he was faster and using the momentum of Ladybug's decent to slam him against the ground.

The hero gasped for air, winded from the impact for a moment his vision went fuzzy. But it cleared up in time to see Bakerix about to pummel him to the ground, the Villain lined up for the punch but then was knocked back by a swinging staff.

"Seems like a bad time to, loaf around, wouldn't you say?" Chat Noir called out landing before Ladybug with his weapon in hand.

The moment Bakerix's eyes landed on the new hero he began to grow more enraged. "People walking around in cat costumes?! It's not Halloween!"

"No, but I look Rye-ly cool no?" Chat Noir remarked as he helped pull Ladybug to his feet, still holding onto his partner's hand

"No public displays of affection! It's unseemly!" Bakerix demanded, downing more of his starter. His bread muscles started to expand and his strength started to return, becoming more of a threat.

"Ooo, he sounds croissant at us." Chat Noir said cheekily. "Shall we take this guy out, my Lady?" He asked, but both of them were then faced with Bakerix holding up the glass pyramid of the Louvre.

"You're not up to the task, you don't have enough experience!" Bakerix proclaimed, tossing the pyramid at them, effectively trapping them in place and lept away.

"Well, only one way out. Cata-" Chat Noir was about to activate his power but Ladybug grabbed his wrist to stop his incantation.

"You really need to work on your impulse control." Ladybug commented, then pointed towards a nearby sewer.

"Why do you think you're my partner?" Chat Noir asked, following Ladybug down into the sewers as he opened the gate.

* * *

Ladybug took point as he and Chat Noir traversed the sewers, it was hard to focus in on where the Bakerix had gone. But Ladybug had a pretty good idea of where he would be going.

"You think I look cool right?" Chat Noir asked as they ran together.

"Um, well..." Ladybug muttered, grateful that they were in a darkened area with limited visibility.

"Am I not?!" Chat Noir asked, now looking genuinely concerned as he really cared what his partner thought of him.

"It's not- Why are you even worried about what I think?!" Ladybug retorted. "You know what, we're getting off track here." the hero said as he stopped in front of a ladder.

"But we can talk about this later right?"

"Chat!"

"Okay, okay." Chat Noir conceded as he followed his partner up onto the surface and in front of the train station that was opening the first voyage of the Startrain. "How do you know he's here?" Chat Noir asked. But was promptly answered as they heard screaming from within the building, followed by a series of loud crashes. "...Right." Chat Noir mumbled, dashing alongside his partner into the building.

"You handle the people, I'll handle Bakerix!" Ladyboy said, using his yo-yo to jump before the villain while Chat Noir evacuated the passengers on the maiden voyage.

Chat Noir acted quickly to help out the passengers on the train that was being threatened by Bakerix. Much to his surprise, he came across Chloe who accepted his help to escape the train.

"You should ask for Queen Bee's help." She said just as she left the vehicle.

"We're doing alright for now, but I'll make a note of it for later. Thank you Chloe." By sheer luck, she was the last one to leave the train just before Bakerix threw the first car into a wall. Chat Noir then scanned for his partner, seeing that he had jumped onto the platform above safely. Chat Noir quickly joined him just as Ladybug threw up his yo-yo.

"Lucky Charm!" He said, and from it fell a bottle with Ladybug print on the bottle.

"Ketchup?" Chat Noir asked. "I know your charms are obscure but I think this one takes the cake so far."

"No, this is just what we need." Ladybug said looking around the train station and setting his eyes on a nearby concession stand. "I'm going to make something that's going make a traditionalist that that guy extremely angry." Ladybug informed, patting Chat Noir shoulder before jumping towards the concession stand.

The cat-themed hero smiled in amusement, already having an idea of what his partner was planning. At his vantage point, he spotted Bakerix taking apart the train and saw the perfect place to strike, one that would be in his blind spot if Ladybug's plan worked out.

Which it always did.

Chat Noir jumped behind a pillar, overlooking the scene, hiding within the shadow until he could see an opportunity.

"Mmm, a nice artificially flavored candy and mass-produced potato chip sandwich on cheap factory-made bread! Delicious!" Ladybug called out as he dumped whatever he had found at the concession stand to put on what sounded like a disgusting sandwich. But to play the part his partner had a broad smile on his face while Chat Noir couldn't help but gag at the mere thought of putting that into his mouth.

"You won't trap me with your little charade!" Bakerix proclaimed, downing more of the starter from his flask. He double his size, even causing Chat Noir to become a little worried about how they'd be able to take on a villain like that.

"Really?" Ladybug inquired with a sly grin. "Then maybe a little ketchup will wet your pallet. I'm sure it's going to taste just like pizza when I'm through with it." Ladybug taunted topping off his distraction with his lucky charm much to Bakerix's horror.

"No NO NO NO NOO!" Bakerix was about to jump after the hero, dropping his guard at the travesty that he was faced with. Which gave Chat Noir the opportunity he was looking for, easily grabbing the flask from Barkerix's hand and tossing it towards Ladybug who destroyed it with one swift kick.

"No more mischief from you little Akuma. Time to purify!" Ladybug said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion. Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. "Bye-bye, little butterfly. Miraculous Ladybug!" Ladybug called out, throwing up the lucky charm as everything turned back to normal.

Chat Noir knelt next to the old man Bakerix had turned back into, looking around in confusion at this new place he was in. "Where am I, who are you?!" The old man demanded as Chat Noir helped him to his feet. He and Ladybug pounded fists victoriously just as his partner's Miraculous beeped.

"I have to leave, but don't worry sir Chat Noir will be able to-"

"What is going on who are you two?!" The old man snapped stepping back from the two of them and glaring at them in suspicion.

"Who burned his buns?" Chat Noir asked lamely, crossing his arms.

"His name is Rollan Dupain." Ladybug said, noticing Chat Noir's look of surprise at the old man's last name.

"Dupain?" Chat Noir asked taking a double-take of the old man who was now wandering off.

"As it turns out he's kind of been in self-imposed isolation in his house for over 10 years, think you can handle him?" Ladybug asked looking a little worried. But Chat Noir just smirked, placing his hands on his hips confidently.

"Who do you think you're talking to? You can always rely on me when it comes to stuff like this." Chat Noir confirmed just as Ladybug Miraculous started to beep more rapidly. He still had a look of uncertainly on his face, taking another glance between the old man and Chat Noir again before he sighed.

"Then...I'll do just that then." The hero said just before he used his yo-yo to jump onto railing up above them and then out of the train station. Chat Noir watched as his partner left and then turned towards the old man trying to get his attention.

"So, would you be okay taking a cab back home? Or would that be too modern for you?" He lightly teased, but it appeared not to go over well. The old man didn't respond, instead, he glared at the hero probably about to snap some insult. But then his eyes widened as though he were recalling something.

"I left the oven on!" He realized as he then gripped Chat Noir's wrist. "There's no time to lose youngster!"

Chat Noir was stunned at the old man's eagerness but then lifted him onto his back. "You sure this is alright? Traveling via superhero isn't exactly modern."

Rolland was unamused. "There's more than bread at stake here youngster!"

"Right right." Chat Noir remarked thinking that the old man probably had some pets he was worried about as he used his staff to jump on top of the roofs. "Hold on tight!"

* * *

Chat Noir landed before an incredibly old looking house, right down to a rusted gate that creaked as Rolland opened it. He rushed into the house at great speed, much faster than his Akumatized form was. Chat Noir followed behind, wanting to at least make sure his house wasn't on fire. But as he walked into the house he was met with the overwhelming smell of freshly baked bread along, reminding him of the Dupain-Cheung family bakery, making his mouth start to water.

"Gramps? Are you alright? You're out of breath."

Chat Noir stopped himself for a moment as he heard his friend's voice just before he stepped into the parlor. Instead, he peaked behind the corner seeing Marin take 2 rolls of bread out of an oven, though oddly enough he had 2 mice on his shoulders and the third sitting on his head.

"Yes, I...was afraid that you would burn the bread if I wasn't around to show you how," Rolland said walking towards his grandson. He looked over the bread pensively. "Well, it looks alright..." He commented reluctantly.

"Of course, I learned from the best after all." Marin said confidently, something that was extremely rare but not an unwelcome sight, making Chat Noir smile proudly for his friend. However, it soon faded as he realized he probably shouldn't be spying on what was clearly a family matter. He did his job and that was all that mattered-

"You! Cat boy!" Chat Noir tensed up at the sound of the old man's voice, hand almost on the doorknob, about to escape, but realized it was futile once Rolland pushed him into sight of one of his best friends. "We need someone to taste test the bread," Rolland said, basically ordering him to stay.

"Um, I actually have to go-" Chat Noir tried to argue back, but silenced as he rested his eyes on Marin looking at him in surprise. He scratched the back of his head nervously, not wanting to impose. Which Marin seemed to pick up on, but didn't insist on him leaving.

"It will just take a moment. Please?" The taller boy asked as he clapped his hands together, looking at the hearo with an expression that read; Please go along with this.

Chat Noir pushed back a groan of defeat. How could he ever refuse Marin when he was the one asking for a favor. He sighed, not saying anything and then looked down at both bread rolls before him. He took a piece of each bread, and was overcome with a crunchy and soft pillowy texture from both that left him wanting more.

"So?" Rolland prompted once Chat Noir had tasted both breads.

"They're both delicious, one with a very traditional flavor and the other with a different taste but not bad at all. It's silly to have a contest over which is the better flavor when they're both great." Chat Noir said honestly. However, he could sense the air growing tense as Rolland placed his hands on the counter while Marin looked at his grandfather anxiously.

"If there is no decisive victor then the deal is off." Rolland said firmly.

"Deal?" Chat Noir inquired as he looked between them now regretting his previous answer. "What deal?" His eyes widened as he saw a look of defeat etched across Marin's face, along with a wave of repressed anger indicated by him clutching his fists; however, that was only momentary.

Marin took a deep breath, walking over to a dresser. He lifted up the frame of what looked to be an old family photo, under it was an envelope that had been opened.

"Ah- hey!" Rolland said in a panic he saw what his grandson was messing with.

Chat Noir couldn't see what Marin's reaction was to the letter or the photo as he placed it back on the dresser carefully, now facing up. He then turned back to his grandpa with an assured expression on his face.

"It's been a while since we were all together. " Marin said. "It would be nice if you could visit for a little while, I know that dad wants to see you."

But Rolland only turned his back towards him, folding his hands behind. "If he truly wanted that then he would've been the one to call, or would've come here himself. Yet who was the one who always made the effort?"

Marin's face fell, making Chat Noir's heart sore; he wasn't entirely sure what was going on but anything that made his friend look like that could never sit well with him. "Sorry Gramps," Marin apologized, bowing his head respectfully just before he walked towards the door. "But you don't give up on the people you love. So don't expect the same luxury from me that you get from mom or dad." Marin said assertively. For a moment, just as he opened it, there was a brief silence. A silence that should have been filled with conversation, something, anything that could be latched onto. But neither spoke up, whether it was due to stubbornness or defeat or a combination of both, Chat Noir couldn't be certain of.

All he heard was the door closing, and something inside of him...changed.

"Ugh," Rolland grumbled as he placed his hands on the counter with the mice surrounding their friend. "That's boy's his mother's son all right, the spittin' image."

"WHAT WAS THAT?!" Chat Noir demanded, now peeved as he realized that he was roped into a competition against his will, one that ended up making his friend upset.

"What?" Rolland snapped back, holding his hands behind his back. "If there's no victor, then the deal is off altogether."

"YOU'RE GOING TO LET A STUPID THING LIKE BREAD GET BETWEEN YOU AND YOUR FAMILY?!"

"I'LL HAVE YOU KNOW CAT-"

"IT DOESN'T MATTER!" Chat Noir yelled back. "WHAT COULD EVER MAKE YOU HATE THEM THIS MUCH?"

Rolland flinched, he opened his mouth to say something enraged again but instead grumbled to himself a series of garbled words, empty frustration. "I don't hate my family. It's complicated."

"Do you want to see your family?"

"Of course-"

"THEN IT'S NOT THAT COMPLICATED!" Chat Noir said bluntly, not having the same patience that Marin had for this old man's reasoning. "Marin came to see you because he wanted to see you. Do you know how much he's accomplished? How messed up he thinks he is because of how you and his grandma ended things?! Stop being selfish and do something else for someone else other than you for one!"

Rolland sighed heavily, he pinched the bridge of his nose just before he walked over to the dresser. Chat Noir saw the old man open up one of the drawers, then took out what looked to be a cookie tin but instead of treats there were dozens of letters, all opened. "All these are letters my grandson and my daughter have sent me. His mother and I talk over the phone at least twice a month. Not once has my blood ever shown that kind of effort but, I don't blame them for it, I never have."

"But earlier you said-"

"I know what I said." Rolland said sternly. "I said it to send away my grandson because...I was ashamed," Rolland admitted, hanging his head shamefully, surprising Chat Noir. "I let my pride and grief get in the way of actually spending time with my family. I become rotten to the ones I spent my life with and too scared I would be the same thing over again." Rolland said calmly. "People fall out of love easier than you think. Once that happens, even after a decade of separation, it will still hurt just as bad as the first day it all ended. Really, it's too late now, by this point they'd be better off without me."

Chat Noir gripped his fist. "You say that but who are you to decide how they get to feel?!"

"Have you seen my grandson? The last time I saw him he was right up to my ankles, now he's twice my size and more accomplished than I could have ever dreamed to be when I was his age. How can I just step in after everything I've done."

"Because you don't give up on the people you love." Chat Noir repeated, placing his hand on the old man's shoulder. Rolland looked up at him for a moment then back at the mementos of his family, reminders of all the time lost between them. He looked back at Chat Noir with a determined expression in his eye, one that reassured Chat Noir that the old man wasn't going to make the same mistake again.

* * *

...

...

Marin watched as his grandpa walked into the family bakery, he and the rest of his family were in disbelief at Rolland's presence in the bakery. The old man seemingly had undergone a personality change in the past few hours, now he more boisterous and smiled more. Thought, it was obvious as to the reason due to the circumstances. Marin was happy to see his grampa get along with his father and Nonna, but something felt off.

He had a feeling that wouldn't go away, something that was stuck to his heart and he desperately needed to relieve himself of.

["I'm going to get something from my room."] Marin said to his mom as he passed by her. They would soon take the party back up to the living room, so he probably wouldn't have a lot of time.

Marin raced up to his room, passing by Tikki who was reading in her yarn basket and up to his roof. His heart raced as he saw Chat Noir sitting on top of the railing as he usually did. But this time the hero's ears twitched, clearly not expecting him to show up. But even so, Chat Noir gave him his signature carefree smile.

"Hey," Chat Noir greeted casually, "Is it just me or do your spirits look a little lifted-" He was about to say cheekily, but suddenly found himself being hugged by one of his best friends. Chat Noir was stunned as Marin had wrapped his arms around his torso, resting his head on the hero's shoulder. He wasn't sure what to do for a moment but ended up returning the hug as Marin lingered. A soft smile broke out onto Chat Noir's face as he heard a soft thank you from his friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes:
> 
> -I guess all the chapters are just 9-10 k from here on out.
> 
> -Chat Noir really out here dropping the b-word out here...Best friend. XD
> 
> \- It's embarrassing how much research I put into writing the food episodes (But it's kinda my favorite part in writing this fic) Making sourdough is an incredibly long process, so it's sped up for the sake of pacing.
> 
> -I was probably the only person who thought for a moment that racism didn't exist, but Rolland didn't come off to me as racist until I saw all the theories. Probably because I saw him talking to Sabine, and it seemed like she was the only person Rolland was talking to. So in my version, it just kinda is like, Sabine the unofficial head of the family who keeps everything together to enough extent.
> 
> \- Idk if it's ever going to be brought up again, maybe, maybe not so basically: Gina fell out of love, Rolland didn't, but they both were extremely sad and hurt and it was a painful divorce. There was a bad falling out that Tom got involved in, and he left for a while because he was dealing with his family drama. Which left Sabine with baby Marin for a couple of years around the time he was really sick, but more on the latter parts in future chapters.
> 
> -I didn't mean for this chapter to be so serious, but here we are.


	61. The Marvelous Miss Miraculer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gabe and Nath should not be allowed kids anymore.

Gabriel walked out of his lair, adjusting his necktie whilst Nathalie waited for him holding her tablet in hand. She was unnerved at Gabriel's most recent defeat, usually he was in a foul mood but this time was different, this time held his composure.

"Gabrie-" She was about to ask, but then held her tongue once he spoke up.

"Chloé Bourgeois must become Queen Bee again." Gabriel said simply, walking past his secretary and towards the window overlooking the garden outside.

"Are you still considering making her an ally?" Nathalie asked standing behind him at attention. "I'm afraid Ladybug has grown reluctant to giving Chloé the Bee Miraculous. Perhaps he is in the midst of training another Queen Bee?"

"Ever since heroes day, Queen Bee has not made as frequent of an appearance as Rena Rouge or Carapace. If he truly had found someone else to replace her, then it stands to reason that Chloé wouldn't go so far out of her way to garner the hero's attention. Meaning that the possibility of the Bee Miraculous falling into her hands still remains."

"Even so, perhaps he is being overly cautious, after all, we have no idea how he decides when to use the other Miraculous." Nathalie pointed out.

"That is where you are wrong," Gabriel said. "Ladybug makes his decision depending upon the situation he is within. All we have to do is prepare the proper conditions for him to decidedly use the Bee Miraculous. The moment when he does, it will be our opening to set our plan in motion."

A smile curled on Natalie's lip at the genius of Gabriel's plan. "Maybe it's time we bring Lila Rossi's psychological talent into the plan."

Gabriel smirked approvingly. "Excellent idea, Nathalie..."

* * *

"You need to talk to her you know." Chat Noir said looking over the city from the railing of the Eiffel tower with his hand on his hip. His ears twitched at the sound of clacking against metal, he could recognize those footsteps anywhere as Ladybug walked past him. The black-spotted hero stood on the edge while Chat Noir was only a few steps behind him. They both had seen the Bee signal- well, everyone saw it considering it's size- knowing all too well what it meant. "She deserves at least that considering how many times you've been standing her up."

Ladybug frowned at him, but Chat Noir couldn't really discern why. Usually, Ladybug was indifferent to Chloé as well as it quips, it was rare that he actually for a reaction to them.

"You know how dangerous it is to be seen with Chloé. Everybody knows that she was Queen Bee, everyone including Hawk Moth. We don't know when or how he's watching, but if there was ever a weakness to be exploited, she would be it." Ladybug pointed out.

"And the best-kept secrets are the ones you don't share, yeah-yeah, I know." Chat Noir sighed. " Look, I don't think Chloé knows that her time as Queen Bee is over, though. If she keeps lighting up that bacon and Queen Bee never shows up, I have a feeling it's not going to end up well for either party. My lady... promise me you'll go talk to her. It's the right thing to do." Chat Noir asked gently, though he felt it was the Adrien in him speaking up about this. Despite Chloé's drawbacks as a person, she was still someone who was a part of his life.

Ladybug crossed his arms, grumbling to himself before turning his head back towards his partner in frustration. "Can't you do it?"

"Are you pouting?!" Chat Noir asked in shock, his mouth agape as he now had to hold himself back from his partner's unintentional adorableness.

Ladybug's face immediately turned red as he averted his gaze. " I'm not good at these kinds of things!"

"What kinds of things? Talking? You've gotten better since we first met. After all, you can actually hold up a conversation most of the time." Chat Noir chucked recalling the memory of their first meeting.

"Most of the time?!" Ladybug shot back, offended at the notion, but their back and forth was cut off with both of their Miraculous starting to beep. Reflexively, they grasped their weapons realizing that time was running out on their respective transformations.

"Remember what I said!" Chat Noir called out just before Ladybug jumped into the city.

"I will!" Ladybug reassured leaping off of the tower.

Chat Noir held himself back for a moment, watching as his partner used his yo-yo to dive deeper into the city. But the cat-themed hero couldn't help it, he didn't think he could ever lose the lingering sadness that always manifested as had to separate from his partner. But that was the price of being partnered with one of the most amazing people in the world. So instead, he smiled to himself, whispering something that would only reach his ears.

"Love you."

* * *

Gabriel sat in the back seat of a black tinted car, pulling up near the park where Lila waiting for him at a bench.

"I really want to thank you for trusting me, Mr. Agreste." Lila said as Gabriel rolled down the window by his seat. "I'm very honored to be able to protect Adrien. But I'm saddened by all the people around him. Your son deserves better than those annoying friends of his. He's always trying to be nice, but it's easy to see how uncomfortable he is when he's hanging around those pests, Nino and Alya. He even thinks that he's friends with that boy Marin, believing that he actually cares about him. Not to mention all the girls clamoring to catch his eye, especially stuck-up Chloé. Chloé! Pfft!" Lila scoffed. "She won't stop bragging about being Queen Bee, but Adrien couldn't care less about these girls. He's just so perfect."

Gabriel was almost amused at the lies she spun about Adrien's classmates. It was clear that the more effort she placed within them, the more it was apparent how envious she actually was about the people his son was close to. "I don't think Adrien's completely indifferent to Chloé. Despite how she may come off to other people, she and Adrien have a very close bond. They've had a very strong friendship ever since they were young - a relationship that no one can ruin. Thank you, Lila, we'll be in contact again soon." Gabriel said simply, closing the window as the seeds had been planted.

All he had to do now was wait for Lila to perform exactly what he expected of her.

* * *

Marin stood by the base of the staircase with his hand on the sash of his bag, waiting for Chloé of all people as he fully intended to find an opening to talk to her. He turned his head towards her as he overheard her talking to Sabrina who, as usual, was walking beside her holding her designer bag.

"Rena Rouge and Carapace are so tacky. I just don't understand why Ladybug keeps calling on them and when I, Queen Bee-"

But just before he was about to step forward he froze as he overheard someone else coming closer. Marin found himself unable to move as Lila walked towards them with a carefree smile. After their little...incident...he went out of his way to avoid her. Well, as much limited contact two people could have sitting next to one another could have.

"Were you two talking about Ladybug?" Lila asked curiously, but Marin wondered what kind of malicious intent was backed up behind it.

"Uhh... who are you again?" Chloé asked snidely, snapping Marin out of his thoughts. Knowing Chloé, she was probably genuine about not knowing who Lila was.

"I'm Lila, I'm in your class." Lila introduced, undeterred at her classmates' tone.

Chloé looked at her in disbelief. "Really?"

But Lila laughed her off. "Oh, I love your sense of humor. I remember now that Ladybug mentioned it a few times.

Marin's stomach fell almost immediately.

"You talk to Ladybug?" Chloé asked in suspicion. "That's hard to believe."

"Of course I do. He and I are very close friends. A bit like you used to be back in the day! Well, not exactly like you two."Lila said crossing her fingers.

"What?!" Chloé snapped in disbelief, then crossing her arms. "Ladybug would never-"

"Oh of course not." Lila said interrupting her. "He only made that rule after we were a thing, probably won't even admit to it if you ask him now because he cares so much. See, he felt bad since he was saving people all the time and was worried I'd get lonely without him. So he gave me this magic command that would always summon him to my side whenever I wanted."

"Magic?" Chloé questioned.

Magic?

Marin thought to himself. Lila was a manipulator, what could she gain from messing around with Chloé like this?

"Yeah, just like your signal, except mine works every time."

Chloé dug her perfectly manicured nails in her arms, gritting her teeth together before walking away. "Well, to each her own. Come on." She said walking away as Sabrina trailed behind her.

"Don't you want to know what it is?" Lila asked with a cunning look in her eye. Marin then stepped forward without thinking.

"Hey, Chlo-" He was about to say, fully intending to interrupt their conversation, but was taken aback as Chloé spoke up.

She stopped, turning back towards Lila with a repulsed expression. "Who do you take me for? Rose? Listen, you're new around here so I'm going to give you some advice. Everyone knows that Ladybug is the kind of person who cares about everyone's safety. If you want everyone to like you, you're going to have to learn how to lie better."

Marin carefully stepped back into his hiding spot, not wanting to get in between what storm was brewing between these two. As himself, he wasn't that good at reading other people's cues, but even he could feel Lila's growing animosity towards Chloé' which everyone in the class shared to an extent, however, this kind of malcontent wasn't anything he'd been exposed to before. It was quiet but felt all too threatening as it hid behind a smile everyone genuinely adored.

"You sure you don't want to know what it is?" Lila asked, clearly baiting her while sounding polite but Chloé laughed her off. "If Ladybug doesn't come to you with that, then you'll know he's not a true friend."

"Getting a little desperate aren't you?" She smirked condescendingly. " bye-bye now." She said curtly and then walked towards the school entrance followed by Sabrina. Marin noticed Lila staring at her for a while, gripping the strap on her bag before walking away towards the second floor.

Marin knelt down, taking a deep breath to calm his nerves just as Tikki peaked out of his messenger bag. "You still need to talk to Chloé you know." She reminded him.

"Couldn't I just send her a formally written letter of termination?" He asked, but then promptly recalled the last time he had tried to write out his feelings within a letter.

"Marin."

He sighed heavily, resting his head in his hands. "I'm not so great at this talking thing. I mean, every time I think about telling her I can't help but wonder what would happen if someone told me I'd never see you again." Marin admitted.

Tikki's expression softened "You don't have to worry about that, you're extremely careful. But the longer you delay this the more dangerous for Chloé. After all, she did steal her Miraculous and exposed herself to everyone in Paris doing so."

"That's a little on me, I am the one who lost Pollen after all."

"Right, so that's why you have to be the one to explain why she can't be Queen Bee." Tikki said.

Marin groaned to himself, wondering why did his Kwami have to be the reasonable one. For a moment he wondered if Chat Noir had to deal with something like this with Plagg, but Marin pushed those thoughts away quickly as he thought about his partner. With his face burning red he slapped his cheeks to erase those thoughts."When you're right, you're right."

Marin then ran up the stairs onto the roof area, making sure that he wasn't being followed he closed the door behind him and then spotted Chloé and Sabina entering a black car behind chauffered.

"Tikki, Spots on!"

* * *

Ladybug jumped across the rooftops, making a beeline towards the hotel that Chloé's father owned. In his head, he ran through where he could meet her, how he could explain why exactly she couldn't be Queen Bee anymore, all while hoping that she wouldn't be angry or worse; upset. Every time he tried being sincere in the past it bit him back hard, how exactly could he do this without there being any risk of her becoming Akumatized-

Suddenly Ladybug felt a familiar sensation, one of a concentrated negativity. He stopped running as he was standing over a park, looking around he tried to see if there was an Akuma fluttering by, but didn't see anything. Then he heard crying, and the next thing he knew there was a giant lollipop monster standing in the park.

"That's-" Ladybug gasped as he recognized the power of the Peacock Miraculous. He immediately gripped his yo-yo in hand now focused on the problem before him. "Sorry, Chloé, you're gonna have to wait a little bit longer." He remarked jumping down towards a mother and child trying to run away from the sentimonster. Ladybug's eyes fell on baby August cooing up towards him with a smile on his face, as per usual, he was entranced by his colorful costume.

"It's nice to see you too August." Ladybug said as he placed August and his mother on the other side of the park.

"Lawybwg!" The baby called out, reaching towards the hero.

Ladybug couldn't help but smile at him, allowing the baby to hold his finger in greeting. "Can't play now kiddo, I have a job to do." He said, but his gentle tone soon faded as he nodded towards his mother, who could take the hint and ran to safety. Ladybug then gasped, jumping out of the way just before he was hit by the Lolli-thean's punch.

The hero saw the rubble left in its wake, noticing that the monster suspiciously made out of the same sweet that August was so fond of. The monster's attention seemed to be solely trained on him as the further Ladybug evaded the more the monster pursued him. The situation was getting bad, he couldn't find the possessed item if he couldn't focus.

"Lollipops are bad for your teeth you know."

Ladybug looked up t see Chat Noir waving from the rooftop.

"Think you can-"

"Handle a giant monster made of candy? Yeah, I think I'll try." Chat Noir said with a wink as he took out his staff.

Ladybug held himself back from jumping down into the park. He looked over his should towards his partner with a worried expression."...You're not going to try and lick it are you?"

Chat Noir shrugged his shoulders. "Well, it is a monster made of lollipops, aren't you a little curious what it may taste like?"

"No, would you like it if someone licked you to see what you tasted like?" Ladybug asked in exasperation.

"Are you offering tp find out?" Chat Noir asked teasingly, resting his staff on his shoulders.

Ladybug chucked, "Nah, you'd probably like Camembert." He said then jumped into the park while Chat Noir lept towards the monster with his baton in hand. The black-spotted hero looked around the park, closing his eyes and picking up on the Amok's negative energy. He saw a fallen pacifier and quickly stomped on it, releasing a dark blue feather. The monster disappeared as soon as the Amok was released. He quickly captured it in his yo-yo, purifying it and watching as a white feather was released.

"Bye-bye little feather." Ladybug said as Chat Noir walked up to him, the two of them bumping their fist's together in victory.

"Looks like we're getting good at this, that Amok went down pretty quickly." Chat Noir said, picking up on Ladybug's wary expression. "Something wrong?"

Ladybug shook his head, gripping his yo-yo in hand. "Nothing I can be sure of. But right now, there's still some clean up to take care of." He said looking around at the fallen rubble of the buildings. Just as he was about to throw up his yo-yo Ladybug's eyes widened in surprise, sensing a familiar presence of an Akuma. Both he and Chat Noir looked up towards a newly akumatized villain standing on top of the merry-go-round.

"You're a tad on the late side. The fight was five minutes ago-" Chat Noir said but was then promptly interrupted.

"The fight was five minutes go." The new villain mocked. " Actually, it's right now!" She said jumping down and sprinting towards the two heroes with her weapon in hand. Both Chat Noir and Ladybug jumped back, but the newer villain was more focused on Ladybug who backflipped away from the villain. "You've neglected Chloé one time too many, Ladybug!"

"I guess you didn't work things out with her, did you?" Chat Noir called out as he ran towards the new villain with his staff.

Ladybug saw the two clashing weapons, both on equal levels in terms of skill. "I was about to but-" He tried to defend but was interrupted.

" I was about to, but..." The villain mocked looking back at Ladybug with anger. "Ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous!" Then in one swift motion, she knocked Chat Noir off his feet landing a solid hit on him with her tonfa. Except when she did so, her suit was now decorated with Chat Noir's emblem.

"Chat Noir!" Ladybug called out, alerting his partner to back off. Chat Noir took the hint, jumping back as Ladybug dashed towards the villain who looked back at him lamely.

"Oh, save me Ladybug!" The villain mocked.

"I talk like that! It's save me, my Lady, get it right!" Chat Noir corrected, rentering the battle. The villain held her own against the two, using her tonfa against Chat Noir while evading Ladybug's strikes.

"Two against one? Now that's a little unfair." The villain said as the villain kicked Ladybug aside and swiftly struck Chat Noir back. "What was the magic word again? Ah yes, Cataclysm!"

Both hero's eyes widened in shock at the power that was stolen. "Your Miraculous belongs to Miraculer now, you mangy cat." She said, placing a foot on Chat Noir's chest to keep him in place. She raised her hand, seemingly about to strike Chat Noir down, but just as Ladybug grasped her arm to try and stop her, Miraculer punched him with her heightened strength slamming him against that park's fence.

* * *

Chat Noir's eyes were wide with shock looking at how Ladybug wasn't moving from the impact of Miraculer's strike, as well as how the villain's suit was now adorned with Ladybug's emblem. He immediately kicked Miraculer to the ground and in a moment was by Ladybug's side. His partner was in a significant amount of pain as he was curled up, holding his torso with uneven breathing.

"What have you done?!" Chat Noir demanded angrily as Miraculer laughed.

"Oh, Chloé's gonna love our powers!" She said selfishly, but giving a hint as to her true identity, after all, there was only one person who would vy for Chloé's attention like that.

Chat Noir gritted his teeth together angrily, but before he could take out his newly formed rage against Miraculer he flinched as Ladybug grasped his wrist.

"Don't lose your head." Ladybug said, though he said it with a pained gasp.

Momentarily, all of Chat Noir's anger disappeared as he looked down at his partner. He noticed Miraculer still caught up in her victory, no doubt eager to take their Miraculous as well. If he had decided to take her on and he lost, then Ladybug would just be a sitting duck in the condition he was in. Being as gentle as possible he picked up his partner, then jumped on top of the fence and to the rooftops. Sprinting away he couldn't hear anyone following them but still took precautions by hiding behind a chimney.

He knelt down, closing his eyes and focusing on just his hearing. His ears twitched as he could hear someone landing on the rooftops nearby. They walked around for a while, looking around, looking for them. As the footsteps drew closer Chat Noir reflexively pulled Ladybug closer, hoping that he wouldn't have to fight just yet. Luckily, it seemed like Miraculer had somewhere more important to be as only a few moments later the footsteps became more distant. She was running in the direction of the Le Grand Hotel, no doubt to show Chloé her achievements.

Chat Noir sighed in relief, releasing some tension he had accumulated from this stressful situation. He then jumped down into a nearby alleyway, one that was closed off from the public. He then placed Ladybug down with his back against the wall, noticing his partner's eyes were closed. A pang of fear quickly spread through his mind for a terrifying moment before Ladybug then opened his eyes.

"Have I ever told you how pretty your eyes are?" Chat Noir asked, trying to remain calm as he knelt by Ladybug's side.

"I'm fine." Ladybug responded but quickly realized that he couldn't reassure Chat Noir like usual as his partner looked at him like he was crazy. "I could be worse!"

"I'm not sure how." Chat Noir said. "I'm pretty sure we're kind of screwed here."

"Have a little faith in me partner." Ladybug winced, trying to take out his yo-yo. Chat Noir then helped him out, flipping open Ladybug's weapon to its phone mode and then handed it back to him.

"Do you have a plan?" Chat Noir inquired as he saw Ladybug texting someone as best as he could given his condition. A few seconds later he received a response, one that seemed to make Ladybug troubled as he then sighed heavily.

"Yes, but one of us isn't going to like it." The hero informed.

* * *

"So..." Chat Noir asked as stood next to where Ladybug was sitting with his arms crossed."Who're we waiting for?" Both of them were on top of what appeared on top of an apartment complex. It was nothing really special, save for a nearby door that would lead downstairs as well as a nearby desk; indicating that the roof was used sometimes.

Beside him, Ladybug held his sides, trying to keep it together, but he felt like his insides would burst at the slightest moment, and unfortunately that included talking. He considered himself lucky that he didn't get disintegrated, or worse by Miraculer's Cataclysm. He wondered to himself if that had to do with Miraculer not, properly knowing how to control the power of destruction. After all, Chat Noir could destroy anything with the touch of his hand, yet he always seemed to hold himself back to mostly mess something up. Given the right circumstances...

"Someone's coming." Chat Noir alerted as his ears twitched, stepping forward with his baton in hand, bracing himself what whoever walked through the door.

But then he was taken aback as a small old man with a familiar red Hawaiian shirt walked through the door, wearing a gimmick fake mustache, sunglasses, and sunhat. All of which he'd probably thought made for a good disguise, but really only served to draw more attention. Ladybug could sense the waves mistrust flowing off from Chat Noir who didn't drop his guard in the stranger's presence.

"We're waiting for him." Ladybug rasped and then winced at another wave of pain. At this point, getting punched in the gut seemed almost welcome than being in this condition. Chat Noir stared at the old man walking towards them but prioritized kneeling next to his partner making sure he was alright as could be.

Ladybug nodded at Chat Noir then looked up towards the old man who mirrored Chat Noir, kneeling by Ladybug's side as he removed his disguise.

"Chat Noir, this is the Master of the Miraculous." Ladybug said before he grunted painfully.

His partner's eyes widened in shock as he stared at the old man, then looked confused as a wave of realization washed over him. "Wait a sec...aren't you-"

"It's been a long time since we've let met Chat Noir. Though, I had hoped we'd meet under better circumstances." Master Fu said placing his hand on Ladybug's head affectionately.

"Can you do anything for him?" Chat Noir asked, looking like he wanted to ask a million questions, but held himself back.

Master Fu shook his head, "A Cataclysm is a powerful spell. Something that is not intended to harm people, you both are very fortunate that this not end up more tragically. However, your condition will only worsen the longer you remain like this." The master explained as Chat Noir's ears flattened. "That being said, I've brought what you've asked." He said holding out a small Miraculous box.

Ladybug nodded at Master Fu in thanks, placing the Miraculous inside his yo-yo.

"Are you sure about this?" Master Fu asked as Chat Noir then helped Ladybug to his feet, slinging his partner's arm over his shoulder so he could lean on him. "To bring out this Miraculous..."

"I know Master, this may be the last time we use this so it has to count." Ladybug said.

"Wait, so..." Chat Noir prompted as he could discern what Ladybug's plan was.

"Be careful both of you," Master Fu said with worry. "if this Miraculer has stolen both of your power's then there is no telling what she's capable of."

"Actually, I believe it's just the opposite Master." Ladybug remarked gripping his side. "We know exactly what she can do, and who she'll try and gain the approval of."

The Master's previous worry quickly warped into assurance at his student's confidence, nodding his head in approval. "Ladybug, once the mission is over, you will bring the Miraculous back and return it to me, in full health I may add."

"No worries sir." Chat Noir said cheekily. "He's got me looking after him, there's no way we can lose." He then was prompted poked on the cheek by his partner with a frown on his face.

"Don't be so cocky, you'll become reckless-HEY!" Ladybug was about to lecture but was then cut off by Chat Noir sweeping him off his feet. Ladybug's face ran red, more so added by the fact that his master was right in front of them. "Put me down I can walk just fine!"

"Tut tut, injured folks don't get to complain." Chat Noir teased with a smile, clearing enjoys aspects of this situation."Do you want to argue or do you want to get the job done?" Chat Noir asked, fully expecting his partner to bite back, but was surprised at his passiveness. Chat Noir nodded at Master Fu, then sprinted across the rooftops towards Chloé's father's hotel.

* * *

Mayura felt her fan close as she overheard Miraculer approaching Chloé. She herself, was hidden behind a statue, waiting for the perfect opening to step in, to claim what was rightfully Hawkmoth's.

"Chloé! I have powers now! We can play together again!" Miraculer said happily.

"Sabrina?" Chloé asked, stunned that the person before her was her closest friend now Akumatized.

"No! I'm Miraculer now!I've stolen Chat Noir and Ladybug's superpowers! Do you want Ladybug's? Then you can be Ladybug, and I'll be Chat Noir! For real! Just like we've always dreamed of!" Miraculer said happily. Mayura almost scoffed to herself out of pity for the child, knowing all too well how Chloé would respond to this.

"Not like this! You are so far off the mark! I don't wanna be Ladybug! There's only one Ladybug, just like there's only one Sabrina! Just because you talk like her, doesn't mean that you are her!" Chloé snapped back, her negativity slowly growing. "The real Sabrina would know exactly how I feel!"

"But... you always play Ladybug, we play heroes together!" Miraculer gasped, defeated.

"Play?! I AM a real superhero! And accepting power from you would just make me a supervillain!" Chloé pointed out, turning her back to her former friend.

You've got her wrong Miraculer, she doesn't want to be Ladybug at all. What she really wants...

"Is to be Queen Bee..." Miraculer said as Mayura smiled, internally reciting the words that Hawkmoth would have said to Miraculer. "Of course, I'll help you become Queen Bee and then we can play together!"

"You?! How could you ever possibly get me to become Queen Bee?" Chloé asked in disbelief but then was silenced as she heard someone else's voice. She turned to see Mayura standing next to Miraculer, holding a fan near her face. " Who are-"

"Hello Chloé, I am Mayura. If you team up with us, your dream will finally come true." Mayura said.

"Don't worry. She's with Hawk Moth and me, and if she says something, then it's sure to be true." Mirauler said, no doubt already having been persuaded by Hawkmoth.

"Oh, then she's just another loser then. Just like you and Hawkmoth are." Chloé responded, crossing her arms. "After all, Ladybug always beats you guys."

However, Mayura smirked while Mirauler laughed. "Ladybug's got his own problem to deal with this time, let's just say it's a cat-astrophe!"

"What does that mean?" Chloé asked as her usual proud exterior beginning to crack. Mayura took notice, placing her fan before Mirauler's mouth to prevent her from talking any further.

"Hawkmoth and I have been watching you for a while now Chloé. You've shown great promise, not anyone can just reject an Akuma."

"Well, that's to be expected, I'm better than anyone and everyone," Chloé remarked as she brushed her fingers through her hair.

"But, no one else believes that." Mayura said, and almost immediately Chloé's confidence began to slowly crack.

"I don't need everyone's approval. It only matters what I think!"

Mayura smiled as she could see the seeds of doubt beginning to sprout. "Yet even you know how low bearing you are compared to everyone. You've got no aspirations, no goals, nothing to show for yourself besides only what your father can give you, and what little notoriety you can salvage from the little company you keep."

"That's..."

"Your mother believed it didn't she?" Mayura asked, walking towards Chloé. "That's why she left you behind. Because you weren't enough then, and even now you're just wondering when she'll leave again."

"Y-you're wrong you overgrown feather duster! Ridiculous, utterly ridiculous!" Chloé snapped, taking a step away from Mayura. "My mother only cares about her image, of course, she couldn't have someone like me go with her. Even if she leaves again it'll be because she has to, not because she's ashamed of me! Now, if you're done quacking, why don't you go back to your pest of a boss and tell him that there's no way I'll ever turn on Ladybug!"

"Hmph, and does he deserve such loyalty?" Mauyra mused, but Chloé crossed her arms, unimpressed.

"He's not the one who brainwashed Sabrina and the rest of my family to pick up some tacky jewels for him! In fact, how do you know you haven't been brainwashed by that walking fashion disaster too?" Chloé pointed out, now growing more restless as she was backed up into a corner, almost showing fear in her eyes.

The peacock-holder almost laughed. If only Chloé knew how wrong she was...

"Perhaps I wrong about you Chloé. Despite your outward appearance, you do care what becomes of your friend. But I can personally assure you, Hawkmoth is a just man. Say the word, join us, and you'd never have to worry about anyone you care about becoming Akumatized again." Mayura said, seeing Chloé stare at her in shock for a moment before she reverted back to her defensive stance.

"I never do! Ladybug always, he'd never-"

"Ladybug may not have used his Miraculous to affect your thoughts. But don't be fooled, once he's done with you, he'll just toss you aside; after all, it's not "Chloé" he needs." Mayura said and then held out her hand towards her. "Everyone knows you never should have become Queen Bee yet you've proven yourself time and time again, but it'll never be enough, and you know better than anyone else don't you; how it feels to never be enough."

She was so close, seeing Chloé recoil back in uncertainty, actually considering the offer. However, Mayura's plan was cut short as a baton was thrown towards her. She evaded, jumping back next to Miraculer as Chat Noir landed next to Chloé, catching his baton.

"Who's your friend?" Chat Noir asked extending his weapon into a staff. Chloé was stunned for a moment before she shook it off.

"As if, she's just one of Hawkmoth's groupies, one that has it bad from the sounds of it, she actually wanted me to be one of them." Chloé scoffed as she placed her hand on her hip. "In her dreams maybe. What kind of name is Mayura anyway?"

"Watch out. Your dream sounds more like a nightmare to me." Chat Noir smirked as he handed something to Chloé.

"You'll be the one living the nightmare, mangey cat!" Miraculer said angrily as she threw up her weapon in the air. "Lucky Charm!" She said and from her weapon fell a hairdryer, something that made her smile. "Cataclysm!" The lucky charm was then shrouded by a dark aura, now powered with destructive energy as she pointed it towards the two allies.

"Careful now, wouldn't want anything to happen to your best buddy here." Chat Noir warned.

"Oh don't worry, I'm not as careless as you. Speaking of, where is your little lovebug?" Miraculer mocked as Chat Noir's playful aura quickly faded.

Chat Noir stepped forward before Chloé as she opened up a small box, revealing a Kwami that took the shape of a small bee. "Can you handle bozo the plagiarist while I take on Miss Featherduster?"

Chloé rolled her eyes at the question, placing the bee comb Miraculous in her hair. "Like you even have to ask? Pollen, Buzz on!"

* * *

"I'll leave the rest to you then." Mayura said, jumping off the roof while Miraculer shot a blast towards him.

"Careful, she can steal your power with just one hit!" Chat Noir warned as he started chasing after the new villain.

"What a coincidence," Queen bee said as she took out her top. "I can take her out with just one sting."

Chat Noir left Queen Bee alone, but he wasn't worried about her, after all, Ladybug was still plenty capable even as he was right now. What he needed to focus on was chasing down the woman who apparently not only was working with Hawkmoth, but had the missing Miraculous that Ladybug had mentioned before. No matter what, he couldn't let her just escape.

Just then, Chat Noir's arm was grabbed and he was pinned to the ground, looking up at Mayura.

"Let me ask you just one question. Do you enjoy being Ladybug's servant?" She asked promptly.

"Yes. Now, let me ask you one, how's it feel to use the power of that Miraculous you stole for evil?" Chat Noir shot back as he knocked her back using his baton, now staring down the threatening villain.

"You may see what we're doing as evil, but is it's for the betterment of everyone." Mayura said mysteriously.

However, Chat Noir didn't believe a word she said, resting his staff on his shoulders he responded. "Must be nice being so self-absorbed you can't even tell the difference between what's right and wrong. Here, let me help you out: Taking advantage of people when they're vulnerable, IS WRONG." Chat Noir said bluntly. "Also probably illegal-"

"You little-" Mayura scowled angrily as she was about to step forward to attack, but all of a sudden she started coughing. Chat Noir was uncertain of how to react as he saw Mayura's Miraculous flash between camouflage mode and its normal form. Instinctively, he reached his hand out towards her, wondering if she was okay but then received an answer as she glared at them before falling off of the roof.

"Wait!" Chat Noir called out running towards the edge, but by then it was already too late. He looked around, trying to pinpoint any kind of clue but she had already disappeared, no doubt hidden among the crowds of people below already transformed back. Chat Noir chided himself for sympathizing with a known ally of Hawkmoth of all people, still, he couldn't seem to shake this feeling of unease. After all, the way that woman suddenly coughed, it reminded him of...

No, he couldn't get distracted like this again.

Chat Noir shook his head, trying to remove those bad memories and instead chose to race back towards the hotel, hoping that he hadn't made a mistake in choosing to chase down someone whom he felt was going to be a huge headache in the future.

* * *

"Good luck getting hold of my akuma now!" Miraculer taunted as she had cataclysmed her tonfa, making it out of reach of Queen Bee's grasp just as she had knocked away the Lucky Charm using her top. The villain had a venom pointed at her neck with both hands up in the air, the slightest movement and she knew she would be stunned. At this point, neither could anything to the other and they both knew it. That was, until Ladybug landed nearby, having been hiding on the floor below until now.

"Ladybug!" Queen Bee said happily, but her smile quickly faded as she saw the condition her hero was in, holding his side painfully and limping towards them.

Ladybug saw Queen Bee grow more infuriated as Miraculer laughed maliciously. "That's your hero? The insect with the broken wings?" She taunted, now laughing harder as Queen Bee grew angrier.

"Shut-"

"It's alright Queen Bee." Ladybug said, trying not the break under the weight of having his insides feel like they were just in a blender, picking up the fallen Lucky Charm from Miraculer. "You should thank your friend, she's made our job a little easier."

"You can't- It's my Lucky Charm! You can't use your Miraculous Ladybug spell-" As she said those words Ladybug threw the charm in the air, undoing all the harm down and turning everything back to normal. Which included returning the powers that she stole, removing the cataclysm spell from her tonfa. "No!" Miraculer yelled but was cut short by Queen Bee knocking the weapon out of her hand and tossing it towards Ladybug.

"Catch!" Queen Bee said with a smile, watching as Ladybug swiftly broke it in two by smashing it on the ground, releasing the Akuma possessing it. The two watched it flutter for a moment before Ladybug took out his yo-yo.

"That's enough mischief for you little Akuma, it's time to purify!" Ladybug said as he caught the Akuma in one motion. Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. "Bye-bye, little butterfly."

Queen Bee detransform just as Sabrina turned back to normal, looking around in confusion as to her whereabouts as Chloé walked up towards Ladybug with the Miraculous box in hand. The two stood before each other in anticipation before Ladybug sighed heavily.

"Chloé, I'm sorry I didn't tell you this earlier...but I can't-"

"I very well aware of what you're going to say" Chloé interrupted, crossing her arms. She averted her gaze, looking almost sad as her gaze rested on Pollen before turning back towards him. "If you'd given it to me earlier, we'd probably would've defeated Hawk Moth by now."

"Maybe, but this is for your own safety. It's too dangerous for you, your loved ones, and the rest of us because of everyone knowing that you're Queen Bee." Ladybug pointed out as Chloé sighed heavily.

"Classic Ladybug answer, always thinking of the safety of others...right?" Chloé asked hesitantly, dropping her defensive front. "If I hadn't been so...eager, would you ever have considered..."

Ladybug stared at her, surprised that she could still show off this side to others. His expression softened to a gentle smile, now facing someone he hadn't seen in years. "Truthfully, I'm the one who was a little envious of you actually."

"Huh?" Chloé gasped in shock as Ladybug nodded.

"It's a little amazing how you can be so forward about how you feel, never having to lie about who you are to others. Even if you didn't take the Bee Miraculous that kind of strength and self-conviction is rare, something that only someone like you have. If things had been different, then definitely I would've considered you. Queen Bee was just a name, you've already proved that you have the potential to be a hero. So now you have to move on as yourself from now on." Ladybug said sincerely as Chloé nodded towards him. She turned towards Pollen who bowed her head towards her partner, who responded by smiling at the little Kwami, nuzzling Pollen's cheek with a genuine bittersweet smile on her face just before she took off her Miraculous.

"I understand. But I'm sure that you'll need me again, Ladybug." Chloé said, handing back her Miraculous in the box and then turning her back towards her. "After all, I'm Queen Bee after all. I will always be Queen Bee." She said and then walked towards Sabrina who was still confused about the whole situation but doubled down on chasing after her friend.

Ladybug grasped the Miraculous box in hand, feeling a little overwhelmed with all these new emotions, with so much happening in so little time.

"Hey!"

Ladybug turned to see Chat Noir landing nearby walking running towards him the moment his feet hit the roof.

"Chat-" Ladybug was about to greet, but his partner cut him off by immediately hugging him. The black spotted hero was stunned at the sudden contact but allowed Chat Noir and himself to remain like that for a moment before his partner pulled back with both concern and guilt lidden on his face. "What happened, are you alright?" Ladybug immediately asked.

Chat Noir chuckled, rubbing that back of his head sheepishly. "As expected of my partner, always worrying about others." Chat Noir said as a matter of fact like before sighing heavily. "That new villain, Mayura got away from me, the person responsible for the sentimonsters running around the city."

Ladybug narrowed his eyes, placing his hand over his mouth as his mind raced through a number of things.

"So...how did Chloé take it?" Chat Noir hesitantly asked, wanting to change the subject from his failure to something else.

"Well, I think." He said, hoping that he didn't hurt Chloé's feelings too much after she had worked so hard but there was something that wasn't sitting right with him."Something doesn't feel right about all this." Ladybug said as he crossed his arms.

"We can both agree on that." Chat Noir sighed as he walked over to the railing, resting his back and arms against it while Ladybug stood next to him.

"Mauyra's sentimonster back in the park and her showing up when she did with Chloé can't have been a coincidence. Sentimonsters aren't like using an Akuma or any other Miraculous. They're real living creatures that are given purpose, to distort something like that and to use it for evil... It just seems unforgivable to abuse a power like that. Ultimately, if today was any indication, it was good to take Chloé's Miraculous away, if it was with her any longer then it would've been an opening for Hawkmoth to take advantage of a Miraculous holder."

"Yup, and now the playing field's evened out a little, if you're just counting the number of permanent Miraculous holder's on either side." Chat Noir said looking up towards the sky lazily. "Our work's really never done is it?"

Ladybug's brow's furrowed with worry. He had known that someone like Mayura existed ever since heroes day, an ally that Hawkmoth had required into his ranks, and a powerful one at that. But to wield the peacock Miraculous, to be a willing participant in whatever Hawkmoth intended to use the wish for. This development would mean a number of things, in the future, cause a number of even more hurdles and challenges that would be difficult to overcome. But for now...

"Do you want to get some ice cream?" Ladybug asked as he placed the Bee Miraculous box in his yo-yo and then turned towards his partner.

"...Excuse me?" Chat Noir asked.

Ladybug couldn't help but smile at seeing his partner taken off balance for once. "Yeah, it's been a long day and I think we kinda deserve it. But if you don't want to-"

"No no, I want to!" Chat Noir insisted, blushing furiously as he saw his partner genuinely laughing.

"Great, my treat."

* * *

"I'm sorry, Gabriel. I've failed you." Nathalie said hanging her head shamefully as she transformed back. "Now we've lost our opening to claim Ladybug and Chat Noir Miraculous."

"No, Mayura," Gabriel said with a smile slowly creeping on his face, free of any negative emotion. "Everything has gone according to plan. We've merely set the stage for the battle to come, and on that day I will not only claim the Miraculous of Creation and Destruction, but ALL of the Miraculous as well as the Guardian." Gabriel turned back towards his secretary. Nathalie's eyes widened in surprise, noticing her superiors' sudden surge of conviction. His voice was rationally calm, reminding Natalie of the calm before a perfect storm. "The end of Ladybug and Chat Noir is within our grasp, I assure you, all we've been working towards will see the light of day soon enough. All we must do is be patient, and allow the pieces to fall into place."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Back to back chapters where Adrien and Marin help their partner's estranged family member's emotional issues. Coincidence?
> 
> Yes.
> 
> -Alya and Nino are excluded from this chapter...because there's no real reason for them to be here. This is just a Chloé chapter.
> 
> -Lila, Nath, and Gabe are pro being terrible people and trying to manipulate pre-teens to become equally as terrible. (May wanna keep an eye on this)
> 
> -The LadyNoir is strong in this chapter, tbh I would've written it far more fluffy if they were a couple but alias, the status quo must be retained... ;)
> 
> -This is the first time Chat Noir has met Master Fu in person, he's heard about everything from Ladybug but this is the first time they're truly met. (They'll have some interaction in the future)
> 
> \- Stay safe and healthy y'all!


	62. Who ya' gonna call? Kwami Buster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien starts to connect dots as to who Ladybug really is while Marin has to clean up everyone's messes.

Plagg peaked out from under the blankets, fully intending to sneak out to see Tikki as they agreed to earlier but was amazed at his normally calm and collected partner growing more frantic by the second. Adrien had torn through his room which now looked like a tornado had run through. At first, Plagg was enjoying the show but had quickly grown a little worried. He could've easily snuck out under the chaos...but he had to take care of his prized cheese. Wouldn't want anything bad to happen to his aged Camembert.

He flew over to Adrien who was taking out all of the photo albums out of his cupboards, looking in every crevice of his room.

"Watcha doin'?" Plagg asked.

Adrien sighed heavily, brushing his hair back as he tried to calm down. "Sorry Plagg, did I wake you?"

"Meh." Plagg mewed. "I was going to snack anyhow."

Sorry, I'm just looking for something that I think is lost but really is probably in the place I least suspect because I would never lose it, there's no way I could ever just lose something that important!" Adrien rambles quickly turned into a panicked state as he continued to search.

Plagg stared at Adrien for a little while longer before his sighed. "You realize that you still have to go to school right? It's almost the middle of the night."

"I know, it's just..." Adrien grimaced, taking a step back and handing his head in defeat.

"Whatever you lost still has to be in the room, just look for it later."

"Aw man!" Adrien remarked as he picked up the heart-shaped card which now had a shoe print on it. He stopped for a moment as a wave of nostalgia hit him. Opening up the card he began to smile as he read through the poem from the card he received on Valentine's day. The one that he thought was from...

Adrien narrowed his eyes, realizing that there was something familiar about the note. He then reached for his backpack, taking out a blue notebook and then placing it down next to the card. "The handwriting...they're almost identical."

"What's almost identical?" Plagg asked hovering nearby but when he saw the two items lain out side by side even he could feel a terrible foreboding.

"This card from Valentines day that wasn't signed, all this time I thought it was from Ladybug. And these are Marin's notes that he let me borrow, the handwriting is almost exactly the same..."

"So? Lots of people's handwriting look similar! It's natural for someone to write neatly! That guy was a fan of yours after all! He probably didn't want to weird you out back then!" Plagg tried to reason, placing himself between the cards and his partner.

Adrien looked at him with uncertainty, "But why would Marin send me a Valentines day card? He has Luka."

"Well, they didn't know each other back then right?! This was probably before that!"

"Yeah...maybe." Adrien said holding the light blue notebook in hand.

"There's no maybe about it! This is just some random card from some rando, no need to delve into any implications your hormonal teenage mind is thinking up right now!" Plagg tried to reason. "Besides, you're just tired, you haven't even changed into your pajamas yet!"

"Hm." Adrien hummed, realizing that Plagg was right, he hasn't even showered yet and it was only going to get later. He sighed heavily, conceding to his Kwami as he stretched his arms over his head. "Alright, I guess you're right, I'm just tired."

"Of course I'm right." Plagg remarked as he watched Adrien walk towards the bathroom. "Oh, and I'm sleeping in my sock tonight!"

"Okay!" Adrien called from behind the closed bathroom door.

Plagg waited for a moment, seeing if Adrien would walk out before he apologized internally, then zoomed out of his partner's room and into the night.

* * *

Tikki was looking down from Marin's bed at him writing something in his drawing journal after finishing all of his work. He was wearing his favorite Chat Noir themed hoodie over his pajamas receiving a little light from the lamp on his desk. She then flinched as Marin then closed the book before him.

"It's not nice to be a little sneak Sugarcube." Marin said, crossing his arms and looking up towards his Kwami. Tikki averted her gaze for a moment before flying down towards him, dawning a guilty look on her face.

"Do you not want me to see what you put in your journal?"

Marin covered his mouth as he yawned, turning off the lamp on his desk and then climbed up to his bed. He placed his diary within it's locked box on the shelf as he pulled the covers over himself. "You know I don't hide any secrets from you, Tikki. You're the only one who really knows the true me and I treasure that relationship. Sometimes I just have to write some stuff out for myself, so I can process feelings easier. Sorry if I seem a little distant, I guess I'm still not great at telling people how I really feel." Marin apologized as he rested his head down on his pillow, glancing at Tikki who sat down near him.

"You've changed a lot since we've first met!" She instead. "You have a bunch of friends who care about you, you're more open about your feelings, and you've become more courageous when it comes to saying how you feel."

"Yup and I've earned what happens whenever I'm honest about how I really feel." Marin grimaced as he clawed his heart. "But I'm glad that you're my Kwami, I don't know what I'd do if I ever lost you." Marin then admitted with a sincere smile. "Night Sugarcube."

Tikki smiled as she soon heard Marin's soft snores, secretly glad that Marin was a heavy sleeper. She pulled the covers closer so he'd be cozier and then kissed his cheek. "I'm really happy to have you too." She whispered gently before then flying up to the patio, where the Kwami of destruction was waiting for her, stretched out on the chair lazily.

"Plagg, we need to tell someone about what happened today!" Tikki ordered as Plagg yawned.

"Chill out, Sugarcube, it's not like anyone saw us." Plagg remarked.

"What are you talking about?! That woman saw us at school. We could jeopardize our owner's secret identities!" Tikki pointed out.

"Aw, you're cute when you're all frantic." Plagg teased.

"Plagg! Don't you care about Chat Noir!?" Tikki snapped angrily, annoyed at how nonchalant her Kwami brother was about the whole affair. "If someone discovers their identity, Master Fu could erase all memories of us and we'd never get to see them again!"

Plagg averted his gaze for a moment, his cool persona breaking for a moment as worry took promptly. "Alright alright, no need to make a big deal out of nothing. I promise you I won't eat any more magic cheese ever again and we forget about this whole thing. After all, none of us want to worry Baker boy when he's clearly already got too much on his plate right?

Tikki groaned, but was inclined to agree with Plagg. Marin was always worrying about her and about everyone else, so long as things didn't escalate any further there wasn't any need to trouble him. "Alright, but we have to at least tell Master Fu."

"Sure sure, tomorrow night then." Plagg agreed before he flew off, leaving Tikki alone to wonder if they could actually pull this off.

* * *

In class the next afternoon Marin sat down in a classroom that would soon be filled with the rest of his classmates. He took out his textbooks first and then his drawing journal, flipping to a page that he was working on yesterday, one that had a series of a certain cat-themed hero doodled in black pen. Marin could feel his face heating up at the sight of his dark secret. He couldn't believe how juvenile he was, drawing people in his journal. But he couldn't help it, he never dared to keep any photo of the hero on his phone, for fear of someone somehow stumbling it so this was enough for him. Over and over again, he found himself being drawn his green eyes, a very familiar shade that always reminded him of-

"Marin?"

"NOTHING!" Marin reflexively said, pushing his journal so far off his desk that it fell over onto the ground. He looked up at Adrien who had walked up to him, but now had a look of surprise, clearly not expecting that response from his friend. Marin sat there for what seemed like an eternity before he quickly scrambled to pick up his journal. His blood ran cold as he then saw that his journal was open to the very page that he never wanted anyone, much less Adrien, to see; one that had a fully illustrated picture of Chat Noir on it.

Immediately his face ran red as he closed it, sincerely hoping that Adrien didn't see it. But then was faced with another issue as Adrien picked up a pressed pink rose that had fallen out of his book.

"Is this yours?" Adrien asked holding it in his hand.

"No- I mean yes, I mean-" Marin stammered trying to hide his face behind his journal to prevent the person he admired the most from seeing what he knew would be his entire face beaming red. "It's mine, could I please have it back?" Marin whimpered holding his hand out.

"It's pretty, where did you get it?" Adrien asked, willfully withholding the flower. Marin swore he could almost see Adrien smiling, no doubt wanting to tease him a little, a trait that he most definitely picked up from their shared friends. "Because usually you'd only keep something if you really liked it, and in your secret journal no less."

Marin peaked out from behind his book, sighing heavily as he rubbed the back of his neck, he could fight this all he wanted but he already knew Adrien wanted some future ammunition.

"It was a present from someone I really like." He said sincerely, taking the rose back from Adrien's hand and then placing it inside his journal then sat back down in his seat while Adrien turned his chair around on the other side to continue their conversation.

"Someone I know?" Adrien asked as he rested his head on his hand with a beaming smile on his face.

Marin stared at him, wondering why he ever decided becoming friends with him was a good idea. "I don't know, maybe? Why?"

Adrien hummed to himself, clearly enjoying his newfound power over him. "I may not know a lot about you, but I think I know enough to know that someone may have a little crush on a certain hero? Enough to draw him in their super-secret journal?

"...Please don't tease me." Marin almost begged as he hid his face in his hands, almost hearing Adrien laughing.

But he didn't, instead, he could feel Adrien placing his hand on his head. "I wouldn't do that...much. I know how much you're a closet Chat Noir fanboy."

"I told you that in confidence, not so you could use it against me." Marin retorted lifting his head up now annoyed. He was growing even more so as he looked at Adrien's cheeky grin, clearly holding back laughter.

"Right, so in confidence, I can poke fun at my best friend being adorable and wanting to kiss Chat Noir's handsome face right?"

Marin averted his gaze but retained his annoyance. "You should only do that with someone you like, dummy." As he crossed his farmer, Marin expected Adrien to quip back at him, but as he turned to face his friend again he released that Adrien looked almost stunned, now only staring at him. "Something up?" Marin asked, now growing concerned, wondering if he said anything wrong.

"No! I just- um, forgot to give you back your notes that's all." Adrien stammered as he took Marin's notebook out of his bag and handed it over to his friend. "They were really helpful, thanks."

"Ah, thanks..." Marin said as he took his book back, he could sense something off with Adrien as his friend returned to his desk with the rest of the class now flooding in.

"Mr. Damocles can you confirm rumors that Ms. Mendeleiev isn't here today that will be appearing on Alternative Truth TV show?"

"Where everything isn't always true but nothing's really false!" Kim shouted out, crossing his arms in an 'X' and then a check before promptly sitting back down after receiving a glare from the principal.

"It is indeed quite possible that Ms. Mendeleive has made a scientific discovery of utmost importance. But-"

"Can we watch the show please?!" A bunch of students pleaded, save for a few, but ultimately Mr. Damocles gave in, sighing heavily.

* * *

"And we're back for the next segment of alternative truth, Where nothing is always true but nothing is really false!" Alec said on the television along with Kim who was an eager fan of the show.

"Let's welcome our last guest today, Ms. Mendeleiev a science teacher at Collège Françoise Dupont!"

Personally, Adrien wasn't watching, instead, he was restless as his mind started to wander with uncertainties. He glanced at Marin who was sitting nearby Alya, chatting with her as they both watched, but then he snapped back to attention as Nino elbowed his side, signaling that Ms. Mendeleiev was up.

"What are you about to witness is proof of the existence of interdimensional creatures with incredible powers who can move through matter and seem to be attracted to aged cheese." Adrien's stomach sank at that description. There was no way. "I discovered the first of those creatures soon after the school began in September, I started observing it closely then I discovered a second one proof, watch closely: you can't see the creatures themselves because they are not filmable but look right there." Their teacher pointed to a wedge of cheese being eaten furiously while she was seemingly chasing invisible creatures around the room.

"Given I wasn't able to capture these creatures on video, I've made sketches of them to give you an idea of how they look like."

If Adrien had any hope, it was that the chemistry teacher just saw some kind of Akuma or Amok, but no. Though crude, it was clear enough to see that she was holding up pictures of both Tikki and Plagg.

"Ms. Mendeleiev, are you actually serious about cheese-eating ghosts?" Alec said as Adrien then noticed Marin was sneaking out of the library. He hesitated for a moment but ended up following him out. However, as soon as he opened the door Marin was nowhere in sight.

"Adrien?" Nino called out. "You're missing the show."

"Just going to the restroom, be right back!" Adrien said as he ran down the stairs.

* * *

Marin snuck away making sure that he wasn't being followed, and then walked into the chemistry room now that it was empty. He slammed the door behind him, kneeling down and then opening up his bag. "WHAT DID YOU DO?!" Marin harshly whispered to Tikki who looked up at him nervously. "Why are you and Plagg on television!?"

"I didn't want to bother you with kwami nonsense besides I though the problem been resolved, I promised he didn't eat any of that magic cheese anymore.

"Wait a sec, Plagg? Why was Plagg here?"

"For the cheese..." Tikki said hesitantly as she realized the implications of what she'd just said.

"So you're telling me that Plagg came to this school for magic cheese so often that you eventually found out and enough times that could catch you two in the act?" Marin said, trying to be calm.

"Um..." Tikki giggled nervously as she shrugged her shoulders while Marin slapping his forehead. "But you know that Plagg would travel for miles just sink his teeth into good cheese!"

Marin slid down with his back to the desk, "You see the problem now? is that I'm always going to wonder if you're lying or not.

"I'm so sorry, Marin."

"I know that you meant well but you can't hide something like this from me Tikki." Marin scolded. "If you had told me about this earlier then I could've helped you with Plagg, now there's recorded evidence of you both available for everyone to see, even Hawkmoth and Mayura. Not only that...but Chat Noir now could have an idea of who I am."

"But there's no proof, all he would know is Plagg came here to eat some cheese and that I tried to stop him."

"You being here is enough to draw enough attention. I will never try to discover Chat Noir's identity- hopefully he won't do the same to me either- but if something like this happens again we may not be so lucky."

"I know, I understand." Tikki said hanging her head apologetically, feeling the weight of Marin's disappointment in her.

* * *

"That was so irresponsible, you two could've been caught!" Adrien scolded as he hid in a stall within the bathroom.

"Oh please, it's impossible to catch a Kwami in person and on camera."

"Plagg, don't try to talk your way out of this, the camera definitely caught you eating cheese. Any way you look at that it's strange!"

Plagg groaned, "Ugh, you sound just like my Sugarcube, a real stick in the mud-"

"Sugarcube? Who's Sugar-" Adrien was about to ask, but then put two and two together. "Tikki was with you!?"

"Wait a sec, if Tikki was here that means she was here at this school to catch you in the act, which could mean that Ladybug is a student here just like me, which probably means I could..." Adrien's eyes widened as he stared at Plagg who was looking at him helplessly. "Plagg, Marin left the group earlier the same time that I did when showed us her sketches, and back when Ladybug and I lost our Miraculous Marin lost his earrings, not to mention that he always seems to disappear when Ladybug shows up."

"You can't possibly think they're the same person! Marin is a wimp! He's frail and timid and, let's face it, only really good for baking delicious bread!"

"Only when he's around me." Adrien said. "When he's around Chat Noir he's a completely different person." Adrien couldn't hold back a chuckle of amusement of how bold his friend actually was when it came down to it.

"If you discover who Ladybug really is, then you'll have to give up your Miraculous! It's too dangerous for you two to know each other's identities!" Plagg reasoned, but he was then cut off by the sound of an Akuma alert that rang from Adrien's phone. He took it out of his pocket to show a news report of their teacher Ms. Mendeleiev who was Akumatized into a villain called Kwami Buster, and was now terrorizing the TV station.

"We'll talk about this more later. Plagg, claws out!"

* * *

Ladybug landed on the roof of the building, successfully saving Alec who was trapped in a safe, releasing him as he then faced off against the new villain.

"Ladybug true or false? I'll capture your Kwami, and prove to everyone these creatures really exist!" Kwami Buster asked as she pointed her gun towards him.

"False!"

"I'll prove to the world that I'm a great scientist and that I made a great discovery!"

"This Kwami Buster, she's from the high school, right?" Chat Noir asked.

"So?" Ladybug asked as he avoided another blast.

"So why was your Kwami at that school?" Chat Noir inquired.

"We wouldn't be in this situation if you had just kept an eye on Plagg!" Ladybug snapped in annoyance. "Now look what happened!"

"Hey, she made two drawings remember? You're not an innocent bystander in this."

"Tikki wasn't the one eating cheese on that recording! She was trying to keep him out of trouble-"

"So, Kwami's don't exist huh? Well here's the proof!" Kwami Bust said as Ladybug could feel his power being drained as he stepped back, trying to get behind cover. He gasped as he saw Tikki being captured by Kwami Buster, just before he was tackled to the ground.

Marin quickly placed his hands over Chat Noir's eyes as he hovered over him, successfully saving him from being seen by Kwami Buster, but now they had a whole other problem to deal with.

"Are you okay?" Chat Noir asked with his eyes still covered.

"Fine." Marin stammered out, his face quickly turning red as he realized that he was too close to Chat Noir finding out his true identity. He then gasped as he realized. "I still have my earrings. Keep your eyes closed please." Marin said as he pushed Chat Noir back, as the both of them now sat before each other.

"Can you summon her back? I can hear Kwami Buster heading this way." Chat Noir asked as he placed his hand on his baton.

Marin quickly took out his earrings and placed them back on as he had done before, but nothing happened. "No luck, if we want Tikki back then we'll probably have to break that vacuum on Kwami Buster's back."

"Got a plan?"

"...Yeah, but it's extremely risky, think you'll be able to keep her in the building while I get some help?" Marin asked.

"No problem, we'll just have ourselves a game of cat and mouse, try to make it to the maintenance hatch." Chat Noir said with a smile, he then turned his back towards his partner and jumped back into the fight.

Even though his partner couldn't see, Marin smiled gratefully at the hero he admired greatly. He waited for Chat Noir's signal, eventually hearing him call out, "Cataclysm!" and used the fallen Ad board as cover to escape. The last thing he saw was Chat Noir getting blasted by Kwami Buster near the other end of the roof towards the main exit. It took all his will not to try and help, but right now he needed to get help.

* * *

Adrien raced through the empty halls of the TV station that was already evacuated, meaning that even if he was caught then there would be no talking his way out of the situation. He ran through a random door as he could hear footsteps approaching, quickly locking the door as he heard Kwami Buster looking for him.

"True or false? Chat Noir's stopped running and has decided to play a game of hide and seek." She asked as Adrien heard her kicking in doors.

He took a few steps back, looking around for anything that would cover his face. He then realized that he was in a dressing room and the only costume available was a Mr. Banana one that was lying on a chair. Adrien picked it up, looking at it and then at himself in the mirror before sighing.

He couldn't afford to be picky.

* * *

"Master! Tikki and Plagg have been captured and Chat Noir is holding off Kwami Buster without his Kwami! He could be caught at any moment!" Marin said gasping for breath as he opened the door to Master Fu's shop. The old man was taking a nap, but snapped to attention as his student looked frantic.

"You both know the consequences of this, but without your Kwami's there's no telling what could happen."

"Which is why I have to save everyone," Marin said as Master Fu nodded. He unlocked the Miraculous box from the phonograph, opening and then placing it before Marin who knelt before him.

"Marinus Dupain Cheung, you have trained with every Miraculous presented before you, but you now must choose a new ally to help assist you until Tikki can be retrieved."

Marin wavered as he looked at all of the Miraculous placed before him. In his mind, he ran through hundreds of scenarios trying to decide which one he could use to save his friends. Ultimately, all villains were after the Miraculous, but Kwami Buster was specifically after Kwami's themselves. She was given the ability to hunt Kwami and separate them from their Miraculous, meaning, he either had to break the container or...

Marin's eyes widened with realization and then he picked up every Miraculous from the box.

"No! Merging the power of too many Kwami's is dangerous Marinus, it could destroy you!" Wayzz said worriedly, watching as his siblings were summoned one after another.

"It's alright Wayzz, I know what I'm doing." Marin reassured as he stood up. "First things first; Mullo, get squeaky!" Marin said as he was then transformed into Multimouse. But as soon as he did so, he felt a wave of nausea overtake him, even if he was only using the power of one Miraculous the aura of the other Miraculous were still present, almost making him want to hurl.

"Marinus, if you fail then Hawkmoth will have the power of every Miraculous." Master Fu warned as Multimouse stood back up using his own strength and opened the nearby window.

"I won't allow that to happen Master, I promise I'll bring back everyone safely." Multimouse swore as he then took out his jump rope. "Multitude!" He said, activating his power. Multimouse started to glow with a pink light as he magically shrank down, creating multiple tiny versions of himself, one for every Kwami save for Wayzz. there was only one of him who wore all the Miraculous while the rest were simply clones of his Multimouse form. He passed off the Fox Miraculous of to one of his copies, who placed it around his neck.

"Trixx, Mullo, unify!" The copy said, combining both the powers of the mouse and fox into Multi-Húlí, and then jumped into Fluff's mouth who then followed the rest of his siblings flying out of the window and towards the TV station.

* * *

Adrien sprinted out of the elevator as Kwami Buster was on his heels. He had just tumbled over the front desk before he was narrowly blasted again, turning to see Kwami Buster standing over him on the platform above.

"True or false? Chat Noir has disguised himself as Mr. Banana."

"Um...stay peachy?" Adrien said before spitting towards the exit, but he was tackled down by Kwami Buster who grabbed his hand. Just as she was about to take his ring, Adrien heard her gasp and all of a sudden he was looking up at Kwami Buster being surrounded by more than a dozen Kwami's, a few he recognized but the rest were all new to him.

"This way!" Someone said.

Adrien turned towards a dragon-like Kwami hovering nearby and he followed, hiding behind the front desk.

"Chat Noir?"

A tiny person asked from the mouth of the dragon Kwami.

"Ladybug?" Adrien asked, taken off guard by who he thought was his partner's new form. "Just when I think I have you figured out you keep finding new ways to surprise me."

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not Ladybug, I'm Multimouse." The new hero said bowing his head apologetically, coming off as rather timid. "Ladybug sent me to help save your Kwami."

"How do I know I can trust you?" Chat Noir asked, wanting to make sure.

"I'm sorry, um..." Multimouse wondered for a moment, feeling a little underprepared as he was another copy, one that was supposed to get Chat Noir's ring. It wasn't like he had anything to show for himself. "I can only give you my word, I promised Ladybug I'd help bring back Tikki and I'll do the same for your Kwami as well." He said trying to sound confident, but ended up rubbing the back of his neck out of habit.

Adrien hesitated for a moment, wondering if he could really trust this new hero, but right now Plagg was more important. Inside his suit he took off his ring and glove, passing it along to the tiny hero who could only wear it like a large belt.

"I'm relying on you to bring Plagg back Multimouse." Adrien said as Multumouse sighed in relief.

" I promise I'll try to live up to yours and Ladybug's expectations. Let's go Long." Multimouse signaled as the dragon Kwami flew towards the elevator and pressed the button.

"So what exactly is your plan Mulimouse?" Adrien asked they entered an elevator together, heading to the top floor. "It's practically unheard of for Ladybug to leave the saving to someone else other than me."

"I'm sorry, I'm kinda new at this." Multimouse apologized as he fidgeted with his hands. "But basically, all I have to do is get captured."

Adrien stared at Multimouse, dumbfounded. "I think that's a little counter-productive, don't you think?"

"Well- um, see," Mulimouse stammered cutely, "so long as I can get the ring and earrings back to Tikki and Plagg, then I should be able to-"

"Wait, the earrings, Ladybug gave you his earrings?" Adrien asked in shock.

"Not me exactly, well, not this me. See, there's another me, that's my power, to shrink and then multiply." Mulitmouse explained. "Ladybug trusted me to do this, it's why he gave me his earrings. All you have to do is wait until I can break Plagg and the rest of the Kwami's out of there."

"So...Ladybug trusts you this much?" Adrien asked, a little annoyed and a little amazed at how much trust was placed in Multimouse if he was expected to pull off a plan like this with practically no help.

As the elevator reached the top Adrien watched as Kwami Buster was taking out the Kwami's one by one, laughing like a maniac while doing so. He followed Long and Multimouse and hid behind an AC unit.

"Wait here and leave the rest to us." Multimouse said.

"You must be someone pretty special if Ladybug placed the safety of his precious Kwami's in your hands." Adrien complimented.

Mulimouse's face burned with embarrassment. "Not really..." He insisted and then signaled for Long to fly into the battle.

* * *

"Looks like your owner failed us, we're all doomed!" Plagg said as Tikki glared at him, but even she was starting to look uncertain as more and more Kwami appeared.

"Have a little faith Plagg." Multimouse said as he and the other copy wearing Chat Noir's ring jumped out from Long and Pollen's mouth's. "I'd never abandon you guys." He'd have to scold him later, but for now, he was grateful that both Kwami's were safe and sound.

"Ladybug!" Plagg and Tikki gasped in surprise as the two Multimouse's walked towards the Kwami.

"You combined the Miraculous?" Plagg asked in shock.

"But that's dangerous!" Tikki said now worried for her partner.

"Don't worry about that now, I have a plan." Multimouse said reassuringly as he petted Tikki's forehead.

"Tikki, Mullo, unify!" The original Mulimouse said, transforming into Multi bug.

"Plagg, Mullo, unify!" The copy said transforming into Multi Mao who then raised his arm up, activating his power. "Cataclysm!" He said touching the wall of their prison, breaking all of the Kwami's free and releasing the Akuma, transforming Kwami Buster back to normal.

Just as Multi bug hit the ground he threw up his yo-yo into the air. "Lucky Charm!" He said and a ladybug printed bowl fell from above, luckily falling onto the Akuma. The rest of the Multimouse copies jumped onto the small bowl, using their combined weight to keep the Akuma trapped. Meanwhile, Multi Mao jumped on top of Long, who carried him to where Chat Noir was waiting.

"Mullo, Plagg, separation!" Multi Mao said as he jumped off of Long and onto Chat Noir's hand, removing the ring as Plagg was released. "As promised." Multi Mao said holding up the ring towards his partner within the suit.

"Many thanks, mysterious Mr. Multimouse." Chat Noir said gratefully. However just as Multimouse was petting Plagg's head he started coughing causing both Kwami to look at him in concern. "Are you alright?" Chat Noir asked.

"Fine!" Multimouse insisted before he jumped back onto Long.

As the previous Multi Mao jumped down next to Multi bug, gathering together almost all of the copies, Multi Bug nodded his head towards Multi Húlí who acknowledged the signal.

Multi Húlí took out his flute, playing a series of notes that manifested into a small orange light, which he then flung towards the other copies. "Mirage!"

* * *

"Think I should cover-up my tracks with you stealing that cheese?" Adrien asked as he placed his Miraculous back on.

"Nah, Ladybug won't ever try to figure out who you are, unlike you he knows not to actively try and figure out your partner's secret identity," Plagg remarked.

"Alright, I hear you, no more trying to connect dots. Adrien conceded. "Plagg, claws out!" He said transforming into Chat Noir.

"Being a cat is much more a-peeling than being a banana." Chat Noir said tossing aside the costume as he then spotted Ladybug landing on the rooftop, just as Multimouse released the Akuma from the bowl.

"No more mischief from you little Akuma. Time to purify!" Ladybug said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion. Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. "Bye-bye, little butterfly. Miraculous Ladybug!" Ladybug called out, throwing up the lucky charm as everything turned back to normal.

Chat Noir watched as Multimouse used his power to absorb his copies as he began to grow back to his normal height, apparently the same height as Ladybug. The hero looked a little timid as he grasped his arm generously, even flinching a little as Ladybug spoke up.

"Thanks for your help, it's because of you that Chat Noir and I have our Kwami's back." Ladybug gratefully. "I knew I was right to trust you."

"Great plan!" Chat Noir called out as he jumped off of the AC until and started walking towards the his partner. However as Multimouse walked towards Ladybug he started coughing harshly, even having trouble standing as he fell into Ladybug's arms just as his Miraculous started to beep. Chat Noir froze in shock as he saw his best friend passed out in Ladybug's arms.

"What happened to him?!" Chat Noir asked, growing panicked. He saw Ladybug narrow his eyes before looking up at him.

"Did you see him using two Miraculous at once?" Ladybug asked.

"Y-yeah, he used mine and the mouse Miraculous at the same time..." Chat Noir informed as Ladybug sighed.

" I took a risk giving him a Miraculous but it looked like I was wrong to do so. Using too many Miraculous at once, even just two is dangerous in the wrong hands. Marin did his job well, but he's not a suitable match for a Miraculous if it affects him this much." Ladybug said as he removed the Mouse Miraculous and placed it inside his yo-yo.

"Yeah... that's- is he going to be alright?" Chat Noir asked in concern.

"Don't worry, he just needs to sleep this off." Ladybug said as he picked up Marin, carrying him bridal style. "I'll take care of him, you take care of

"But-" Chat Noir tried to say, but was cut off by Ladybug already leaving as he jumped off the TV station roof. Chat Noir had to take a deep breath, processing everything that had happened after this long say. HE couldn't believe he'd ever thought his best friend and Ladybug were the same person or that Marin was given a Miraculous and basically saved him and his partner.

" Mr. Chat, would you be willing to testify that I indeed made a scientific discovery?" Ms. Mendeleiev asked.

"I'm sorry ma'am but I can't do that, and I have to ask you to stop researching if you want to keep Paris safe from Hawkmoth." Chat Noir informed.

Ms pondered to herself. "I understand. I suppose I'm like Copernicus in that regard, ahead of my time."

"Uh, yeah, of course." Chat Noir nodded, taking out his staff to take his teacher home.

* * *

As soon as Chat Noir was gone Multi Húlí stepped out into sight using Fluff as a crutch. He waved his hand dispelling the illusion to reveal his other copies still in the same place as before, still holding the Akuma down under the charm.

"Mullo, separation." Ladybug said as he transformed back to his hero form. He took out his yo-yo, quickly purifying the Akuma and turning everything back to normal just as he knelt down from exhaustion. He took a moment for himself as his chest felt tight and his head wouldn't stop spinning.

"Ladybug?" Sass asked as he and the rest of the Kwami looked at him in worry.

"I'll be fine guys, I just need to sleep for a while, make eat some cake." Ladybug said as he pushed himself to stand tall, though he doubted that he'd have the energy to make a trip to Master Fu's and go through the rest of the school day. "Now come on, let's get you guys home." He said taking out his yo-yo and jumping off the roof of the building followed by all the Kwamis.

* * *

The next day, as Adrien walked into class he noticed that Marin wasn't sitting in his seat, of course, there was still time before class started, but he had a bad feeling as he sat down next to Nino.

"Marin absent today?" Adrien asked, but Nino shrugged his shoulders.

"Yeah," Alya cut in. "His mom said that he got sick, can't even leave his bed."

"Classic Marin." Nino said. "I mean it's terrible, but at least he has nice friends who take class notes and deliver them to him? Maybe stop by so he knows that his friends aren't abandoning him." Nino asked suggestively, glancing at his girlfriend who rolled her eyes in amusement.

"That sounds good-"

"I can come too." Adrien cut in, surprising his friends.

Nino and Alya exchanged and uncertain expression before facing their friend again. "Uh, you sure dude? What about all your prior commitments?" Nino asked. "Don't you have that photoshoot today?"

"Well...yeah." Adrien said sheepishly, recalling that he only kept up his with his studies because Marin was always taking notes for him, but when it was the other way around, he was useless. "Any idea how he got sick in the first place?"

"His mom said it was because of overexertion, which makes sense considering how busy he is with his sewing, helping in his parents' bakery, being a teaching aid, helping out literally anyone who asks, being a manager for Kitty Section, volunteering to help the elderly-" Alya listed off but was interrupted by Nino.

"Wait, volunteering? When did he start that?" Nino asked.

"Apparently he's been doing it ever since school started. I saw him helping out this old guy with his groceries once, nice guy good taste in Hawaiian shirts." Alya said. "And he does all this while keeping his grades up."

"Why doesn't he say no to some of these things?" Adrien asked, starting to feel guilty.

"Come on Adrikins, you know how he is." Alya sighed. "Sweetest boy in the world, but can't say no to anyone who needs help."

"Excuse me?" Nino asked, looking offended.

"I meant what I said." Alya said sticking out her tongue.

Nino looked like he may refute her words, but then shrugged his shoulders. "Fair. Oh, but don't worry about Marin dude, he knows we just visit him for the day-old stuff. I'm sure if you video call or text he'll respond."

"Yeah..." Adrien nodded. He really wanted to see his friend as himself.

* * *

As it turned out, using multiple Miraculous at one for the first time was more taxing that Marin had originally anticipated. As soon as he came home he'd passed out for almost an entire day, slipping in and out of consciousness. Even when he was awake his mind was hazy and he wasn't able to move around much. Sometimes he could feel Tikki snuggling up to him, which he appreciated, but all he could he do was stare up at the skyline or sleep.

Once night fell he felt extremely tired, his eyes growing lidded, but he didn't want to sleep, sleeping felt lonely. All of a sudden he heard a knock against the glass, looking up he saw a pair of familiar green eyes. As the hatch was opened up, he heard his partner's voice.

"You awake?" Chat Noir asked but saw that Marin was hardly moving despite his eyes being open. Chat Noir then jumped down, curling under the blanket like he normally did during their visits. "So I came here, to maybe tell you that you were being reckless, and dumb, and incredibly brave, and amazing, and-" Chat Noir stopped talking once he realized that Marin was already asleep.

"Hm." Chat Noir hummed to himself, a little offended as came here just for him. resting his head on his hand, observing at his best friend sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- They're just super best friends, calm down
> 
> -Climatica 2 is omitted so some of it's dialogue is mixed in with this chapter.
> 
> -Hóng Húlí would be Marin's hero name if he was wearing that Fox Miraculous
> 
> -Adrien is the student who didn't do the work but still stumbled onto figuring out who Ladybug really is.
> 
> -In my version, merging the power of both Kwami's has some health risks attached to it as transforming itself effects the user, so mixing both powers can mess it up, which Marin used to deceive Chat Noir into making him believe that he's too frail to accept the power of a Miraculous.
> 
> -If you're wondering if MariChat is going anywhere, I can assure you it's leading to some where... 
> 
> -Marin's a lonely person despite having Tikki for company 
> 
> -https://the-angst-lord.tumblr.com/post/614603161589678080/multimouse-log <----Concept art link


	63. A Feast For the Eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Master Fu's past comes to bite him when a certain sentimonster is unearthed, and he decides to make an adult decision for two kids of whom he does not have guardianship of.
> 
> Concept art--->https://aminoapps.com/c/miraculous/page/blog/miraculously-ladybug-chapter-update-a-feast-for-the-eyes/ZpLl_vaTBuQjl115oaVgKY6gVxq0MLoGJr

Marin rested his back against the wall of the entrance of the museum waiting for his friends. His mother had already kept him home for longer than he needed after his overdose of Miraculous spell so he was extremely eager to spend some time outside of his home.

Lifting his head for a moment he looked around for Alya but instead, his heart started to face as he spotted Adrien walking by with his bodyguard and his father's secretary. It had been a while since he saw him, but even so, Adrien somehow was always just as handsome as he remembered. For a moment he wondered if he should call out to him in greeting, they were friends after all. But then doubled down on, not, if only for the sole fact that his voice always had a tendency to get pitchy around him-

"Marin!"

"EEP!" Marin's eyes widened as his face ran red in surprise with Alya surprising him from behind, capturing him in a hug, as well as gaining the attention of everyone around him. He immediately covered his mouth, not wanting to speak ever again in his life, nor sneak a glance at how Adrien reacted to his little...slip up.

But, as if subconsciously, Marin's eyes darted towards his blonde best friend, who returned his eyes contact. His eyes lit up once they spotted him, and immediately Adrien started to wave with a smile on his face, only to be deterred by Nathalie pulling him into the museum.

Marin whimpered to himself as Alya still hung on, squishing her face against his.

"Cutie, I asked Alix to get us into this unveiling, so I could show you, what I figured out about superheroes. Not so you could gawk at Adrien. You can do that any day at school." Alya lightly teased before then grabbing his arm to drag him inside.

"What- no, I'm all ears for..." Marin's thought went into overdrive trying to remember what Alya had told him before, but he was blanking. "whatever it is you wanted to show me." He stammered as he then saw Alix was waiting for them. He waved to her as Alya continued her speech.

Okay? First, you need to know that Ladybug and Chat Noir get their powers from jewels called Miraculous-"

"What? There is no way that's true." Marin immediately interrupted as he couldn't believe his trusted best had had just revealed a dangerous piece of information.

"Trust me cutie pie, I have my reliable sources," Alys remarked.

"Alya. You told me that you'd stop researching Ladybug's secret identity." Marin said sternly as Alix stood beside him. "Remember when you almost got suspended when you thought Chloe of all people was Ladybug? And then Akumatized right after?"

"Oh I know, but this research has nothing to do with his identity," Alya said sheepishly but Marin didn't trust something about her tone. " I'm going to help Ladybug unmask Hawkmoth, and I think I may have found just the connection between the superheroes and Hawkmoth! Come on!" Alya said taking the lead and running through the museum, past the no running sign.

Marin took a deep breath, placing his hands together after trying to rub the tired out of his face. "This is fine." Marin said as Alix had to drag him to follow Alya.

* * *

"Okay, I'm convinced that Ladybug, Chat Noir, and the others have been depicted through the centuries. Until for some reason the world forgot about them." Alya said as they walked through the Egyptian exhibit. "We already know about this one, the Ladybug from Ancient Egypt." Alya said, presenting the piece of Ladybug evidence that Marin himself had led her to find, and then unintentionally helped her discover how ancient his predecessors ran. He never thought he'd wish back the days when Alya still thought he was a girl, at least there'd still be a buffer between her investigation and not including him in said bug hunt.

"Allegedly."

"The Pharaoh called him and Chat Noir out by name." Alya pointed out.

Marin hummed as he crossed his arms. "Hm, don't remember that, as the only thing I do remember was getting tossed in a sarcophagus. Besides, that guy wasn't a real Pharaoh, that was a nerd being possessed by Hawkmoth to prove a theory, no offense to your brother Alix."

"None taken, he's a huge nerd."

"But you were the one who showed me this in the first place. Didn't you say that an acquaintance pointed this out to you?" Alya asked.

"Yeah but I haven't talked to them in forever, they ghosted me a few days after I started talking about the hundreds of methods you could use to bake bread."

"I hear that." Alix remarked. "You are way too into bread. Like, you'd probably marry bread if you could."

"...Okay I'm hitting eject on this conversation," Marin said, walking away once his face started to burn with embarrassment.

"WE GOT A BREAD WEIRDO OVER HERE!" Alix yelled out into the hall just before Marin slapped his hand against her mouth and then dragged her away with Alya trailing behind almost falling over from laughter.

* * *

"Here, a black knight or, a black cat Miraculous holder." Alya pointed out in the hall of oil paintings, and then ran down it towards another painting. "and here, a lady? Or a Butterfly Miraculous superhero! Not to mention this!" Alya said as she took out her phone. "Heracles? Or a Lion Miraculous holder?"

"A Lion Miraculous?" Marin asked tilted his head as he looked at the photo. For a moment he thought that maybe there could be the slightest chance. But then again, Miraculous were usually jewelry, what kind of Miraculous would manifest as a skinned Lion's pet? Gauntlets maybe, but even that could be a stretch.

"Why not a bunny Miraculous while you're at it?" Alix joked as Marin averted his gaze nervously at the remembrance that Fluff was indeed the Kwami of the Bunny Miraculous.

Alya rolled her eyes in amusement, going along with the joke for a moment. "Except here's the big money, the one thing that all these works of art have in common," Alya said as she pulled up her image gallery. "It's the same symbol on every single one." She said pointing to an emblem that was all too familiar to Marin. "It's like a secret society emblem or something, like something out of National Treasure. Maybe some kind of brotherhood that watches over Miraculous Holders since the beginning of time." Alya said, sounding like she was still pondering the implications of the symbol. Meaning while she had a contention, she would have no idea how major the implications were.

"Or something," Marin said.

"Ugh, why do you have to throw off my groove dude?" Alya complained placing his hands on her hips.

"Because that symbol could mean just about anything. It could be a signature of the time period the art was made in for all you know. I'm just saying, these similarities are one thing but it's possible that these paintings could have the same painter or-"

"I've seen that symbol." Alix said suddenly as Marin looked at her, screaming internally at how helpful his friends were to each other.

"Oh really?" Alya asked pushing the bridge of her glasses up with a devious expression on her face as she glanced at Marin with a knowing expression on her face. They started walked back down to the main hall where the revelation was supposed to be.

"Yeah, it's on that old Tibetan statue that my old man is about to present. According to my old man it's almost 200 years old."

"OHHHH, I found that there haven't been any Miraculous-wearing superheroes for the last 200-years." Alya said growing more excited.

"So this statue would be the last trace of any Miraculous?" Alix asked, growing more excited herself.

"Until Ladybug and Chat Noir showed up a few months ago, yeah!"

"That's so rad!" Alix remarked just as they walked into the hall crowded with people. Marin's stomach started to churn in displeasure, being surrounded by a group of strangers in a place that was supposed to be nice a quiet.

"I'm sure my video will help Ladybug unmask Hawkmoth-"

"Hold on a second, you're going to publish your theory on your Ladyblog?" Marin asked cutting in as he heard Alya speak up again. "Don't you need hard evidence or at least something to back up what you're saying?"

"Actually, I already uploaded the video this morning..."

"The Mystery of the Miraculous, it's awesome!" Alix cut un.

"Alix, you're into this kind of stuff?" Marin asked in surprise.

"Yeah, everyone is. Well, everyone except you maybe." Alix pointed out. "Aren't you curious about this kinda stuff?"

"No way. Come on Alya you don't think that there's actually any foundation to this do you?"

"Well obviously Ladybug and Chat Noir won't be around for long if they defeat Hawkmoth, after all they only showed up when that guy was causing trouble. It only makes sense that they'd disappear again once Hawkmoth is defeated. So, I guess good on you for helping get us through this as soon as possible."

"Psh, like that'd stop me from reporting on this." Alya said just as the statue was revealed and everyone began to clap. Marin stood with his friends on the staircase, overlooking everything, but for a moment Marin could feel an all too familiar feeling. His eyes were drawn to the statue, and he could sense something off about the statue, he could feel the presence of something evil.

* * *

Marin held up his phone as he and Master Fu watched Alya's newest video together. While nearby, Tikki and Wayzz were having a little tea party with mini cupcakes decorated with buttercream flowers.

"I'm sorry master, I knew what Alya was like before I thought trusting her with a Miraculous was a good idea. Now she's snooping around in places that could lead her in places she shouldn't be going."

"Alya is an excellent journalist, she's not the first to unravel this connection between the Miraculous and the Guardians, and I doubt that she'll be the last. Rest assured there is no direct link that could lead her to find out about us or the Miraculous box. Now, what was it that you wanted to talk about?"

"It was actually about this." Marin said as he took his phone back from Master Fu and pulled up a photo of the statue that Alix's dad found. "I sensed something from it, like it was sentient or something-"

"Impossible! That's impossible!" Master Fu gasped as he swatted Marin's phone away, clearly disturbed by what he saw.

"Master?" Marin asked as Wayzz and Tikki turned their attention towards their Master. "Is there something up with this statue-"

"It is no statue Marinus. It is a sentimonster, one that is very ancient and very powerful."

"A sentimonster?" Marin asked. "But...Alix said that it was found over 200 years ago. Do you think that Mayura may have created it that long ago?"

"No...no I don't." Master Fu said shaking his head as he then walked towards the window with his hand folded behind his back. "It was created from emotions in it's rawest form, from within the anger and grief of a young boy who had never properly learned how to quell his emotions. I'm sorry Marinus, but for you to understand, then you must know the entire story." Master said as Marin could only listen to his sorrowful Master.

"I was younger than you are now when I was chosen to become a guardian of the Miraculous. My parents told me it was a great honor, and to reject such a calling would disgrace our family. So they left me in the hands of the monks who served. It was miserable living there under their strict code of ethics, it was incredibly lonely. One of the trials I had to face was to watch over a Miracle Box without food or drink for days in order to temper my body. The only item I had with me was an apprentice's staff.

Soon, I could take it no longer, thusly I had decided to use the Peacock Miraculous, infusing it's power with my apprentice staff as it's anchor. All I wanted was a kind little companion to bring me some rice balls. But in my folly, I had made a grave mistake. As with each passing day I not only grew hungrier, I grew angrier as well. Angry at my family for passing me along to the monks like I was a sack of rice to be sold off at a market, angry at the monks for stealing me away from my family, but most of all; I held hatred for the temple, and the loneliness it made me endure for so long.

As a result, this anger manifested within the sentimonster I had created, one that only wished to follow it's masters command. And at the time, I subconsciously wished for the temple and Miraculous to disappear. The sentimonter consumed everything and everyone in sight, destroying the temple in such a short time. In the panic, I had lost my staff, and my will to even think about destroying it. As a result, the sentimonster had grown even more confused and ravenous, furiously looking to consume anything that would quell its insatiable hunger. Within the panic, an elder monk ordered me to take the Miraculous box I was guarding as well the single remaining grimoire and flee as far as I could.

But as I had escaped into the mountain range the last thing I saw was the temple being devoured and realized that the only remaining Miracle box was the one I was protecting. As I ran for my life along the way I had lost the grimore and the 2 Miraculous you now fight against. From then on I realized that I could no longer return to the temple, nor my family for the fear that the monster would consume them always terrified me. From then on I believed the Sentimoster had been vanquished for good by the monks, but I can see now that it was foolish of me to believe so. And now, it has been unearthed. Should it find it's way out of the seal it's contained in..." Master Fu hung his head as he gripped the helm of his pants. Tikki and Wayzz both hovered near him trying to comfort him while Marin expression sparked with determination.

"Master, Chat Noir and I will stop it and release the amok." Marin said boldly.

"You will lose." Master Fu said bluntly. "He destroyed the order of the Guardians, is immune to the power of the Miraculous. I'm sorry Marinus, I've deceived you all this time, I've no right to be called Master, let alone a Guardian."

"That's not true Master!" Marin argued. "You're the only reason that the Miracle box has been kept safe all this time, and the reason that Paris has heroes to protect them from Hawkmoth.

"But I am also the reason that you and Chat Noir were placed with this burden on your shoulders, and the reason that Hawkmoth and Mauyra have caused chaos within the city to begin with. I will repeat my same mistake over again. You and Chat Noir will return you Miraculous to me, and then I will return into hiding just as I have before. If the monster is solely after the Miracle box and the Miraculous then I must ensure that it will never find it's target.

"Master that's ridiculous. You can't keep running from something like this, you're too old! You can't use a Miraculous to protect yourself, let alone a Miraculous box. Heck, you even need me to open the front door of your house when you lock yourself out with both pairs of key's inside!"

"That was an accident." Master Fu tried to argue.

"It happened by accident over a dozen times?" Marin pointed, dumbfounded by his teacher who in turn sighed heavily.

"Not matter. Whatever happens to me will happen. It was my fault everything bad happened, that Nooroo is not longer with his siblings." Master Fu said as he turned towards Tikki and Wayzz, who clearly still missed their brother terribly.

"It's not your fault, it's Hawkmoth's for using his Miraculous for evil." Marin pointed out gripping his fists.

"And who's mistake caused that?" Master Fu pointed out as he turned his back on his pupil.

"When you chose me as Ladybug you placed your trust in me, just like you placed your trust in Chat Noir. Please, just leave it to us, we'll nip this problem right in the bud." Marin said reassuringly with approval from both Kwamis. But even so, Master Fu still had a somber expression on his face.

* * *

"Nathalie is just having a dizzy spell, it's nothing serious." Adrien's father said as Adrien knelt by Nathalie's side with a concerned expression on his face. He glanced at his father for a moment with uncertainly.

"It's thoughtful for you to be concerned," Nathalie said with a weary smile. "I'm alright Adrien."

"But-" Adrien was about to argue before his father placed a hand on his shoulder, preventing him from speaking.

"You don't have to be worried about her."

Adrien wavered as he saw his father's expression soften from his usual stoic nature. "If you say so father." Adrien said as he walked back to his room, followed by his bodyguard until he shut the door behind him.

"Hey, why the long face?" Plagg asked as he flew out of his hiding place.

Adrien hesitated as he glanced at the photo of his mother always placed nearby. "Nathalie's condition..."

"I'm sure she'll be fine, you know how hard she works."

But Adrien shook his head. "My father used to say the same thing about my mother, but it only got worse..."

"How about a duet?" Plagg said flying over to the other end of the piano.

"You can play the piano?" Adrien asked wearily.

"Of course! I am a Kwami of many talents!" Plagg said as he started playing the key one by one with his feet in a ragtime upbeat tune.

A smile suddenly drew on Adrien's face as he immediately mirrored his Kwami's playing, ending up laughing as Plagg ended the song by running all over the keys. "My mother used to be the only person who could make me laugh like that. Thank's Plagg." Adrien said gratefully as he petted Plaggs head.

* * *

When night fell, Mayura broke into the museum under Hawkmoth's orders. She easily evaded security, landing before the sealed away sentimonter that was brimming with power.

"I can feel it yearning," Mayura said as she placed her hand before the sentient sentimonter before her. "It's hungry, ravenous for Miraculous." As she placed her hand against the alter it begun to crack. But just before she could access the sentimonster she felt a presence behind her, blocking an attack from Ladybug who descended from about.

"Didn't you hear? The Museum said no touching the exhibits!" Ladybug said as he kicked towards her, but as Mayura grabbed his ankle he responded by using his other leg to kick her square in the head, knocking her back a few feet.

"So Ladybug, we finally meet." Mayura said holding her fan near her face just as the seal broke. "What brings you here?"

"I think you already know." Ladybug said as they both turned their heads to the sound of rubble moving.

"Yum Yum, Miraculous!" The sentimonster exclaimed as both Mayura and Ladybug evaded it jumping towards them. The sentimonster turned against Mayura first, most likely recognizing the Miraculous it was created with, but was displeased that its original creator was nowhere in sight.

"Take one more step and I'll take away your Amok from you!" Mayura commended as the Sentimonster winced under her command. "Do you really want me to destroy you?"

"Sentimonsters aren't your toys to be used like that!" Ladybug remarked angrily, "They're living beings with emotions just like you or me! If you keep playing around like this then you're going to-"

"That's enough out of you." Mayura said turning the Sentimonster's attention towards him. "Claim his Miraculous and I shall allow you to live."

"Yum Yum!" The Sentimonster cheered, now chasing after the hero who flipped backward to avoid the sentimonster's tongue.

"The Sentimonster is all yours Hawkmoth." Mayura said, dashing towards Ladybug to cover the arrival of the Akuma, distracting him with her attacks while the Akuma possessed the Sentimonster.

"Yummy! Miraculous!" The Sentimonster said as Ladybug gasped at how it grew in size under Hawkmoth's control. He took a few steps back before jumping on top of the staircase railing, easily jumping towards the skylight and escaping into the night.

Mayura smirked in amusement, watching as Feast roared and then followed after the hero, already knowing that neither he, Chat Noir, nor the Guardian would have a chance to escape.

* * *

Master Fu was already packing his most important belongings onto the back of his bicycle within his massage studio. Just as he tied the last box on his bike, he turned to see Ladybug slamming open the door before him, shaken up and almost out of breath.

"Master! You need to use Kalkki and get as far away from here as possible." Ladybug said as he knelt before his Master, knowing that Feast would be following close behind. "Hawkmoth akumatized the monster, now it's huge and it's caught the scent of the Miraculous." Ladybug said trying to catch his breath.

Master Fu took a moment to place a hand on his student's shoulder."I'm sorry Marinus. But even if I'm no true Guardian, it's my responsibility to keep the Miraculous and you safe." Master Fu said as he approached his student. "I'm glad I had the chance to meet you."

"The Miraculous and me?" Ladybug repeated just before Master Fu chopped the back of his neck, knocking him out cold and into his arms.

"Master! What have you done?!" Wayzz gasped as he hovered before his friend, worried about his safety. Master Fu placed Marinus on the futon that was still lain out then pulled the covers over him.

"Hawkmoth has made this situation more dire than ever. Marinus has done the best he can, but now I need to be the one taking responsibility." Master Fu said as he removed Ladybug's Miraculous, turning him back to normal. "Don't worry Wayzz, he'll be safe here. For now we must retrieve Plagg."

"But..." Wayzz said in defeat as he realized Fu wasn't listening anymore as he rolled the bike towards the sidewalk.

"Time is of the essence." Master Fu said sternly as Wayzz hung his head. "The longer we stay here the more danger Adrien will be in."

"Yes Master." Wayzz said in defeat, looking back at Marinys for what could be the last time before following Master Fu.

* * *

Adrien's eyes fluttered open just as he saw a paper falling before him.

"Plagg?" He asked, then his eyes widened as he realized his Kwami was nowhere in sight as he picked up the note.

"Dear Adrien, you've gone above and beyond the duty of any Chat Noir before your time. But I regret to inform you that in order for yours and Ladybug's protection, Tikki and Plagg must..." Adrien gasped as he realized that he wasn't wearing his Miraculous anymore. He dashed towards the window, seeing a green Kwami flying towards Master Fu who was on a bike. But they quickly speeded off as they were being chased by what looked to be a giant blue frog.

Immediately he looked around, the first thing his eyes rested on was the Banana man suit that he, borrowed, about a week ago. Right now, he didn't have a lot of options.

* * *

"You see?!" Master Fu explained as he was both pedaling for the sake of himself and the 17 other most important beings in his life. "If Adrien and Marinus still had their Miraculous then they'd already be eaten up by now!" Master Fu yelled against the sound of wind and the night traffic against them.

"Or they'd be fighting against that thing, as you intended for them to!" Wayzz pointed out as he looked back worriedly at the approaching giant Sentimonster.

"Not against something as monstrous as this Wayzz, this is for their and our protection! Sometimes fighting is futile!" Master Fu said, but both of their attentions was garnered by a Banana approaching them.

"Evening Mr. Master!" The banana said with a broom attached to his back, riding on a scooter. "Are you aware that you have cat-napped my Kwami?!"

"Adrien?!" Master Fu and Wayzz said in shock.

"You need to get out of here, you're in danger!" Master Fu immediately scolded as they both winded through traffic while Feast approached them.

"I think that's my line sir!" Adrien said as they both evaded Feasts tongue. "If you would just return my Miraculous, or maybe give me constructive criticism as to what I did wrong to lose it-"

"The fault was my own, leave now before it too late!" Master Fu warned.

"Can't do that sir! I know Ladybug would say to protect you, and I trust him with my life!" Adrien said hanging back to try and delay Feast.

"Who else would go so far as to help you? Wayzz asked, trying to prompt his Master to reconsider. "Master, there's no use in running. Your disciples are already fighting to protect you! With or without their Miraculous they're Ladybug and Chat Noir,

"The longer I stay more I risk their and everyone else's safety.

" Master, I know you're scared, but whether you like it or not, you're a Guardian! You need to stop making excuses!" Wayzz snapped at his longtime friend.

"Precisely, which is why this is my decision to make." Master Fu said back as he placed his hand on his Miraculous, about to remove it.

"I'm sorry Master, it was always an honor to be your Kwami." Wayzz said then grabbed his Miraculous from Master Fu's hand then flew off out of range.

"WAYZZ!" Master Fu called out fearfully as he saw his best friend flying towards the creature, Miraculous in hand.

"Over here!" The Kwami called out, diverting Feasts attention just enough for Adrien's plan to be set into motion as a moment later a bus crashed into the beast, it's drive already having jumped to safety.

Unfortunately, Feast didn't feel the impact at all, instead, it ate the bus who and turned his attention towards the Kwami before him.

"Hey!" Master Fu called out, holding up the Miracle Box, "This is what you want isn't it?!"

"Master! No!" Adrien called out.

"I'm the one you've wanted for the past 172 years!" Master Fu said as he held Chat Noir's ring behind him. Adrien gasped for a moment before he took it, then tumbled out of the way as Feast continued to chase after the old man.

"Thank you Chat Noir." Master Fu said gratefully as Chat Noir nodded, placing him on top of the bus. "Wait, Ladybug doesn't have his Miraculous! You can't fight Feast alone!"

"It's alright Master," Adrien said as he stood before Master Fu protectively with his staff in hand. "If I know my partner, and I do. He'll find to steal the show." Chat Noir said as he jumped down towards Feast.

* * *

Marin ran through the streets, half trying to run for his life, half trying to focus on where Feast was, and half trying not to scream out in panic. He had no idea where he was going, he had no idea why the Master would act so drastically like that, and he was hoping that his parents were still buying that he was studying in his room. But then he spotted someone familiar and green.

"Wayzz!" Marin called out spotting the Turtle Kwami flying overhead. He caught his attention as the Kwami flew down towards him on the empty street. "Where's Master Fu?"

"That monster is chasing him, Chat Noir is protecting him but I don't know how much longer they can hold on!" Wayzz said as Marin noticed he was holding his Miraculous in hand.

"It'll be alright because we're going to save them," Marin said taking the Turtle Miraculous and placing it on his wrist much to Wayzz's a moment the Miraculous turned into a pink string bracelet with a marble turtle emblem."Ready?"

Wayzz was stunned for a moment but then nodded in affirmation. "Anything to save my best friend."

"Wayzz, shell on!"

* * *

"Please hurry up my Lady, I don't want to be eaten." Chat Noir silently prayed as his baton was snatched from his hand. He was on all fours to evade Feast's tongue, really not wanting to be on the receiving end of it, but then found his back against the bus right next to the Master Fu as he sought cover for a moment.

"Any ideas?" Chat Noir asked. "There's no sign of the Amok."

"The Amok should be in a staff, but I have no idea where it is.

"So all I have to do is blast it with a cataclysm right?" Chat Noir asked flexing his claws.

"No! If you destroy the beast there's no telling what could happen to it. You may make it spiral more out of control than it is already!" Master Fu said just as Feast swallowed the bus they were using for cover.

Both Chat Noir and Master Fu faced down the monster before, already about to swallow them as well. Before that could happen, Chat Noir stepped before Master Fu as a last-ditch attempt to protect the Master and the Miraculous, shutting his eyes tightly. When all of a sudden he heard a familiar voice.

"Protection!"

Chat Noir hesitated for a moment before opening his eyes, seeing a familiar barrier erected around them. His ears pricked up as he heard someone stepping right beside him, and he was looking up towards the person he knew all too well, but was donning the Turtle Miraculous.

"See? What did I say?!" Chat Noir said with a smile, looking back at the Master who was equally as shocked.

"Ladybug." Master Fu said with a look of guilt across his face. "I'm-"

"We can talk about this later, for now called me Biē Jiǎ." The new hero said as he held his arms forward, keeping the shield up while Feast kept trying to breakthrough.

"Um, we're safe in here right?" Chat Noir asked as he heard Biē Jiǎ's Miraculous start to beep.

"So long as Biē Jiǎ can keep his concentration." Master Fu said. "But it's a far too temporary solution, we still don't know where the Amok is. If we can figure it out, then there's a chance that the Akuma will be released as well."

"Actually, we do know Master." Biē Jiǎ said turning his head back towards the two. "Don't you remember? I told you that I sensed the Amok coming straight from Feast."

"Yeah, so?" Chat Noir asked.

Master Fu then gasped with realization as he figured out what his pupil was trying to say. "Biē Jiǎ and Ladybug by extension have the ability to sense both Akuma and Amok's, not the monster itself, but the item of possession."

"Then that means..." Chat Noir grimaced as his ears flattened.

"Yup, get ready to run Master, leave the rest to us." Biē Jiǎ said as Master Fu passed the Ladybug earrings to him, just as his shield was about to break.

"Ohhh, not the tongue." Chat Noir groaned as he wrapped his arm around Biē Jiǎ's waist, closing his eyes as Feasts' tongue broke through the shield, and Biē Jiǎ's Miraculous beeped for the final time.

* * *

Marin transformed back just as he and Chat Noir were swallowed up. He felt hs partner's arm wrapped around his waist while he placed an arm around his shoulder to hang on.

"Chat-"

"I know I know, eyes closed. I'm not gonna peep." Chat Noir said lamely, sounding a little sour as they both now had Feasts slime on them from the trip down. A giggle escaped Marin's lips as he put his earrings back on, summoning his precious Kwami before him in a red light. Tikki's eyes lit up as she saw him, but kept her mouth shut as she saw Chat Noir floating beside him. Instead, she hugged his cheek, not caring that he was covered in slime.

"I missed you too Sugarcube." Marin said. "Tikki, spots on!"

In a moment he transformed, and Chat Noir opened his eyes yet still had an unamused frown on his face.

"You owe me for that you know." Chat Noir remarked, crossing his arms.

Ladybug smiled sheepishly at him, clapping his hands together pleadingly, "I know. Will ice cream help make up for this? I'll treat you."

"It's a start." Chat Noir said with a cheeky grin, winking at his partner before then spotting something familiar. "Hey, my staff!" He said making swimming motions to get closer to his weapon, but when he tried to pop it, his staff only dispersed into small bubbles. "Hey, what gives!?" The hero demanded.

"Everything in here must be sealed away by magic somehow, otherwise they'd just overwhelm Feast." Ladybug remarked as he took out his yo-yo. "That being said, this place is far too large, and we have far too little time. Lucky Charm!" He said, holding up his yo-yo overhead.

"Be careful with what you eat."Chat Noir said holding his hand out. "Cataclysm!" He said, activating his power and easily swiped through the bubble, destroying the staff before them.

"That's enough mischief for you little ones, it's time to purify!" Ladybug said as he caught the Akuma and the Amok in one motion. Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma and Amok disperse. "Bye-bye. Miraculous Ladybug!" Ladybug then said, and turned everything back to normal.

He, Chat Noir, and Master Fu pounded their fists victoriously as the danger had passed.

"Thank you Ladybug, Chat Noir. It's thanks to you both that I no longer live in fear of that Sentimonster anymore." Master Fu said as Ladybug returned his Miraculous. He placed it on his wrist, summing Wayzz who had a proud smile on his face.

"I only put your teaching to practice Master." Ladybug said humbly. "But don't think we're not going to talk about what happened back there." He said crossing his arms sternly. Wayzz nodded in agreement, but Master Fu smiled, it was a small price to pay considering the alternative. Just then Ladybug and Chat Noir's Miraculous started to beep.

"Well I think we'd both put your teaching to practice now." Chat Noir pointed out as both his and Ladybug's Miraculous began to beep. "But don't expect me not to follow up on when the heck you started learning how to use the other Miraculous." Chat Noir said as Ladybug chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. Both heroes waved good-bye as they ran in different directions while Master Fu looked at both of his disciples proudly.

* * *

The next evening Marin showed Master Fu the footage of the Guardian's temple that had returned back to normal.

"My mistake has been undone, the monks have been freed and the temple has returned to its former glory. Words cannot begin to convey how grateful I am to you and to Chat Noir." Master Fu said bowing his head towards his student. "The life of a Guardian is hard, but if I could change one thing in my youth it would've been to share some of those burdens with another. However, there was a blessing within all the grief, had I not made the choices that I had, I may not have met you. Marinus Dupain Chueng, should I fail my mission before it is complete-

"Master, nothing is going to happen to you." Marin said as Wayzz and Tikki sat on his shoulder.

"You're very kind to care Marinus, but this should be something you need to hear."

"Should I fail my mission before it is complete I bequeath my role of a guardian to you."

"A- A guardian? To protect the Miraculous, Master I can't-"

" I've spent my entire life protecting the Miraculous. If I ever had dreams when I was younger then they were lost the moment I used the Peacock Miraculous for my own selfish purposes, for evil."

"Master, you were just a kid."

"A child who had one job, who's failure resulted in the destruction of the temple. I carry my burdens, my regrets every day and I would never wish them upon you or Chat Noir. Ideally, once your mission is complete, and the threat is quelled, I shall return the Miraculous box to its right place and disappear for one final time."

"Disappear? But Master what about Madam Lenoir? She's waiting for you for years now." Marin said as he remembered what she told him the last time they met. 

"Marianne is incredibly precious to me, but neither of us has regretted the life we spent apart." Master Fu said as pulled photo frame out of a box. One that showed a family portrait of Marianne among her large family, he could easily point out her grandchildren, children and her smiling next to her wife "I would have never asked her to place her life on hold for me, she was married had a beautiful family. Even though she fell in love with someone else, she has always desired to include me in that same life for what remaining time we both have. Which is why, if I fail before then. I place the role of the guardian onto your shoulders. It will be your decision as to the fate of the Miraculous. Should you decide to continue your role as Ladybug, to seal away the Miraculous, to flee far from the range of Hawkmoth's tyranny, to pass along the role..." 

"I told you before, nothing is going to happen to you Master." Marin said more sternly this time. "But if you decide to retire early, then I'll consider it."

"Excellent, your first task will be to guard the Miracle box for 24 hours without food." Master Fu said.

"Of course Master." Marin said without hesitation as Tikki glared at her partner, then poked his cheek in disapproval. "What?" He asked sincerely, wondering why his Kwami was so upset, but received an answer as Master Fu started laughing.

"Eager as always Marinus. But that was a joke, I would never subject you to the same rigorous training I endured. Instead, prove to me that you can help me clear out all these moving boxes and you'll be a fully-fledged Ladybug." Master Fu said as he gestured to the boxes that were already packed from yesterday's events.

Marin helped Master Fu carry his boxes to the moving truck, taking one final look at his Master's shop in melancholy. Part of him would miss this place, after all, it held many good memories for him. Once they were finished he stood near the front near the drivers' window, looking up at Master who had donned a disguise, now wearing a hat and a fake mustache.

"You sure you'll be alright on your own?" Marin asked, noticing Wayzz peaking out of Master Fu's shirt pocket.

"All I can hope for is that you will never have to sacrifice your dreams due to my mistakes."

" Mistakes make us who we are. It's important that we never allow them to linger long enough for them to take over." Marin repeated as he remembered the last time he considered leaving behind the mantle of Ladybug. "Even though I hated being Ladybug at first, I've already made my choice. I'm want to save Nooroo no matter what and stop Hawkmoth and Mayura from their evil. Even if it may be overwhelming at times I know that as long as I have Chat Noir and Tikki and the rest of the Kwami's then we'll be able to overcome any hurdle."

"Well said." Master Fu nodded in approval.

"Oh, but before you go." Marin said as he handed a white box to his teacher. "It's a...truck warming gift." His chest swelled with a bittersweet pride as he saw Master Fu opening it up. Almost immediately Wayzz dived into the box that was a collection of miniature treats. Each one was the favorite of one Kwami, all of them carefully decorated by hand. "It'll probably be a while until we see each other again."

"Don't worry, as long as Hawkmoth is a threat I will always be around to lend Ladybug and Chat Noir a hand." Master Fu nodded as he and Wayzz waved at before driving away.

Marin lingered over the trust driving away he had a sinking feeling slowly grow. Instinctively, he placed his hand in his messenger bag, slowly feeling at ease as he felt Tikki nuzzle against his hand, easing him a little but not fully ridding him of that foreboding feeling in his gut.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- Marin has transformed with all of the Miraculous, his transformation with Wayzz is Biē Jiǎ just translated to Turtle Shell.
> 
> -Marie is pan and had a life partner had kids and has a bunch of grand kids.
> 
> \- Unofficially Marianne and Fu were super best friends, but then that world war happened and they spent a lot of time apart. She ended up marrying one of Fu's best friends and they lived together happily in the swiss alps raising a big family while still keeping in touch. Eventually, Marinne's wife died a couple of years before the start of the series of natural causes. Soon after Marianne contacted Fu with some hope that they could find happiness, and then Backwarder happened, but she was fine with waiting a little while longer.
> 
> \- Next episode. Nothing really much happens. Nah, may as well skip it, it's so irrelevant, no reason to acknowledge it.


	64. The Ladybug Effect

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marin is accused of alot of things and get kicked out of school. So now it's up to the gang to help him out. 
> 
> and some other stuff happens, but that's not important.

Adrien grew anxious as he saw Nathalie handing his father a bracelet that he had made by hand just as dinner was coming to a close. His father observed the bracelet narrowing his eyes like when he was criticizing his own designs.

"What is it?"

"It's a gift I've made for my friend, for a surprise party we're all planning today," Adrien said feeling a little weird using his friends' full name. "You know, my friend who won the fashion contest, Marinus Dupain-Cheng?"

Gabriel narrowed his eyes as he held the bracelet in his hand. "I don't remember giving you permission to go to your friend's birthday party."

"Please, Father! We've been planning it for days now. I've already studied and finished my homework ahead of time and Nathalie says that there's nothing else for me to do." Adrien pleaded. He noticed his father glancing towards Nathalie before nodding.

"Alright then." He said simply before drinking his tea.

"Thank you, Father." Adrien said as stood up. He took his bracelet back from Nathalie and then ran back to his room. As he walked back in he saw Plagg munching on a piece of Camembert on his desk.

"What do you think, Plagg?" Adrien asked holding out the bracelet towards his Kwami.

Plagg sniffed the bracelet then looked up at his partner in discontent. "Ugh, what's the point of giving someone something that can't be eaten and doesn't have a scent?"

And almost immediately Adrien's previous joy suddenly warped into anxiety. "You think Marin won't like it?"

"Well if you gave me that, I'd be seriously offended. Why don't you buy him something? Isn't that bakery boy a fan of your old man? Just give him a brand jacket or something, why are you giving him a bracelet?"

That was true, Marin would probably be extremely happy getting something that was handmade by his father. But oddly enough, as much of a fan as Marin was the topic of his father's work never came up that much if at all. He knew his friend was the kind to always gift handmade presents, only buying them when he was sure of what he was gifting. But something like this, something that he made on his own...

Adrien sighed as he sat at his desk, pulling out the lucky charm bracelet that Marin had gifted him months ago, a kind of pseudo birthday present to him. It had helped him out during his studying and fencing competitions and slowly become extremely precious to him the more his and Marin's friendship grew stronger.

"I always carry the lucky charm he gave me wherever I go, it always helped me out alot." Adrien felt a little nervous. He'd seen the jewelry that Marin made by hand, compared to the amazing stuff he made... "I just thought I'd return the favor. Since he's kinda frail I thought it would be nice to make him a protective charm."

"Hmph, there's not protecting that guy from his crippling bad luck."

"Plagg, that's not nice." Adrien scolded, turning back towards his Kwami now on his bed.

"Well it's true isn't it?

* * *

Adrien recalled that fond memory as he waited for his friend near the entrance. A smile drew on his face as he saw him running towards the school, almost late as usual, though oddly enough he didn't come from his house. "Overslept again?" Adrien asked in expectation as he saw a white box in Marin's hands, his mouth already watering.

"Maybe." Marin gasped, trying to catch his breath, placing his hands on his knees.

"You're more out of breath than usual, did you go somewhere or something?"

"What?! No!" Marin immediately responded defensively. Adrien then noticed that he was rubbing the back of his neck nervously, implying that his best friend was lying about something, he just wasn't sure as to what. "Why, did you hear something?"

"No...should I have?" Adrien asked a little playfully, now wildly curious. "Where were you this morning?"

"...Nowhere." Marin said already walking towards their first class together with the box in hand.

"Come on, tell me." Adrien asked folding his hands behind his back. "Where would you go that's so important that you of all people would wake up early, today of all days? Is there something especially important about today?"

"No, there's nothing." Marin tried to say as he tried his best to avert his gaze.

"Really?" Adrien asked, tilted his head with a mischievously grin on his face. "Are you lying?"

"Say one more word and no cookies!" Marin retorted as his face started to turn red with embarrassment. As much as Adrien wanted to pry further, he wanted his hands on those cookies more.

"Fine, fine." Adrien said. "So we're still on for you giving me cookies later, right?"

Marin sighed heavily, but couldn't help but smirk at his best friend's brattiness. "You say that like I have a choice in that matter."

* * *

"I'm good friends with the best manga publisher in Japan, you know. I can talk to them about your comic book project if you like."

Marin heard Lila saying to Nathaniel as she next to him at their shared desk in the back row. Had he realized what kind of mental torture it was, sitting next to a girl that was arguably the worst person he'd ever met, he would've taken the seat next to Adrien earlier. But what could he do, actually have the audacity to sit near his best friend when he promised he'd help out Lila?

At least this was the last class before lunch, then he could actually relax for a while. His leg started to shake reflexively as he eyed his phone, just waiting for the bell to ring.

"I've graded your mock exam papers. Most of you did quite well, some better than others. Marin, could you see me after class please?" Miss Bustier asked, and promptly crushed his growing relief.

A bad feeling settled in Marin's stomach. Usually, it was never a good thing when a teacher had to talk to you, much less pull you away from the eyes of the entire class. As the lunch bell rang, he waited until the entire class cleared out before walking down towards the front. He saw Adrien waiting for him outside and then waved towards him, signaling that he'd catch up later. He saw his best friend looking at him in concern just before closing the door behind him, now leaving him alone with the teacher.

"Would you mind handing over your bag please?" Marin was taken aback by her request. He clutched the handle of his bag, hoping that Tikki would phase out just as he handed his bag over to his teacher, without complaint. He watched nervously as she rummaged around through, hopefully not about to pull out a fairy that was as ancient as time itself. "Today, someone placed an anonymous note on my desk, claiming that you'd stolen the exam answers, could you please explain what this is?" The teacher asked as she pulled out an answer key from Marin's messenger bag.

"I...I don't-" Marin stammered as his head felt fuzzy. "I didn't steal it!"

Miss Bustier sighed as she crossed her arms. "Marin, I believe that you're a good student, but you've been acting strange since this year began. Is it possible that you've taken on too many commitments and may had a relapse in judgment? You're my aid, after all, you'd have the chance to take it."

"No it's nothing like that at all- I would never do something like this! Someone must've planted that piece of paper in my bag!" He tried to reason, but could see that his teacher wasn't buying it.

"Why would want to do something like that? Everyone likes you very much, I can't imagine anyone wanting to frame you for something like this." Miss Bustier said, and then sighed heavily. "I've already talked with about this but he wants to see you in his office."

"But-" Marin tried to say but was cut off.

"I don't like this any more than you do, but the sooner we talk this out the sooner we can deal with this."

* * *

"What's going on?" Adrien asked, walking up Alya as there was a crowd of his classmates were gathered around the lockers.

"No idea." She said, and they both watched as Marin has had locker open, and had a panicked look on his face.

"I didn't steal anything-"

"Marinus Dupain-Cheng you are suspended until further notice. Please wait in my office until we can bring your parents in to discuss this further." Adrien reflexively hid behind the lockers as the principal and Marin walked past. His heart sank watching his friend hang his head in defeat.

"What the heck is going on?!" Alya asked flabbergasted as she and Adrien exchanged a worried expression.

"You guys didn't overhear?" Adrien turned to see Lila walking towards them with a sad expression on her face, one that immediately made Adrien suspicious.

"Apparently, people's missing items showed up in Marin's locker. He's been taking stuff for a while and then hiding them in his locker."

"That's crazy! Marin would never do something like that!" Alya immediately said. "He's the guy known for misplacing his things!"

"I'm just telling you what I overheard few teachers saying." Lila whimpered, clutching her arm as she averted her gaze. "Adrien, weren't you missing something?"

"Huh?" Adrien looked at her in surprise.

"I saw Marin taking something out of your bag a while back. I thought it was nothing, but..."

"That true?" Alya asked.

"What? No, well." Adrien said reflexively, but then thought a moment. "I did have his notebook in my bag, he was probably getting it back." He reasoned.

"No, it wasn't a notebook," Lila said, but then the bell rang signaling the start of free period. "You should check, the box."

Adrien walked towards Marin's open locker, seeing a small white box meant for cakes, one that was from his parent's bakery. As he opened it, he saw an array of small items that everyone had been missing; Mylene's buttons, Kim's sweatband, Sabrina's headband, Nathaniel's inking pens, Juleka's bass pic, Rose's perfume bottle, and-

"Hey, that's my phone charm." Alya said picking it up from the box, but what Adrien saw was more important as he picked up his Lucky charm. "Is that yours?"

"Yeah..." Adrien said. "I lost this a while ago, almost lost my mind over it."

"We agree that there's no way that Marin took any of these things right?" Alya said putting her Ladybug charm back on her phone.

"For sure." Adrien said.

"We can't prove anything without evidence. I'll poke around a bit, you try and talk to Marin, we need to know what's going on." Alya said as she and Adrien rand in different directions.

Adrien texted his bodyguard, telling him that he had a mandatory study hall after school, and he'd review his Chinese there. Not waiting for an answer he waited outside the principal's said angrily as he brushed past her just as he saw the principal's door opening.

"Marin." Adrien greeted but noticed that his friend wasn't very responsive as his eyes looked dull.

"My mom's going to kill me."

"That's what you're worried about?" Adrien gently asked, trying to lighten his friend's mood, but really had no idea what to say in a situation like this. He reached out his hand towards him, but held back as he saw Marin putting his hands on his face. "Hey, Marin, Alya and I found the stuff that was in your locker."

Immediately his friend looked at him in a panic.

"We know something's up, there's no way you'd take anything from anyone. Do you have any idea who'd want to set you up like this?"

Marin sighed heavily. "No, I don't...I didn't even go to my locker this morning. Sorry Adrien, I have to go home now."

"Ah, alright, see you later?" Adrien asked, but didn't get an answer as Marin walked down the stairs from the school entrance.

Adrien couldn't help but clutch the lucky charm in his hand. Just because his bracelet was in the box of stolen items wouldn't just remove suspicion from his friend. Someone had to take responsibility if Mr. Damocles was ever going to be swayed. But as he was about to turn back into the school he saw that Marin was going him, instead, he was walking towards the riverfront, and trailing behind him was an Akuma.

* * *

Marin walked down the stairs towards the riverfront under the bridge. During midday, there wouldn't be anyone around to see him. What kind of day was this? It started off well enough, he dropped off the jacket that he made for Adrien and was going to tell him at lunch that he made special orange peppermint flavored. Honestly, a flavor palette that was disgusting to him, but for some reason Adrien loved. Now here he was, about to be thrown out of school, was avoiding going home with the knowledge that his parents would be extremely upset, so he was hiding under a bridge to escape his problems.

He reached into his back pocket, taking out the lucky charm that was gifted to him. A gift that didn't work at all, in fact, it seemed like that ever since he picked it up all his bad luck had turned worse. Whoever had gifted it was probably someone who was laughing behind his back, because at the end of the day all he was was just a huge joke. He clutched it in his hand tightly, but just as he was about to toss it into the river he overheard footsteps racing towards him.

"Plagg, claws on! Cataclysm!"

He heard Adrien's voice, but his entire world turned sideways as he saw an Akuma being destroyed before his eyes, and then Chat Noir's face- Adrien's face, hovering before his as they were knocked to the ground.

"Sure. Why not." Marin said in defeat as he just saw his best friend, love of his life, transform into the person he cared for the most. The two stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity before Chat Noir, before Adrien realized what had just done.

"I... I'm sorry, I couldn't let that...let that Akuma..." Chat Noir tried to reason, but fear took hold as he could see the way his friend looked at him. He quickly stood up, taking a step back, but holding out his hand before his best friend to help him to his feet. But he quickly grew vulnerable as he saw Marin handing his head, not even looking up at him.

"You're Chat Noir." Marin said, standing up as Chat Noir tensed up before him. Part of Marin wanted to just scream out at him, chastise him, be furious at him, but mostly just cry out in agony. "Out of everyone in Paris..." Marin voice hitched as he had to cover his mouth, suddenly feeling nauseated.

"Marin-" Chat Noir said trying to reach out towards him, but Marin recoiled not even looking at him taking a step away, not even able to look at him. "If you'd let me just explain-"

"Just...stay away from me." Marin said coldly, turning his back towards his best friend, started off in a walk before he picked up the pace, eventually sprinting away as fast as he could.

* * *

"So let's recap, right. Marin was accused of stealing the answers to the mock exam- Adrikins, are you listening?" Alya asked as Adrien and Nino sat on the staircase before her.

"Yeah...yeah." Adrien rambled with a headache. He'd lost track of Marin after he ran away. As it turned out he hadn't gone home, and was somewhere out in the city doing who knows what, and Adrien had to sit here trying not to lose his mind.

"Charge 1: Apparently the paper with the answers for the exam was found in Marin's schoolbag, from an anonymous tip who no one knows the origin of. Even Miss Bustier says that she found it on her desk this morning. Charge 2: A box that was from The Dupain-Cheng family bakery was found in Marin's locker, one that contained items that were missing from students. Mr. Damocles and the rest of the teachers were informed that items were going missing but no one saw anything. Until Lila thought she saw Marin taking something out of you bag Adrien."

"You think Lila has something to do with this?" Nino asked.

"It's hard to say. You've known Marin the longest, you think he'd do anything like this Nino?" Alya asked.

"No way, if you asked, Marin would be the one to actually help you look for anything that went missing. Plus we all know how much he actually studies." Nino said gently jabbing Adrien in the side with his elbow.

"I totally believe you, but the evidence is stacked against him. Did you get a chance to talk to our boy, Adrien?" Alya asked.

"Kind of, but he didn't say much before running off. Just that he didn't do it, and his mom was probably going to kill him when she found out about this." Adrien recalled, trying to push away the memory of what happened right after.

"Okay well, I tried to check for clues, but I didn't find anything. The lockers were wiped clean, that box only had Adrien's fingerprints, and the note only had Miss Bustier's fingerprints."

"Wait, you just have everyone fingerprint patterns memorized? Are we just accepting this?" Nino asked in surprise.

"No, no. There was only one set on each piece of evidence, luckily Adrien and Miss Bustier are good sports about this kinda stuff." Alya said as Adrien held up his hands now marked with black ink. "And without any leads, it's hard to say who could've done this." Alya sighed.

"...I think Lila might have done this." Adrien said boldly garnering the attention of both of his friends.

"Lila?" Alya and Nino asked in surprise.

"I thought she and Marin were on good terms, what makes you think that she did it?" Nino inquired.

"It's kind of hard to explain, but she's a bad egg." Adrien said. "All I know is she's not above lying, manipulating, and getting other people in trouble to get her way."

"That's a little harsh dude." Nino said. "She seems pretty alright to me."

"Yeah, do you have anything solid you back up what you're accusing her of?" Alya asked.

Adrien hesitated for a moment before taking out his bracelet. "Alya, you were there when we found this in the box right? Along with the rest of the stolen stuff?"

"Yeah, it's where we found my phone charm." Alya said.

" I lost this a while ago, which is strange because I'd never go anywhere without it. Then it just pops up all of a sudden in Marin's locker of all places?" Adrien pointed out.

"Well yeah, that and the rest of the stolen stuff," Alya said.

"But here's the thing, this good luck charm was a gift from Marin. He gave it to me months before Lila even joined the class full time."

"So what you're saying is..." Nino said as he started to put the pieces together.

"Why would Marin steal something that originally belonged to him and put it with a bunch of the other stolen items? The only one who could have taken it was Lila, back when she came over to my place to study."

"And you think just because of that Lila is the one who framed him?" Alya asked as she looked more interested as to what Adrien was saying.

"I do think that Marin and Lila had something going on. Whenever we'd hang out he always seemed uncomfortable about when she hung around or I brought her up.

Alya took a deep breath. "Adrien I hate to say it, but that's all circumstantial. We can't go to the Principal with only suspicions.

"Alya-" Adrien tried to argue back, standing up.

"First off, a culprit always leaves clues. If you're so quick to accuse Lila, you might just overlook another potential baddie, or baddies." Alya said.

"Right, but Marin only got suspended because someone clearly set him up. Whoever did this was pretty smart, all they needed to do was leave the note on Miss Bustiers desk and let everyone else arouse suspicion. It's the perfect crime." Nino observed.

"You're not actually saying we take this lying down, are you? Adrien asked, standing up before his friend.

"Of course not dude, but there's no way to tell who did this." Nino said defensively. Suddenly, all their phones rang out with an Akuma alert.

"This is Nadja Chamack, live from the Arc de Triomphe, where Ladybug is battling against a new supervillain! Adrien's eyes widened in surprise as he saw a familiar blue woman fighting his partner."

"Ohhhhh, what a scoop!" Alya's eyes lit up, no doubt about to bike down into the city just to snap a shot of the new villain.

"No no no." Nino suddenly said, "Cupcake, I love you, but are you really going to try and pursue this over helping your best friend."

Alya looked conflicted. Looking between the screen and her friends clearly judging her. "Uggghhhhhhhh, you're right." She sighed.

Adrien grasped his phone in hand, walking past Alya. "I'm going to try and find Marin.

"Now?" Alya asked. "The city's on Akuma alert."

"You know me, I can't sit still, ever." Adrien said, but just before he was about to walk towards the entrance of the school he turned back towards his friends."Hey, if it was me being accused, how far do you think Marin would take this?"

"Oh, I'm pretty sure he'd fight someone, maybe even yell," Nino said with an air of certainty.

"Yeah, especially if it was our precious Adrikins."

"What do you mean "especially"?" Adrien asked as he started to feel a little embarrassed.

"Dude. Nino said with a knowing expression. "He spoils you to heck. Like, he spoils everyone, but you take it to a whole new level."

"He does not..." Adrien was about to argue, but realized how futile it was to. Now realizing how much he actually relied on his best friend. But then snapped back to reality as he saw both Nino and Alya smiling at him mischievously, clearly up to no good. "Okay bye." Adrien then quickly sped off of campus, quickly finding a hiding place within a nearby alleyway.

Adrien took a deep breath as Plagg then hovered before him, not even saying a word as he pouted. His expression softened as he could sense his Kwamis worry. "Don't look at me like that. I'll feel more guilty than I already do."

"Well, you should! What were you thinking?!"

"That's the thing, I wasn't, Plagg." Adrien said as he clutched his shirt.

"You realize what happens now don't you?" Plagg asked as he dropped his previous attitude.

Adrien nodded as he hugged his Kwami close. "Yeah...you're one of my best friends Plagg."

"Ugh- enough of that mushy stuff! We have to go and help your lady, don't we?" Plagg snapped as he pulled back from his hug.

"We're a team, just like you and I are on the same team. Plagg, claws on!"

* * *

"What kind of day is this?!" Marin yelled at himself as he found himself hidden in an alleyway, pacing as well as he could within the narrow hall with his face scarlet red. Earlier that mistake wasn't his fault, now this was all on him. His mind was hazy, he couldn't sense the Akuma headed straight for him. He trained to keep his emotions under control now, everything was terrible. Now he was trying not to replay every single moment he shared with Chat Noir before he was Adrien.

"Chat Noir- Adrien, saved you!" Tikki said as she hovered before him.

"Tikki! There was hundreds of ways he could've handled this situation, but he chose to act in the worst way possible, now..." Marin stopped talking for a moment as the weight of the situation hit him. "He has to give up his Miraculous because I couldn't control my emotions."

"Marin," Tikki said more gently. "you can't be in control at all times, you're human, it's natural that you'd want to feel upset over being accused."

"It's not just that Tikki, you know that. I've trained for exactly this, and the one time I drop my guard my partner, who is actually my best friend, decides to handle it himself. Now Chat Noir's identity is out in the open all thanks to me." Marin said in defeat, resting his back against the wall holding his face in his hands.

"If you had been akumatized, nothing could have stopped you from handing your Miraculous over to Hawkmoth." Tikki said as she hovered before her owner. "If your true identity had been revealed then everyone would've known who you were. Hawkmoth would've found his direct connection to Master Fu, and you'd have to go into hiding just like him. Adrien didn't just save you, he saved all of us. There would have been no more Ladybug to protect Paris, end of story."

Marin averted his gaze as he then grasped his arms. "But now there's going to be no more Chat Noir." He took into account what his Kwami was trying to say, but this whole situation still made his head spin. Just to add fuel to the flame by some forsaken will of the universe, the Akuma alert beeped on his phone. Marin took it out, quickly scanning over the news much to his chagrin.

"Sure, why not add Mayura onto this day. Not like I had plans to curl up into a ball in my room and just ugly cry myself into an early grave." Marin said pessimistically as he quickly realized that implication of Mayura and someone who looked exactly like him fighting her on live television. The whole scenario just reeked trap, especially since Mayura just happened to appear in a highly populated part of the city.

Marin then immediately pulled up his contacts quickly scrolling through until he found who he was looking for.

"What are you doing?" Tikki asked. "We have to get there before Chat Noir."

"I know, but this time, we have a chance to get the jump on Mayura. We can't waste this opportunity and just jump into battle."

* * *

Chat Noir landed on top of the Arc de Triomphe, watching as Ladybug was taking on Mayura toe to toe.

"My Lady!" Chat Noir called out, but then immediately regretted it as he distracted his partner long enough for Mayura to critically hit him, sending him tumbling to the ground. Chat Noir gasped as he knelt next to his partner. "You okay?" He asked.

"Don't worry about me-" Ladybug said, but as he tried to stand up he winced and held his side in pain.

"Not until- huh?" Chat Noir was about to say before Ladybug rested his head on his shoulder, using him as a crutch.

"Sorry, I'm holding you back..." Ladybug gasped as he turned his head towards him.

Internally, Chat Noir was screaming at himself, begging his head to stop beating like a drum.

"I've always gone out of my way to hide my true feelings for you, but I just can't do it anymore."

Chat Noir froze as he held Ladybug lacing their fingers together.

"After all this time, I've realized that you're always here for me, even when I keep rejecting you. Your feelings haven't changed, and mine are growing stronger every day. I can't keep pretending anymore."

Chat Noir remained frozen as he realized just how close he and his partner were to each other. He was frozen in place, his heart racing in anticipation-

Then all of a sudden Chat Noir was knocked back, next thing he knew he was looking up towards another Ladybug who had his eyes narrowed at him.

"Seriously?" The other Ladybug said with displeased expression and his arms crossed.

Chat Noir's ears flattened with embarrassment as he saw the two Ladybug's before him, one of them a fake. "In my defense. One of you is a very convincing copy." He said as he took out his staff looking between the two of them.

"Chat Noir, he's trying to pull the wool over your eyes. He must be a fan of Ladybug who's been akumatized by Hawk Moth!" One of the Ladybug's said, the injured one, who struggled to stand.

"Just think for a second, your priority isn't your partner, it's Mayura!" The other Ladybug tried to reason, sounding a little agitated.

But then Chat Noir suddenly felt something held against his neck as Mayura grabbed him from behind.

"No one move." The villainess said coldly.

The agitated Ladybug immediately grabbed his yo-yo, glaring at Mayura while still keeping one eye on the other Ladybug. While the injured Ladybug suddenly stood normally, now looking docile as he took out his yo-yo. Somehow, Chat Noir believed that he wasn't getting out of this situation, or this day without getting tongue-lashed.

"We meet again Ladybug." Mayura said with a sinister smile on her face. "Do it."

"Senticharm!" The formerly injured Ladybug said, throwing up his yo-yo and receiving a large blaster, now aimed at what was clearly the real Ladybug.

"Let him go Mayura." Ladybug demanded.

"Of course. Once you give me your Miraculous." Mayura said as the imposter-Bug pointed his blaster at Ladybug's back.

Ladybug looked back at imposter-bug, then back at Mayura and his partner; who was shaking his head. "Don't do it." Chat Noir said.

"Fine. Just don't hurt him." Ladybug said and Chat Noir's heart sank into a pit.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN FINE?!" Chat Noir snapped at his partner who was walking towards Mayura at gunpoint. He couldn't believe it, Ladybug would never- oh. Chat Noir's ears then perked up as a wave of realization washed over him. He glanced at his partner, then at the imposter-bug, then at Mayura who's eyes were glued on his partner before them.

"Have to admit. This sentimonster is your most elaborate yet, save for that one flaw."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, it's missing my bugaboo's temper. But here's the thing that not everyone knows." Chat Noir said as his partner began to remove his earrings. "My Ladybug really likes making friends behind my back."

Right on cue Ladybug revealed himself to be Rena Rouge in disguise, just as Mayura was knocked to the ground; kicked by Ladybug from behind. Chat Noir then was tackled to the ground as the imposter-bug started blasting them. They took cover on one of the arc's while Rena Rouge jumped on the other side.

"Whatever it takes, steal their Miraculous and don't hold back!" Mayura called out.

Chat Noir was pushed against a stone wall, blushing furiously as he looked up towards his partner's face, more focused on the battle than their proximity. "So, you wanna tell me what's happening here?"

"Do you?" Ladybug said rather coldly, not even looking at his partner. "You were tricked by a sentimonster."

"Hey, give me some credit here, he looks exactly like you." Chat Noir sighed. "Not everyone can sense Amoks."

"You never think before you act do you?" Ladybug huffed as Chat Noir suddenly felt a rush of guilt; realizing that this could be his last time fighting alongside his partner.

"What can I say? When it comes to you, I never hesitate." He noticed Ladybug flinch slightly, but he didn't say anything as now they had to focus on getting out of there in one piece. "Got any hint of where the amok is?"

Ladybug nodded, peeking over the edge. "Mayura has the possessed item with her."

"So do the three of us take out that deviously handsome copy and then the bird witch?" Chat Noir asked.

"Rena Rouge has already used up her power. I told her to retreat once she was exposed. It's on us to take them out."

"Just the way I like it." Chat Noir said with a smile.

He saw a smile

"Lucky Charm!" Ladybug said throwing up his yo-yo in the air, from it he received a fork. It only took a moment for the two of them to easily think of a plan and not even a second later, Chat Noir folded his hands together for Ladybug to jump on. His partner gained enough height to land on the skylight on the monument, digging the metal fork into it effectively stunning both Senti-bug and Mayura. Chat Noir then followed up by dashing towards the sentimonster, no longer hesitating at the reflection of his partner.

"You know I usually never hit a lady, let alone my Lady. But for you, I'll make an exception." Chat Noir said as he knocked Senti-bug off-balance, pinning him to the ground with his arms behind his back. He then watched as Ladybug kicked something out of Mayura's hand and then used his yo-yo to bind her, removing any chance of escape.

"It's over Mayura." Ladybug said as he stood over her.

Chat Noir's heart raced with anticipation, if they were to actually find out the villainess's true identity then they would have a way to find out who Hawkoth really was. However, he saw Ladybug hesitate for a moment as he looked down towards Mayura. But Chat Noir didn't have a chance to ask as his eyes widened in shock. Ladybug was then grabbed by someone who landed on the roof along with them, struggling to escape as there before them was Hawkmoth in the flesh.

"My Lady!" Chat Noir called out, feeling a familiar sense of helplessness that he felt earlier that day. He looked around quickly, then saw what was kicked out of Mayura's hand, a key chain of the Eiffel Tower that was fallen before them. He couldn't hold the Senti-bug in place and also save his partner. But ultimately, there was no other choice. He released Senti-bug and made a mad dash towards Hawkmoth just as Mayura was about to free herself from her bindings.

"Cataclysm!" Chat Noir said, leaping towards the two villains. Hawkmoth released Ladybug who then fell into Chat Noir's arms with his Cataclysm still pointed at the two villains. Ladybug coughed, trying to catch his breath, but still was on guard as their two greatest foes stood before them. Hawkmoth stood before Mayura who held out her hand.

"I release you from existence," Mayura said and both Chat Noir and Ladybug looked behind them to see the Sentimonter clutch their chest in pain, looking at them helplessly before disappearing altogether along with the Amok.

"Her Miraculous-" Ladybug was about to say but didn't have the chance as Hawkmoth then disappeared along with Mayura. Chat Noir watched as Ladybug walked over to the keychain of the Eiffel Tower, the formerly possessed item that gave life to his doppelganger. "Sentimonster's aren't meant to be used like this. Especially not by someone like her..." He said gripping it in his hand. He then shook his head, no doubt trying to push away the negative memories as he threw the fork into the air. "Miraculous Ladybug!" Ladybug said, and everything turned back to normal.

"Huh." Chat Noir hummed as he walked up towards his partner. "Kinda always thought that you had to purify an Akuma or an Amok for that to work." Chat Noir said, just as his heart started to hurt looking at his partner. "I'm sorry about earlier, for falling for that copy of you...twice. You didn't have to save me back there though, you could've just taken out Mayura then and we'd know her identity by now."

Ladybug looked back him with a sincere look on his face. "Just Ladybug by itself doesn't sound half as cool, without Chat Noir to back it up."

Chat Noir averted his gaze as he clenched his fists. "You shouldn't say things like that to me."

"It's true though." He heard Ladybug say as he walked towards him. "We're partners, no matter what."

"Ahhhhh- why do you have to be like that?!" Chat Noir grimaced as he scratched the back of his head.

"Like what?"

"Someone who can just sweep me off my feet just a single look. You, someone who couldn't even look your own copies in the eye!" Chat Noir admitted as he squatted down to try and hide his flushed expression.

"I-It's not my fault! It's embarrassing!" Ladybug suddenly snapped as his face turned red with embarrassment. "You're the one who got the cool costume while I'm running around Paris in polka dots!"

Chat Noir then looked up towards his partner who very rarely looked so off-balance. His face softened into a smile as he chuckled then rested his hands in his arms, still squatting down to hide his face. "I must have dreamed about this moment over a million times." He said in melancholy. "where I'd reveal my identity to you and confess how my I'm actually in love with you and how I want us to run away together to somewhere out of Hawmoths reach. Maybe some remote island where's we could just be happy with each other's company and adopt a hamster named..." All of a sudden his words were broken by Ladybug's Miraculous beeping. As Chat Noir realized their time was shorter than he anticipated he took a deep breath. "well, I guess it doesn't matter now." He said as he stood up facing his partner honestly, only slightly wishing that he was taller than him for this one instance. "I love you. Probably more than you realize, and I'm sorry for everything."

"W-why are you telling me this now?" Ladybug asked, looking a little disturbed more confused at what was happening right now.

Chat Noir squeezed his eyes shut, desperately wanting to hold onto his friends' hand, but knew he didn't have the right to reach out towards him anymore.

"I...I transformed in front of someone. My identity is out there in the open so I can't be Chat Noir anymore." He said, and winced as he saw the shock and heartbreak in Ladybug's eyes.

"Why are you telling me this?" Ladybug asked.

"Because I have to-"

"NO!" Ladybug suddenly snapped at him angrily. "Why are you telling me this happened?! If you didn't, if you hadn't told me then everything would've been fine! Why couldn't you have kept it a secret?!" His partner asked almost accusing him.

Chat Noir stared at his partner for a moment, taken aback until a mournful smile broke out on his face. "Because that's not what you would've done." He said honestly, taking the hit that was Ladybug's look of betrayal written all over his face. Even so, he took a few paces forward until he was standing next to him, both of them looking in different directions. "I already said bye to Plagg. Look after him for me?"

"It's insulting you even have to ask." Ladybug said angrily.

He deserved the it, having their last moments with the person he loved most end on a bitter note.

Chat Noir said with a smile as both of their Miraculous beeped for the final time.

"Was it worth it at least?" Ladybug asked as the distance between them wedged further with each passing moment.

Chat Noir chuckled, pushing his hair back as he looked up towards the sky. "Had to be, who would ever want to give up all this willingly?"

Next thing he knew, Ladybug grabbed his hand, forcing him to look at his definite expression.

"No matter what you say, it's not over." Ladybug said boldly, making Chat Noir's ears perk up in surprise. "You can't confess how you feel and not expect me to respond."

Chat Noir couldn't help but smile mischievously at his partner."Responses and resolution are overrated. It's the suspense that's the addicting part."

The two then broke under the serious overtone, resting their foreheads against each other as they tightened their grasp to each other. Chat Noir closed his eyes, believing that it would hurt less if he didn't have to see his partner leaving. But it was somehow worse once he no longer felt the warmth of Ladybug's hand, opening his eyes to a now lonelier place.

* * *

That night Marin sat on his bed as Plagg hovered before him holding his Miraculous in his hands. He had already returned Trixx to Master Fu and had planned to do the same for Plagg.

"I'm sor-" Marin was about to say just before the Kwami of Destruction hissed at him.

"Hey! if I have another apology today, I am going to bite someone. " Plagg huffed as he then sat on Marin's hand. "You're not a bad person, Adrien's not a bad person. It was just a bad situation. This isn't on you, and this isn't on him."

"But- OW!" Marin winced as Plagg immediately bit his thumb, enough to pinch him but not draw blood.

"I mean it!" Plagg said.

"Alright alright...but, are you really okay with this? Once I give you back, Master Fu will probably choose another Chat Noir."

Both Tikki and Plagg exchanged a look before Plagg turned back towards Marin. "Getting new owners is expected, after all, humans live such short lives."

"We're expected to adapt once we get new owners, if ever." Tikki chimed in as she hovered before Marin's face alongside Plagg. "This wouldn't be anything new for Plagg."

Marin averted his gaze, knowing that both Kwami's were right. Unlike him, they had far more experience with something like this, with changing and adapting to new situations even if the conditions weren't favorable.

"But..." Plagg added, looking away sheepishly. "Look after him, would you? He's a mess. Without me to look out for him who knows what kind of trouble he could get himself in."

"Yeah, I promise." Marin nodded as Plagg returned to his Miraculous, turning the ring back to it's original form atop his hand. Marin clutched the ring with both of his hands, holding it close to his chest as he could sense Plagg within.

"What are you going to do now?" Tikki asked. "Once you give it back, Master Fu will begin his search for a new Chat Noir."

Marin closed his eyes, trying to process his entire day.

* * *

The next morning, Marin opened his eyes, still wearing his school clothes from yesterday, still clutching the ring of Destruction in his hand along with his cat body pillow. He didn't want to walk up, but he knew all too well once he was up he was up.

Just brushing his teeth and washing his face, he walked down the stairs towards the bakery. His parents had already told him yesterday that he would be helping out in the bakery, which was nothing new. But he doubted that even baking would-

"There you are Dupain Cheung!"

As Marin stepped into the bakery he saw an unexpected sight, Chloe of all people standing in his parent's shop at an ungodly hour. Marin turned towards his parents who took the hint and left the room. Marin waited until he heard their footsteps within their living room before he spoke up.

"Chloe? What are you doing here?" Marin asked with a little hesitation.

"I just came to tell you that you're going to school today." She said crossing her arms with a frown on her face.

Marin furrowed his brows in displeasure, thinking that maybe Chloe hadn't heard the news yet- or just chose to ignore it. "Chloe, I'm suspended."

"Not anymore you're not." She said with her hands on her hips. "As it turns out, you can't be suspended just from some anonymous tips along with literally all of the class getting angry over circumstantial evidence."

"But the answer key-"

"Was planted in your bag, and really reflects more on Miss Bustier for not immediately reporting it missing when she couldn't find it. Plus there's no telling who gave her that note, so for as we know it was just a set up to make you look bad."

"The stolen items-"

"All returned with your friends acting as character witnesses to how much of a good boy you are. Once you pick apart supposed facts, this whole mess really just falls apart. Now are you going to school or not?"

"That...can't just be it. Nothing is ever solved-"

"Do you want to go back to school?" Chole interrupted, looking up directly at him with an annoyed look on her face.

"Y-yeah."

"Then stop being a brat about this." She said, then turning around so fast her ponytail hit his face. "I...may have also pulled some strings, but don't think I'm being nice or anything. You just helped me out so I'm returning the favor. "

"When did I help you-"

"You airhead!" Chloe chided looking back at him but then calmed down for a moment as she averted her gaze. "I just can't stand anyone messing with you other than me! Think of this as just good karma for when you were there to help me out when I needed it." Chloe said curtly, not even waiting for an answer as she left the shop quickly, leaving him stunned.

"What was that about?" Tikki asked as she noted a small smile break out on Marin's face.

"It's kinda a long story." He said rubbing the back of his head. But then felt butterflies in his stomach as he realized that he now had to go to school with a reputation on his back. But as he shoved his hands in his pocket, he realized that Plagg's, Adrien's, Miraculous was still in there. Almost immediately he recalled that he'd have to do the unthinkable, actually converse with Adrien- Chat Noir, like nothing was wrong. He had to see the person he fell in love with after he told him, his best friend in the world, to stay away. "I really am the worst..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -This episode is 0 to 100, and then from 100 to 9000 and then from 9000 to, yes I did just cram all of that into one episode (This chapter got my heart hurt)
> 
> -If I've learned anything from playing Ace Attorney it's that even if you know who the culprit is, you can't prove anything without heaping loads of evidence and a punch of frustration.
> 
> \- Marin doesn't call out Lila in particular because he doesn't have any reason to believe she would go so far. They don't have the same height of animosity as canon Marinette and Lila.
> 
> \- For the sake of contrived plot there's no Scarlet Moth. (what am I saying this whole chapter is convoluted contrivance)
> 
> \- Marin's Akumatized form would be Prince Pierrot in contrast to Princess Justice. And just like with Chat Noir, if Ladybug was akumatized, it would be something completely different. (and if he had gone through with being Akumatized then it would bring Paris to her knees. But it shall be saved should ever Marinette get Akumatized)
> 
> \- Adrien protect, Adrien atacc, but more importantly, he just wants to do what's right by himself and his super best friends
> 
> -Originally, this was going to be cut into two parts, for reasons, but I just went with the full episode. Now it's like, 2/3 of what I originally planned.
> 
> -This is going somewhere. I promise.
> 
> \- Also calm down, they're just super best friends.


	65. Christmaster Disaster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nino's little brother turns Paris into a Winter Wonderland under tyrannical rule. But without Chat Noir, Ladybug turns to another ally for help. 
> 
> (Also calm down.)

Adrien shoved his hands in his pockets as he walked down the street, feeling butterflies in his stomach flutter with each step towards the theatre. He and the rest of his friends had planned this outing a few days before...the incident happened. But he perked up as he saw Alya waiting outside the theatre on her phone.

"Hey Alya!" Adrien said walking up to her but noticed that her attention was squarely on her phone. "Al-"

"It doesn't make any sense!" She suddenly said in annoyance. "Chat Noir hasn't been seen for weeks, Ladybug's been avoiding any interview, what the heck is going on?!"

Aaaand any hopes that Adrien had with this being a pleasant evening were thrown out the window. He averted his gaze nervously as Alya ranted on about not having solid news on Chat Noir missing. Part of him was kind of glad that he wasn't replaced so easily, but then again...

"Maybe they had an argument?" Adrien suggested, trying to ignore the stinging.

"You don't think I've thought about that?!" Alya snapped, making Adrien flinch at her tone. "I've thought about this probably about a million times, and not in any situation would they- well." Alya conceded for a moment as a new idea popped in her head. "You don't think Chat Noir was working for Hawkmoth or anything right?"

"What?!" Adrien asked, dumbfounded.

"It's a classic hero story," Alya said adjusting her glasses. "Two heroes are drawn together by destiny, becoming comrades in battle, forging powerful bonds of friendship. And then, BOOM, tragedy." She said dramatically. "Chat Noir was working for Hawkmoth all along just to get the Miraculous."

"That's ridiculous, everyone knows how devoted Chat Noir is to Ladybug."

"Right, but what if that was all a cover? Just pretend to be the lovestruck fool to lower everyone else's guard, even his own partners. As far as I know, Ladybug seems to be the one who summons their partners. So maybe there's a special reason for that. Oh! Maybe Chat Noir actually started to care about Ladybug so much that he couldn't muster the strength to tell him the truth, not wanting to lose what they had. But something worse happened, Ladybug had to find out on his own, through a villain, maybe that Mayura chick. And now Chat Noir had to return to the shadows in order to protect what information he knew from Hawkmoth to keep Ladybug and the rest of Paris safe."

Adrien stared at his friend as he for some reason allowed her to rant on. "Alya, when was the last time you slept?"

"I don't need sleep."

"You're getting a little obsessed about something that probably isn't a big deal. Maybe Chat Noir's just sick or something. After all, Chat Noir and Ladybug are still people under that mask." Adrien offered as Alya groaned, and then rested her head on his shoulder. Adrien hugged her as he could see his friend needed this.

"I don't have any evidence, I can't track down Ladybug, it's like Chat Noir just vanished without a trace. He didn't even have the decency to tell us if he was really a double agent or not."

"There's no way he was Alya." Adrien sighed.

"That's what I'm saying, there're no leads to follow. I'm kind of at my wits end here." Alya sighed. They stayed like this for a little while, getting a few stares off the street but Adrien knew that supporting his friend was a little more important than a little embarrassment. Then he was hugged from behind as Nino rested his head on his other shoulder.

"Hey dudes." Nino greeted. "Why're we hugging outside the theatre?"

A smile broke out on Adrien face as he chuckled at his best friend. "Alya's slowly losing her mind over this Chat Noir thing." Adrien informed as Nino nodded in understanding.

"She tell you about her Chat Noir villain theories?" Nino asked as Adrien carefully transferred Alya to her boyfriend without breaking the hug.

"They're becoming surprisingly more detailed," Adrien noted as Alya moved to hug Nino, currently capturing him in a Koala hug. He then looked around noticing a certain someone wasn't here. "Marin didn't come with you?"

"Nah, I got stuck with Noel so Marin offered to babysit him while we went out. I tried to say it was alright, but you know how Noel gets when he's cranky and how Marin gets when he's around kids." Nino informed.

"Oh...right." Adrien said as he scratched the back of his head. "Do you two want me to come along? Seems like I'd be the third wheel without-"

"No way dude!" Nino suddenly said. "Friends first, couple stuff second. Besides, Marin's been acting a little weird around you lately, did anything happen between you two?"

Yes. I am Chat Noir, we had a secret friendship for months. I saved him from getting Akumatized only to scare him away and now I'm all alone because I lost my Kwami and the love of my life. Not to mention, my best friend won't answer any of my texts and can't stand to even be in the same room as me anymore.

"Well, whatever it is. You two should work it out soon." Nino recommended as he then dragged his girlfriend and his best friend into the theatre by hand. "You sure you didn't say something to him?"

Adrien took a deep breath as every part of his being screamed at him not to do this. "I...said I didn't like his macaroons." The moment Adrien said that he heard glass shattered in the back of his head. Alya snapped out of her funk as she and Nino stared at him, visibly offended like he had broken some unspoken taboo.

* * *

"Come on, look at all the nice plushies, don't you want to play with them?" Marin offered as he held his stuff toys before Noel. He'd offered to babysit for Nino so his friends could go to the movies, but soon realized that he was probably out of his element. Usually Nino was with him to help quell his little brother's more boisterous side, but today he was on his own.

" I hate dolls. I hate toys. They're for babies!" Noel snapped as he kicked his backpack, scattering all of them on the ground.

Marin sighed, "I'm sorry Noel but your mom said no video games."

"I'm not scared of monsters like you. I'm a big boy!" Noel pouted angrily, crossing his arms and turning his head away from Marin.

Silently, Marin promised himself no more watching scary movies at his friends' house. He'd just have to sit alone at home in the dark if he wanted to overcome his newfound fear of possessed ventriloquist puppets. He placed his plushies away back in the chest, but as he opened it he caught sight of a familiar box that was tied with ribbon. He stared at for a little while feeling uneasy.

"Hey, what's that?"

Marin flinched as he quickly shut the chest, sitting on top of it trying to act casual. "What's what?"

Noel looked up at him in annoyance. "Hey no fair, come on what are all those gifts?"

"What gifts? There's no gifts." Marin said nervously as he rubbed the back of his neck. His eyes darted around, laying on one of Noel's fallen toys. "Hey, why don't we play with your snow globe?" He tried to offer, but saw that it wasn't working on the kid.

"Tell me why you have so many presents in your room!" Noel demanded.

Marin averted his gaze. There was no way he could tell Noel the truth, that he'd taken up crafting gifts as a hobby for someone he'd...thought that he liked at one point. But now realized that he had mixed up those feelings of admiration for something fictional.

"I can't tell you, it's a super-secret," Marin said, but that only seemed to prod Noel further. "You wouldn't be interested in these, because gifts are for babies, right? And you're a big kid aren't you?"

"Yeah, so I can keep secrets!" Noel insisted as he stood before Marin eagerly. "Tell me, I promise I won't tell anyone!"

"I can't tell you this secret Noel." Marin said, trying his best to be sincere, but quickly realized that it fell on deaf ears. He wasn't getting out of this unless he gave Noel something to chew on. He looked down at the globe in his hands, tapping the glass with his nail before he got an idea. "Alright. You've found me out, I'm actually one of Santa Claus's secret elves on a secret mission, to protect these gifts.

Marin grimaced wondering when did lying become his go-to for simple solutions.

"Hmm," Noel inquired as he stared at Marin in disbelief. "Are you lying? You don't look like an elf. They're supposed to be short and funny looking."

"...That's because those elves live in the north pole, they're Santa's helpers. I'm a special elf, one that looks like a person so no one suspects anything. But I can't say anything else, otherwise, I'll lose my elf license." He lightly teased, hoping that was enough for Noel to stop asking questions.

"Hey wait, that means you can give me my Christmas present early!" Noel said as his eyes lit up much to Marin's chagrin. " I asked for a Grobotech Ultimate Destructor! It's easy, it's gotta be the biggest one in the box!" Noel said as he tried to open the chest but found no luck.

"Now wait a minute, I thought toys were for babies."

"Christmas isn't for babies, Chrismas presents are for everyone!" Noel grunted as he continued to try an open the trunk. "Can't I please have my toy Marin?" Noel asked now changing his tune. He widened his eyes, looking up at him sweetly. But Marin knew the intent behind that fake smile, Manon had trained him well for these kinds of moments.

"Sorry Noel, but Christmas rules are very strict. You don't open gifts early. Santa gives them at Christmas, not at Easter or Halloween. Otherwise, you'd might as well have a bunny or a witch delivering your presents."

Noel pouted, crossing his arms, but looked up to Marin with a little hope. "But, since you know him, you could ask him if I could have my toy? Can't just you call him on the phone or send him an email?"

Marin shook his head. " I can't do that. He's extremely busy all year round, that why he has to hire special elves. Besides, your present isn't here anyway. We elves don't watch over gifts for kids we know, one of the elves must have it. Santa's the only one who would know where to find it because he knows who's getting what. He has a list of good children."

Noel sat down on the ground in a silent tantrum, clearly not liking the answer he received.

"Hey, why don't we go for the park?" Marin suggested kneeling before Noel. "Your big brother's coming by to pick you up soon. Why won't we meet him at the park and I'll get you some nice cotton candy while we wait."

Noel didn't say anything, sitting still as Marin picked up his toys and putting them back into his bag.

* * *

Marin stood awkwardly as he held Noel's hand while they waited in line at the snack vendor. He hadn't said a thing since they left his house, now Noel was pouting and uncharacteristically quiet.

"Next."

Marin turned towards his head towards the vendor and was taken aback as he saw Master Fu wearing a fake mustache and clearly standing on top of a crate behind his stand. Over the past few weeks Master Fu had been jumping from job to job to support his new lifestyle.

"What'll it be sonny?" Master Fu asked in-character, speaking a different accent, he wasn't sure what kind but it had to be an accent of something.

"...One cotton candy please, sir." Marin asked, crossing his arms as he watched Master Fu spin cotton candy before him. It was kind of surreal finding Master Fu pop up in random places across town, but oddly enough this wasn't the weirdest place that Marin had come across him.

"What a handsome young lad. Is he your brother sonny?" Master Fu asked playfully, but Noel didn't respond.

"I'm actually watching him for a little while." Marin said to keep up appearances.

"Why thé long face young man?" Master Fu asked looking down at Noel who started scrunching up his face in frustration.

"Santa isn't going to give me my present until Christmas!" Noel suddenly yelled out, crossing his arms as a new tantrum was triggered.

"Ha, we've had a day." Marin chuckled nervously as he quickly handed Noel the cotton candy then gently pushed towards him towards a nearby bench. "Why don't you sit while I pay?" Marin suggested, gently pushing Noel towards a nearby bench. Marin forced himself to smile as he watched Noel walk away begrudgingly for a moment before his smile dropped as he already knew what kind of face his master was making. "Don't act smart with me Master Fu, I already know what you're going to say."

"Oh really?" Master Fu asked innocently despite the mischievous twinkle in his eye.

"Yes," Marin sighed, "You were going to say; Marinus, you need to choose a new Chat Noir to help aid you in fight against Mayura and Hawkmoth. I know that you feel guilty about returning the ring but that doesn't change the fact that you need someone who you can trust to fight alongside with."

"I was actually going to ask you to pay for the cotton candy."

"Oh, sorry, how much do I-" Marin asked taking out his wallet.

"But it is nice to hear that we're on the same page." Master Fu said as he happily caught his student in his trap, almost laughing as he saw Marin crush the euro in his hand. All I am saying is a change in scenery is good for the youth. Take some stress off their shoulders, make them less mouthy to their elders."

"I can hold my own Master." Marin said unapologetically.

"I don't doubt that, but you must admit; you have been more cranky lately."

Marin narrowed his eyes as he clutched the sleeves of his jacket. "I'll ask for help if I need it. I don't need a new partner replacement. So how long are you staying in this area?" He asked trying to change the topic.

"You know me, always moving." Master Fu said simply. "Plagg is doing well. He's adjusting back to his former life slowly." Master Fu informed as Marin looked away guiltily. "It is nice to see you with company this time, usually I'm just stuck with you."

"He's my friend's little brother, but he's being particularly moody today, so I had to fib a little," Marin admitted shamefully as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Hm, a child being stubborn towards his elder engaged in a web of lies, sounds very familiar." Master Fu said cheekily as he stroked his beard.

"Good-bye sir." Marin said abruptly as he walked away from Master Fu, but the pit in stomach grew as he saw Noel just sitting on the bench looking at his cotton candy, untouched. Marin took a deep breath as he sat down next to Noel. "You know, there is one exception to the Christmas rule."

Noel lit up as he clutched the snow globe in his hand. "Really? What is it, what is it?"

Internally, Marin screamed at himself not so say anything further, but he couldn't bear to see Noel looking sad. "Santa is allowed to make one exception but only for the best-behaved kid in the whole world."

Noel's eyes widened in anticipation. "Who's the best-behaved kid in the whole world?"

Marin hummed for a moment, keeping the child in suspense as he tried to think of a reasonable answer." Hm, maybe Ladybug?" He said even though he was sure that was far from the truth.

Noel nodded, seeming to concede as he slumped back down on the bench. "Well, seeing as he saved Paris a gazillion times, that makes sense." He said as he took the cotton candy from Marin, taking a bite of the fluffy sweet.

"Marin!" Alya called as she and Nino walked into the park together. Marin counted himself lucky that Adrien wasn't with them.

"Did you guys have fun?" Nino asked as he tried to get his brother's attention, but was receiving the silent treatment.

"How was the movie?" Marin asked handing Nino his brother's bag.

Nino exchanged a glance with Alya. "Awesome. Thanks for watching my bro, Marin. Hm, what's up little dude?" Nino asked crouching before him, then all of a sudden his little brother began to cry out.

"I want it to be Christmas right now!" Noel whined breaking his silence with another tantrum.

Marin exchanged a surprised look with his friends before chuckling nervously. "Ah-ha...we had some rough patches," Marin admitted as Alya picked up Noel in her arms.

"There there little koala." Alya cooed trying to calm him down as Noel clutched her tightly, taking a lap around the park, leaving Marin and Nino alone.

"So hey...Adrien asked about you." Nino said folding his hands behind his back.

"That's nice." Marin said reflexively as he handed over Noel backpack. "If there are any toys anything missing I can drop it off at your place later today."

"He didn't say anything mean to you did he?" Nino said seeing though Marin's attempts at diverting the conversation, looking like he was trying to inquire about something.

Marin looked away guiltily before shaking his head."No, no. He's...I'm just trying to work through some stuff. Sorry if it seems like I'm avoiding him."

"But you are avoiding him." Nino pointed out.

"I am not, I'm just...busy." Marin argued back but was undermined as his voice cracked.

"You literally try to avoid him at any opportunity.

"That's ridiculous, you're just being paranoid."

"Dude, literally anytime Adrien walks in a room you leave. What the heck happened?"

"...He said that he hated your macaroons."

"He sai-" Marin held himself back, coughing once to hide his tone that rose in annoyance at his best friend's audacity. Then again, all those cookies he let Adrien try were experimental. His eyes widened in a newfound concern. He pictured Adrien as the kind of person who could lie to protect their feelings. He covered his mouth, using his arm as a rest for his elbow as a conflicted expression drew on his face.

"...W-what's happening?" Alya asked as she was walking back up, looking between the two in confusion.

"Eh...I may have made a mistake." Nino admitted, clapping his hands together. "Well, we're going to take off. Don't worry about what I said, Adrien probably didn't mean it-" Alya then nudged Nino's arm with an annoyed look on her face. "He definitely didn't mean it. I don't know what I'm saying."

"You and Adrien need to talk Cutie pie," Alya said reasonably. "Whatever you two are doing is just delaying the inevitable. Hurry up and chat before I lock you two in a room so we can all go back to being friends again." Alya said with a smile, but it was just a cover before a very real threat.

"...right." Marin nodded, waving at his friends as they walked towards the bus stop. As soon as his friends were out of sight, Marin groaned heavily, even placing his hands on his as he could feel the weight of this whole situation on his back.

"A Christmas elf on a secret mission? Letting everyone continue to think you hate Adrien? Don't you think you're going a little too far this time?" Tikki asked, poking her head out of Marin's messenger bag.

"Well, what am I suppose to do, tell everyone the truth?" Marin asked as he walked back towards his house.

"Why not? I thought you were planning on telling him how you felt." Tikki asked.

"Wha- I don't-" Marin said reflexively before he realized he was talking to Tikki, who knew practically everything about him. "I mean, I do like Adrien. I just realized that everything I felt was just because I admired him. I was just confused about what I was feeling, but now I'm not." He said abruptly as his face started to burn with embarrassment, hoping that his Kwami would drop the whole thing.

"Then why don't you just give him the jacket if you don't care." Tikki pointed out, not dropping the topic. "After all you went out of your way to try and give it to him on a special day."

"I...I still haven't forgiven him." Marin said, averted his gaze as he quickly grew annoyed with this line of questioning. He wasn't on trial, this was dumb perfect Adrien's fault, being a kind and caring friend. It sickened him...he tried to reason to himself.

"Forgiven him? Or haven't realized that you're mad at yourself for being hypocritical." Tikki suggested. "It's a classic love story, when a dangerous secret is revealed and the protagonist is angry at the betrayal, but eventually they and the love interest come to an understanding and they become a couple."

"Classic? What have you been reading?" Marin asked in surprise. "I didn't give you any books like that."

"Unimportant. You're upset because you kept saying you didn't believe in love, and now you're facing it head on." Tikki said as Marin opened the front door of his house and quickly walked past the bakery where his parents were working.

Marin gripped the sash of his messenger bag, looking down at his Kwami wondering if she was enjoying this on some level. "It just means I need to reflect on how moved I get when I receive kindness from strangers. Adrien was nice to me once and I actually thought that mean he liked me. Adrien's nice to everyone, that's why he's such a great person, but big deal everyone's nice to an extent. For all it mattered if it had been anyone else I probably would've been the same kind of fool for them. I had a bad day and he made it better." Marin reasoned as he walked up the stairs towards his room.

Tikki flew out of his bag as soon as they entered his room, looking at him in disbelief. "If you were that shallow then anyone would've done. But you felt a connection with both Adrien and Chat Noir, which is why you kept trying to push it away when you found out they were the same person.

"Ugh." Marin groaned, placing his hands on his forehead in frustration as he sat at his desk. "This is too juvenile." He grumbled to himself, then he turned back towards the trunk, feeling the presence of everything that he had kept hidden. A few week ago, he found some sort of comfort with them in the room, like he could indulge within a little fantasy that he had cultivated. Now they were just a constant reminder of how sappy he actually was. "Remind me to get rid of everything in that trunk." Marin asked, then proceeded to take out his school textbook and read ahead.

* * *

Marin's groaned as he opened his eyes. Somehow he had fallen asleep at his desk as he was using his textbook as a pillow. He looked around to see Tikki sleeping in her yarn basket, but then something caught his eye as he thought he saw something white fall from the sky outside his window. "Huh?" He questioned as he climbed up to his deck, lifting up the skylight he saw snow falling from the sky along with flying catfish breathing fire. Marin then looked over the edge of the railing spotting a troop of life-sized plastic army soldiers patrolling the streets.

"...How long was I asleep?" Marin asked in disbelief glancing at Tikki who had phased through to where he was standing. Then came a T-Rex running down the street barking orders to a Teddy bear about finding Santa Claus.

"What are we going to do?" Tikki asked turning towards her partner halfway back to his room. "What are you doing?"

Marin stared at his Kwami for a second. " I'm going back to bed." He stated as-a-matter-of-fact-like but was stopped by Tikki pulling a lock of his hair. "Ow! What was that for?!"

"See? You're not dreaming." Tikki pointed out with a mischievous smile as Marin frowned at her rubbing his head.

"Couldn't just let me go could you."

"Nope, we have a job to do."

Marin sighed heavily, stretching his arms over his head as a pseudo-warm-up, silently wishing he had just stayed asleep. "Alright, Tikki, spots on!"

* * *

Ladybug took precautions as he lept through Paris, stopping for a moment before a jumbotron and Nadja looking worried while she reported the news.

"Nadja Chamack here, don't be bemused it's just the news. Paris has been literally invaded by giant toys looking for Santa Claus-"

"Major Teddiski here, Santa Claus. All your toys belong to us. If you don't give yourself up real quick, this little city of Paris will go kaboom, lickety-split! Under the order of Christmaster!" A familiar teddy bear announced.

"Wha-!" Ladybug said as he was taken off guard by deer flying away from what appeared to be some kind of wreckage...of a giant sleigh. He looked down into an alleyway, seeing a large sleigh and a man wearing a red suit. Ladybug stared in disbelief at this entire situation; Paris had turned into a winter wonderland- of sorts-, toys were running amok on the streets, and for some reason, they were looking for Santa Claus for a to-

"Oh." Ladybug murmured before slapping his forehead. "I'm an idiot." He sighed before jumping down into the alley, walking up towards the man looking at the wreckage in distress. "Santa Claus?" He asked in a little disbelief at the person standing before him. He was a textbook image of the fabled jolly old man, even smelling like cinnamon cookies and the hearth of a fireplace. It was suspicious.

When Santa turned around his eyes lit up in relief. "Ladybug, as I live and breathe. I'm relieved to see you. I don't know what happened, one moment I was in the north pole preparing for Christmas and the next I was here. My poor reindeer were even scared off."

Ladybug stared at him for a moment trying to push back the urge to cross-examine everything Santa had just said but instead dryly coughed. "You're in danger the longer you stay on the street sir, I need to get you to safety." He said eyeing something in the alleyway. "Santa, do you know where Nino Lahiffe lives?"

Santa looked at him questioningly as he saw Ladybug digging through the dumpster, pulling out a ragged trenchcoat. "Of course, I know every child in the world, but uh, why?"

"Excuse me." Ladybug said taking off Santa's hat, trading it for the coat of questionable smell. "Put on the jacket, it'll mask your smell and appearance so that you'll be harder to track. I'll divert the attention while you get to safety. Just tell Lahiffe that I sent you and hopefully he won't panic." Ladybug informed as he used his yo-yo to jump on the rooftops.

As soon as he was in a blind spot of the catfish and the soldiers below he took a deep breath. "Tikki, Spots off." He said as his Kwami landed in his hands. "I'll need you to direct the heat far away from here. Think you can play keep away for a little while?"

"Of course, we're a team after all." Tikki nodded as she took the hat from Marin's hand. "Leave it to me."

"Alright, I'll need you to give me about an hour, be careful Sugarcube." Marin said, watching Tikki hide under the hat and then fly away far from where the wreckage was. As soon as she was out of sight, Marin then used the fire escape to climb down from the building jumping down to the ground and then backtracked towards the park.

* * *

The streets were empty for the most part as Tikki had done her job but Marin still had to watch out for the catfish flying overhead. He crouched near a familiar van, knocking on the door to signal his presence. The door opened to reveal Master Fu no longer wearing his disguise along with Wayzz hovering nearby. Marin jumped in the white van closing the door behind him. As soon as he did Wayzz immediately hugged his cheek.

A smile broke out on Marin's face breaking his anxious mood for the first time in a few weeks. "I missed you too." Marin said, letting the Kwami sit on his shoulder as he turned towards his Master. "You may have been right about one thing Master." Marin admitted. "I'll need some help with this one." He admitted.

"Then-"

"Not about a new Chat Noir." Marin clarified. "I just need to borrow Wayzz for a little while." He requested.

Master Fu nodded in understanding as he took off his Miraculous, handing it over to Marin along with its box.

"Come back safely."

"I will Master." Marin said respectfully before he peered out of the van, looking around carefully before he sprinted for cover.

* * *

Marin was hidden from sight in an alley just near Nino's house, counting his stars that he was able to arrive at Nino's house without any trouble. He took off his Ladybug Miraculous for a moment before then placing them back on, effectively resummoning his Kwami in a red ball of light. He smiled as he saw Tikki again who looked at him with look of accomplishment.

"How far did you get?" He asked.

"All the way to the Eiffel tower." She confirmed. "We Kwami's fly fast you know."

"Nice work Sugarcube." Marin praised. "Tikki, Spots on!"

As he transformed back into his hero suit, he backed up a few steps to use a fire escape to jump on top of the roofs, giving off the illusion that it was where he was coming from. He then jumped into the Nino's back yard and knocked on the backdoor.

Ladybug only had to wait for a few seconds before he heard rapidly growing footsteps, then saw his best friend standing at the door looking both frantic, disheveled, and relieved all at once.

"Dude!" Nino said in relief, quickly hugging Ladybug who was surprised at Nino's forwardness before being pulled inside. Ladybug noticed Santa Claus had taken off the ratty jacket and was sitting at the kitchen table eating store-bought cookies and drinking milk. "You have a ton of explaining to do, but first, have you seen my little bro? He was in his bedroom and then-"

"Disappeared?" Ladybug guessed, his suspicions confined as Nino nodded.

"Yeah, how did you know?" Nino asked.

"It's a hunch, but I'm guessing your brother is behind all of this, which is why I asked Santa Claus to come here." Ladybug said. "Chances are you little brother was Akumatized into turning Paris into this."

"But, he could be anywhere, how are we gonna find him?" Nino asked.

"It'll be hard, which is why I'm going to need your help to save your little brother. Are you in?" Ladybug asked holding out the Miraculous Box towards his friend.

Nino nodded but just as he was about to accept it, he hesitated, darting his eyes at Santa Claus. "Uh, should we do this in front of him?"

Ladybug followed his eyes and then shrugged his shoulders. "Why are you worried? He's just another part of Noel's Winter Wonderland." He said, but then quickly realized he may have been a little inconsiderate as Nino gasped in shock.

"Dude! That's not cool." Nino scolded placing his hands on his hips. "Saint Nick is literally sitting right there."

Ladybug stared at him in disbelief for a moment. Sure, he could argue that Santa Claus wasn't real, but really, he just wanted to get this over with. "...sorry."

"That's better." Nino said, taking the Miraculous box and opening it up. A green ball of light appeared before him before it materialized into Wayzz who smiled at the sight of his other partner.

"Dude!" The two greeted as Nino placed his Miraculous on, then quickly transformed into Carapace.

"So, what now?" Carapace asked.

"I'll need you to grab some wrapping paper, a ribbon, tape, and a huge box."

"How big?"

"Big enough for you to fit in." Ladybug specified. "Also is there any stationary around here?"

"Yeah." Carapace nodded."Just in one of the kitchen drawers, but why exactly do we need this stuff?"

Ladybug flashed him a sly smile. "Because we're going to give Christmaster exactly what he wants."

Carapace looked confused about the plan but nodded as he ran off to collect what was needed. Meanwhile, Ladybug then turned towards Santa who was still distracted by the milk and cookies. He quickly found the stationary he was looking for and then grabbed a nearby pen just before he turned back to Santa.

"Mr. Claus?" Ladybug asked as Santa turned towards him with a jolly expression.

"Oh, Ladybug, I didn't hear you come in, guess I was that parched." He chuckled, wiping the crumbs and the milk mustache off of his face. "What can I do for you?"

"I need a huge favor from you sir."

* * *

Ladybug stood in the center of the city square near the Eiffel Tower with a huge box next to him all wrapped up and another present attached to his belt. "Christmaster, I've got your Christmas present, come and get it if you want it!" Ladybug announced but wasn't planning on just a toy helicopter showing him along with a giant platform flying platform that descended from the cloudline. His eyes narrowed as he realized he had to act fast if he didn't want to lose his one-way ticket to seeing Christmaster.

As the toy helicopter grabbed onto the large gift, Ladybug immediately used his yo-yo to scale up the Eiffle tower. He had just narrowed hooked onto one of the platform's blocks before it started to ascend into the cloud line once more. He then hid behind a few blocks, narrowing his eyes as Christmaster was now in sight. The young boy was eyeing the large present greedily as it was presented to him. Ladybug zeroed in on the familiar snowglobe, sensing the Akuma within it.

"Wow, awesome!" Christmaster cheered as he walked towards the present walking towards it while holding a snow globe in his hand. But just as he was about to open it, a toy dog approached him with a hat in his mouth.

"Christmaster, we have no leads to Santa Claus's location, all we found was this hat." The dog said.

Christmaster glared at his toy angrily, "You're such a dumb-dumb! I said not to come back until you find Santa Claus and my present. So don't come back until you do!" Christmaster yelled, throwing a tantrum. But just as the dog was about to leave, he glanced at the present, he'd probably have a suspicious expression if he could emote.

"Chrismaster, this present smells suspicious." The Dog pointed out as he approached it, sniffing it carefully. "It smells rotting, but it also has the smell of macaroon cookies and cinnamon."

"Huh? What are you talking about stupid? This is a gift just for me-" Christmaster said just as Ladybug threw his yo-yo towards Christmaster, aiming for the snowglobe, but missed as the dog pushed him out of the way, getting entangled in the wire.

"Carapace, now!" Ladybug called out, triggering his partner to jump out of the present. "Aim for the snowglobe!"

"Right!" Carapace called out, quickly taking out the Dog and dashing towards Christmaster who looked at them angrily.

"Hawk Moth wants your earrings Ladybug, and once I take it Chat Noir's ring is next!" Christmaster threatened.

"Christmas presents are only for good boys and girls Christmaster." Carapace said holding his shield in hand. "Sorry, but you don't make the list."

Christmaster growled at Carapace before looking down towards a pair of toys, grinning mischievously as he picked up Ladybug and Chat Noir action figures. "That's what you think!" The villain said as he snowglobe started to glow, transforming the pair of toys into a larger version, now soldiers under Christmaster's control.

"Talk about playtime." Carapace said now worried as he held up his shield.

"Lucky charm!" Toy Ladybug said summoning a mace.

"Cataclysm!" Toy Chat Noir said, activating his power.

Ladybug narrowed his eyes as he started spinning his yo-yo defensively. "I'll take Chat Noir, you take out toy me." Ladybug directed.

"Oh yeah speaking of-" Carapace said, defending as Toy Ladybug tried to attack him. "Where is Chat Noir?"

Ladybug grumbled as he backflipped away from Toy Chat Noir's grasp.

"Because you know, I'm just asking for a friend. But if you two are having some kind of couples skirmish-" Carapace said knocking Toy Ladybug back and ending up back-to-back with Ladybug. "I think you two could work it out."

Ladybug pulled him out of the way as Toy Chat Noir tried to attack them again, but accidentally destroyed Toy Ladybug as they tried to attack at the same time.

"Morbid." Carapace commented. "Think we can take out your partner?"

"We can't." Ladybug said. "We'll need that thing's help if we want to destroy that snowglobe."

"How are we suppose to do that?" Carapace asked as they both evaded Toy Chat Noir once more. It then turned towards him again, raising his hand above it's head.

"Cataclysm!" Toy Chat Noir said, activating how power again.

"I may have an idea." Ladybug said throwing his yo-yo over his head. "Lucky Charm!" He said, and watched as a roll of ladybug printed ribbon fell from it. "Hm. Seasonal." He commented as he then ducked from one of Toy Chat Noir's swipes. "Carapace!" Ladybug signaled just as he tumbled out of the way, dashing towards the throne where Christmaster was sitting.

Carapace nodded in understanding, following Ladybug's lead, holding up his Shield against Toy Chat Noir but was taken aback as his shell shield disintegrated before him. "Uh, oh."

"Now!" Ladybug called out just as he grabbed Christmaster who was trying to fight back against the hero's grasp.

"Shell-ter!" Carapace said, activating his power, effectively trapping himself, Ladybug, and Christmaster inside the bubble.

"Nice work." Ladybug said patting Carapace's shoulder as he held Christmaster in his other hand who was struggling in his grasp. "Now them." Ladybug placed Christmaster down before him, kneeling before him as Toy Chat Noir was trying to break through the shield.

"You babies think you can beat me?! My toys are going to beat you all up!" He claimed but didn't have any more toys to help him out while he was behind the Shell-ter. The Toy Chat Noir held its hand over his head, activating another Cataclysm that started to make the Shell-ter crack.

"Hurry up please!" Carapace called out as he saw the Toy Chat Noir lining up another Cataclysm.

"I'll make you a deal Christmaster." Ladybug said.

"Huh?" Christmaster stared at him in surprise as he saw Ladybug take out the present that was attached to his belt and then gasped as Ladybug ripped the paper away. "Grobotech Ultimate Destructor!"

"You know, I had to ask Santa Claus personally for this toy.

"But- how did you know?" Christmaster asked in amazement.

"I talked to your friend Marin, and you what he told me? He said that his friend Noel was a good boy who'd share his toys with anyone."

For a moment, Christmaster looked conflicted as he clutched his snowglobe. "...I wasn't a good friend to him, was I?"

"Probably not, but if you won't mind, would you want to trade this for that snow globe of yours? I promise I'll give it right back."

"It's what a responsible big boy would do." Carapace chimed in, helping out as Christmaster traded the globe for the toy he desperately wanted. Christmaster immediately fell to his knees in excitement, ripping the rest of the paper off and taking out his new robot happily.

"Ready?" Ladybug said as he handed the globe over to Carapace.

"Yeah." He nodded. A moment later the Shell-ter shattered and Ladybug bound Toy Chat Noir's arms and legs together skillfully after he and Carapace knocked him off balance. By the time they were finished with him the action figure was struggling but was unable to escape. Carapace was about to press the snowglobe to Toy Chat Noir's Cataclysm but was stopped as Ladybug placed a hand on his shoulder. Ladybug then tilted his head towards Chrismaster who was still playing with his new toy happily.

"Let's give him a few minutes." He requested but then felt embarrassed as Carapace smiled at him smugly.

"You're a huge softie."

* * *

Ladybug waved to Noel just as he dropped him off at his front door, smiling for a moment before he used his yo-yo to jump into the nearby alleyway where Nino was waiting.

"Thanks for your help today Mr. Lahiffe." Ladybug said gratefully. "I couldn't have done this without you."

"Dude, you can call me Nino. We're practically buds at this point." Nino said as he handed back the turtle Miraculous.

Ladybug stared at him for a moment. "...nah, that seems a little forward." He said sheepishly while Nino sighed.

"Man, are you this much of a stickler around Chat Noir?" He asked crossing his arms.

Ladybug averted his gaze as he placed the Miraculous within his yo-yo, slowly growing more anxious. "Moreso."

"You know, you two kinda remind me of these other buds of mine. They're arguing or something but one doesn't want to talk to the other." Nino said not realizing the implications of what he was saying. "It's like, I know they're really good friends but it's stumping me on what could make them hate each other this much."

"...If they're really as good a friends as you say, then it was probably something they can't get past."

"Is that what happened with you and Chat Noir?" Nino asked sympathetically.

"Something like that." Ladybug sighed, now wondering why it was easier to confide something like this as Ladybug more so than as Marin.

"Well, real friends can get past anything together. That's why I'm sure we'll see Chat Noir again." Nino said with an infectious smile, one that made Ladybug smile at his optimism. Nino quickly hugged Ladybug before he then left, running back to his house to greet his brother. Ladybug heard his Miraculous beep for a final time, allowing himself to transform back as he caught Tikki in his hands.

"Good work today Sugarcube." He said softly as he took out a macaroon from Tikki's snack pouch.

She accepted it happily, chewing slowly to gain her strength back again. Marin rested his back against the wall of the alley, placing Tikki on his lap. He hesitated for a moment before his took out his phone, scrolling down towards a familiar contact.

* * *

The next day Nino left Noel with Marin as he was going on a date with Alya at the amusement park.

"Thanks again for looking after the little dude, Marin." Nino said gratefully as they stood in Marin's room. "Have I ever told you how awesome you are?"

Marin chuckled nervously unable to believe that Nino thought of him so highly when he was a terrible friend. "...Hey, have you heard from Adrien?"

"Hm?" Nino questioned. "No, he's got fencing training camp all day at school, why?"

"...no reason, I just had something I had to give him that's all. See you later." Marin quickly clarified as Nino then left. The moment he did, Marin placed Noel on the ground before him. "Noel, I owe you an apology, I shouldn't have told you that I was one of Santa's elves. But you were acting—"

"Lika a baby, I know." Noel said finished off Marin's sentence then looked up at him apologetically. "My mommy says lying is wrong. So from now on, we'll always tell each other the truth, okay?" He asked holding out his pinky towards him.

Marin was stunned for a moment but then smiled as he returned the gesture. "Alright. As long as you stop trying to act all grown up."

"Psh." Noel scoffed. "You act all grown up too." He pointed out. "You lied just so I wouldn't find out what was in the chest."

Marin stared at him for a moment before getting embarrassed at how right this kid was. He groaned into his hands, before facing Noel again. "You're right, Noel. I should be honest with you about what's in there." He took a deep breath as he walked over to the check, placing a hand on it. "Okay. Here's the right, this guy at school I have I really like-"

Almost immediately Noel looked at him in disgust, placing his hands on his ears. "Ew! No stop! I hate romantic stuff. Gross!"

Marin was taken aback. "It's not love! I just made all these things because I-"

"Lalalalalalalalalaal!" Noel yelled out trying to drown out Marin's reasoning, even shutting his eyes so he wouldn't have to look at him.

Marin frowned at the young kid before he chuckled in amusement."Yeah, I knitted and sewed all these gifts because I really thought he'd like them, but now I'm just finding out that he probably didn't even like the cookies I bake him? Who does he think he is, continuing to just let me made a fool of myself." Marin said jokingly as he grabbed Noel who was trying to escape his friend's grasp. Marin wrapped his arms around Noel's waist and then proceeded to tickle him furiously, smiling in amusement at Noel squirmed in his arms furiously unable to hold back his laughter.

* * *

Adrien slumped down on the bench, chugged down water as just as he was exhausted from an all-day practice. He was so tired he hadn't even bothered changing out of his fencing gear yet, and he was in no hurry. Somehow he was happier hanging around school than just being at home these days. He hadn't realized how large his room really was thinking back on it. Even though Plagg was a tiny roommate, he always had a knack for making anywhere feel more welcoming than if he was on his own.

He was then snapped out of his thoughts as he saw Kagami standing before him, already having changed out of her uniform. "My mother is waiting outside, do you want a ride back?" Kagami asked holding her fencing bag in hand.

"Yeah, sure-" Adrien said with a smile but then got distracted as he looked down at his phone seeing that he got a text from Marin. He was stunned for a moment, for a moment he thought that he was seeing things. He unlocked his screen and saw a single text.

[Marin: If you're free, please meet me in the classroom.]

He stared at the screen for a moment, refreshing the message box to make sure it was actually real. This couldn't be a prank, it did sound like Marin. But on the offhand that it was someone who was pulling a prank or something...

Screw it.

"Kagami, I need to grab something so go on ahead without me." Adrien said not waiting for her answer as he walked towards the second floor shouldering his fencing bag over his shoulder.

As he approached the classroom, Adrien clutched his fencing jacket feeling his heart race with anticipation. He had no idea what this was about, or what he was going to say, but he could wing it, despite past experiences. Adrien hesitated as he stood before the classroom door, taking a deep breath as he opened it to an empty classroom. He looked around in confusion until he saw a white box sitting at his desk. Curiously, he walked towards it after placing his bag on the ground. His eyes widened in surprise as he saw a ladybug printed bomber jacket. He was no designer by any means, but he even he could see how professional the stitching and assembly was all together. Adrien's eyes widened as he then recalled he and Marin having a conversation that happened practically a lifetime ago. He'd all but forgotten, but apparently Marin remembered.

He was then surprised by his phone ringing, once he saw the contact he immediately answered.

"Hey."

A sudden pang of loneliness hit Adrien as he heard his best friend's voice. "Hey. Where are you?"

"Just standing outside, uh, please don't come out also, happy belated Saint Athanasius Day."

Adrien clutched the soft fabric of the jacket in his hand as his heart started to race. "That's my fifth name." He said, he knew he shouldn't be surprised that Marin knew something like this, but even so, it made him extremely happy to be thought of.

"Yeah, I heard. I wanted to give it to you on that day, but...you know." Marin said as his voice started to strain. Adrien winced as his momentary bliss quickly disappeared but quickly tried to change the subject.

"You actually remembered that I wanted a Ladybug jacket? That was months ago, even I forgot after that day we had."

"How could I forget? You had me running around the city in my pajamas!"

"But we had fun right?"

Marin sighed heavily, but Adrien could practically hear him smile as they both remembered the fond memory. " Yeah, after that I spent weeks just choosing the right fabric. I practically wove my heart and my soul into that thing so you'd better appreciate it."

"I appreciate everything you do." Adrien said honestly.

"..."

"Marin?" Adrien asked.

"Nino told me you said that you didn't like the macaroons I baked."

Adrien cringed at his own folly, of course, Nino would mention this to Marin. They knew each other way longer before he and Alya came into the picture. "I only said that because you were avoiding me. It was the only thing I could come up with."

"Yeah, well- you're pretty good at covering things up."

Something sparked in Adrien's mind as he heard that, if it was anyone else that feeling would have festered into resentment and anger. He hadn't known Marin for very long, and vice versa, but all accounts he should be angry at him. After everything he'd done, everything they went through as friends, he didn't deserve this kind of treatment, to be shunned to always feel like he did something wrong. Part of him wanted to be angry, to blame his best friend for losing his cool, for almost getting akumatized, for making him try and save him...but, unfortunately, he knew better. He knew his friend better than that.

"I'm not Chat Noir anymore." Adrien said openly before he shut his eyes tightly, biting the bottom of his lip for a moment before he spoke up again. "Could we...I mean, can we go back to being friends like before?" Adrien practically begged as his chest felt tight. Those few moments of uncertainty felt like an eternity, he was so used to putting himself out there and getting rejected. If it happened again, with this best friend...

"No."

Adrien opened his eyes, not even realizing that he was holding his breath the entire time he was waiting. He asked feeling a wave of sadness almost overwhelm him. He'd known loss all too personally, but this, being abandoned by someone who he truly cared about...it stung.

"Adrien, I just asked you here to drop off the jacket." Marin said sternly, sounding more cold and distant that he'd ever heard Marin sound before.. "We can't just go back to the way things were before, it's not that simple. Even if you're not Chat Noir anymore, it doesn't change anything between us."

Trying to be reasonable, as always.

"Do you really hate me that much?" Adrien asked, his voice heavy with emotion as he spoke in an accusing tone.

"Hate you- What are you talk-"

Adrien shut his eyes tightly again, trying his best to push back the tears. "Even if I hurt you, I at least need you to say it aloud so I can move on. Because if I don't, then I'm still going to see you as my best friend."

"Adrien I don't hate you. I could never hate you no matter what." Marin insisted, sounding more frantic.

"Then, why don't you want to be friends anymore?" Adrien asked, then heard Marin groan from the other end.

"I can't tell you that."

"Why?"

"It's too embarrassing to say."

Adrien gripped this phone in hand, partly wanting to laugh at that childish response. "What do you have to lose? You already don't even want to be in the same room as me. What could you possibly say that could make this any worse for you."

"Fine, you want to hear the truth?!" Marin said as he grew more annoyed. "Ever since you transferred into our class, everything just seemed to be better whenever you were around!"

Adrien's eyes widened at his friend's boldness.

"On that first day we met, I was so sure it would be terrible, especially with that whole gum incident. But you surprised me, you actually apologized and then decided to actually be my friend. It was the first time anyone had ever been that kind to me. Ever since then, you just made everything better just by being around, I was always really happy being around you. I can't even found how many times I thought my heart was going to burst. But even though it meant so much to me, I did the worst thing by hurting you. I shouldn't have told you to stay away from me when you needed a friend, and that's something I'm never going to stop regretting."

"Marin."

"Just, let me finish, and then you can hate me afterward, or whatever." Marin said, his voice heavy with guilt. "The truth is, I was actually really happy when I found out you were Chat Noir, more than you could ever realize. I felt so happy and glad that my best friend and the person I looked up to were the same person. Which is why I couldn't be around you; I felt too ashamed at how happy I was because all the while I knew how much of a bad friend I was. So before I apologize one million times for being a bad friend, at least let me thank you first." Marin said taking a deep breath. "Thank you for always smiling, thank you for always talking to me, thank you for allowing me to be your friend, thank you always being kind even when I didn't deserve it, thank you for being someone who was always inspiring me to always try to be a better person, and thank you most of all for being my hero."

There was a brief silence between them as Adrien tried to process everything Marin had just told him, his cheeks heating up in embarrassment at the amount of affection his best friend had for him. It stunned him for long enough that he heard Marin growing more anxious.

"Uh, listen I'm no good at saying how I feel. I was planning on telling you how I felt on Saint Athanasius Day but..." Adrien didn't say a word as he listened to Marin while walking towards the door.

* * *

"I...I really like you, more than like. I love you so much it's hard to even be near you-" Marin said as he leaned against the wall, but then flinched as he heard something behind him. He didn't dare look back as his face turned scarlet red with embarrassment. His voice was already horse from talking so much, if he had to endure another emotional crisis he wasn't sure he'd survive.

"Say that again." Adrien asked as he grasped Marin's hand, ensuring he wouldn't escape.

He was dead.

"Say what?" Marin asked absentmindedly as he was quickly losing all sense of reasoning and any will to escape. It wasn't helping that he was sure his ears were red at this point as well.

Both of them flinched as he heard footsteps on the first floor, being reminded that they weren't exactly alone. But before Marin would attempt a strategic retreat, Adrien dragged him into the classroom while closing the door.

Reflexively, Marin covered his face with his free hand, sinking to the ground with his back against the door. "Please don't look at me." He whimpered. How many times did he need to be reminded that feelings were dumb and he was better off bottling up and tossing whatever human feelings he had into the voids of his mind? Where were the good old days of not having any friends, no crushes, no superhero escapades, and he just sat in the dark studying always on the brink of falling ill?

"Marin." He heard Adrien say softly as he continued to grip his hand. But Marin refused to answer, instead, he favored to remain completely still. Hoping that maybe, just maybe, Adrien would go away and he could just melt on the spot. Problem solved, no emotion needed.

"Okay." Marin heard Adrien say, but before he could see what was happening, he felt arms envelop him as Adrien hugged him tightly.

"Wha!"

"I'm not looking at you so this is probably fine right?" Adrien said as Marin could almost hear a smile.

"No! Do you want me to pass out?!"

"Of course not but you don't want to look at me and I don't want you running away from me again. You seriously think I'm going to let you go after telling me something like that?"

"I didn't say anything!" Marin insisted despite his voice cracking.

"Really, because I just heard you say that you lo-"

"AHHHHH!" Marin wailed, intentionally interrupting him as he gripped the back of Adrien's fencing jacket, while Adrien laughed rather cruelly.

"What was even your plan if I decided to just walk out of the classroom and do this? You know I'm way stronger than you."

"I could've hid! There are a bunch of other empty classroom" Marin said for argument's sake. "Somehow this is worse."

"Why because you love me?"

"Wha- I don't- No. No. I don't love you, I just...I'm mixing up infatuation and adoration with something else, it's dumb, I'm dumb. Please let me go."

"Not until you say you love me."

Marin groaned as he rested his head on Adrien's shoulder"...I hate you now. Forget everything I said, there, I said it. I hate you we're not friends anymore. Now please let me go." But he quickly realized he had doomed himself as Adrien laughed.

"Heck no." Adrien said happily. "My best friend is in love with me."

Never had Marin wished to be hit by a meteor more in his life. "WE'RE NOT FRIENDS ANYMORE! You don't even feel the same way about me!"

"How do you know?"

Marin opened his eyes for a moment as he rested his head on Adrien's shoulder, his face obscured from view."Because...you like Kagami." He said almost questioned while at the same time wishing not to know how Adrien felt. He'd already been burned too many times when he tried to lead with his heart, he didn't need this kind of hope if it was going to bite back.

"Yeah I like Kagami because she's my friend, but so are Nino and Alya and everyone else in our class. Don't you want to know how I feel about you?"

"No. Never. I'm better off not knowing." Marin said curtly as he closed his eyes again.

"What? But it's so romantic." Adrien said cheekily. "Isn't it the duty of a knight to proclaim his love for his prince?" Marin grasped Adiren's jacket tighter as he could feel Adrien polling back, now resting his forehead against his. Never in his wildest dreams could he ever have imagined Adrien saying something like this, Chat Noir on the other hand...

"You have to open your eyes sometime Marin." Adrien said, smiling through his words.

He had to hold out as long as he could but he knew all too well he'd falter the moment he saw those green eyes, his one true weakness. The eyes of the person he'd truly fell in love with, now on in the same with the one who had always given him the courage to stand tall in the face of his adversity. Truly, he had found his most heinous foe, someone who he'd lose to every single time. Yet at the same time, someone who could make him feel happy just by being close by to.

Sure, he knew he'd cave eventually, but he was Ladybug after all. He may as well give his partner a run for his money while he still had some lingering will.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes:
> 
> \- They're not friends anymore, good night everyone.
> 
> -This chapter was too diabetic what with all the fluff and romance, someone throw me in the trash.
> 
> -I prefer the name Noel to Chris.
> 
> -Master Fu is sassy now to combat Marin's heightened bitterness.
> 
> -Nino is good boy and deserves friends.
> 
> \- Originally, Marin was planning on confessing to Adrien on Saint Athanasius Day, which- for the sake of this story- was the same chapter as Ladybug (but more on that later)
> 
> \- Adrien having the right to be angry about his best friend is valid, however, in this situation, he was more hurt by losing his best friend. And then it was just all swept away when Marin confessed.
> 
> \- Adrien's Chat Noir is showing, and while he may not realize how much he loves Marin just yet, he's getting there. He's going to be sad about Plagg for a while, but at least he has his not-friend back.


	66. Trojan Ikari Gozen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marin reluctantly participates in a game where he's up against his best friend and not-friend in a three-way bet, but faces some conflict as he has Kagami for a partner, also when her mother becomes Akumatized.

"Hey, buddies. As you know, Friendship Day is officially coming up-"Marin immediately skipped past the ad on his phone, silently apologizing to Mireille.

"What's up with you?" Alya asked as they sat together on the second-floor staircase together. "I thought you were excited about this, you had me remind you about this about one hundred times."

"That was before I found out who the celebrity host was." Marin grumbled before he started watching video on crocheting, not noticing Alya's frown.

"Dude!" She suddenly snapped, startling her best friend. "What the heck happened between you two? Apparently you two talked and Adrien's fine but you're still acting like this? What's up with that?"

Marin sighed heavily, "Don't worry about it. But you should know that I'm not doing it."

"Not going to do what?" Adrien asked as he walked up, resting his hands on the railing as he looked at his friends.

"Nothing, good-bye." Marin reflexively said placing his headphones on right about to leave before Alya pulled him back and locked her arm around his, keeping him in place. The two glared at each other before Alya turned towards Adrien with a smiling face.

"Oh, we're just talking about that Friendship day scavenger hunt tomorrow."

"Oh cool you two are doing that?" Adrien asked looking intrigued.

"Nope. Alya is, I'm not." Marin interjected, intentionally looking down at his phone with an annoyed expression on his face before Alya jabbed his side.

"Yes. We are. Because a good friend wouldn't abandon his best friend who made sure he signed up by filling out all the forms for it, right?" Alya remarked glaring at her best friend, to which Marin returned with the same intensity. This went on for a while before he then sighed heavily.

"...right." Marin said as he adjusted his headphones. Despite what he felt there was no way he could ignore all that Alya did for him. "I guess we're going to be there as well."

"Who knows, maybe Cutie Pie and I will get teamed up and I'll just have to force him to play the game just to reach the goal."

"That'll be tougher than you may think Alya, practically everyone is going to be playing, even my friend Kagami and she's a force to be reckoned with." Adrien remarked as Marin's eyes darted towards him for a moment before they turned back to his phone.

"Sounds like a challenge, care to make a wager?"

"What do you have in mind?"

Alya hummed for a moment as she glanced at Marin then back at Adrien, "How about a winner take all between the three of us?" She recommended. "The two losers have to do any one thing the winner says, within reason."

"What are the win conditions?"

"Whoever wins the contest wins the game, or in your case, doesn't make it to the end."

"That sounds like fun."

"For you maybe, considering almost the whole city is playing and all you do is have to wait around." Marin remarked curtly.

"I'll only lose if you don't try." Adrien pointed out, undeterred by his not-friend's tone. "Are you willing to place your fate in Alya's or my hands?"

Marin lifted his head as he stared at the two before him feeling the presence of blackmail behind their friendly smiles. "You guys are the worst." He sighed as the bell rang, signaling the end of the school day.

Alya waved as she shouldered her bag and then jumped down the stairs towards the entrance."The contest is gonna start soon, so I'd better get my head start, see ya."

"Head start?" Adrien asked, sitting down next to Marin.

"She's going to head to the heart of the city so she can have a better chance at reaching any location," Marin explained.

"Smart." Adrien remarked, resting his head against his hand as he glanced at Marin whose face was slowly turning red as he could feel Adrien's gave on him.

"...What?"

"So I know we agreed not to tell about...you know, but don't you think that Alya and Nino know at least? They are our best friends." Adrien asked as Marin grew more flustered.

"Well, I mean- they are, and I love them, but- you know," Marin stammered rubbing his back of his neck. "I'm no good at the feelings stuff or people stuff. And they're our friends so they'd be happy n' stuff but, if we do tell them."

"Then this becomes real?" Adrien suggested gesturing between the two of them.

"...yeah, does that bug you?" Marin asked with a guilty expression.

Adrien hummed to himself as he rested on the stair behind him. "Not really. I like being with you, but I'm not a fan of hiding something as important as this from them, kinda feels like lying."

"If you want to tell them, I trust you to make that choice."

Adrien, in turn, smiled mischievously, "So if I want to tell our best friends that the cutest, most amazing guy in our class is my boyfr-"

"AHH- ha, goodbye!" Marin said promptly, taking this chance to hide his face as he started walking down the stairs.

"Hold on a sec." Adrien asked, standing up as Marin made the mistake of turning around.

"What is-" Marin asked, freezing up as Adrien placed a hand on his shoulder before kissing him on the cheek. It wasn't uncommon for close friends to give each other a kiss good-bye, but Marin knew better when it came to Adrien, who knew exactly what he was doing.

"For good luck, you did say you'd need it." Adrien said, slightly enjoying his not-friend's flustered expression.

"You really are the worst."

* * *

Adrien bounded down the stairs just as school ended, lifting his head in surprise to see Kagami waiting for him nearby his car.

"Hey Kagami." Adrien said as he walked up to his friend but then noticed that she had a conflicted look on her face. "Is something wrong?" He asked, knowing that she usually tried with her mother around this time, and would most certainly be late.

She glanced towards his direction for a moment before sighing heavily. "I'm just unsure about doing this, so I wanted to see you before it began."

Adrien smiled sympathetically as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "If I pushed you towards doing this-

"No, it's not that." Kagami immediately interjected. "I'm just worried about what will happen if my mother finds out I signed up. She won't be happy if she finds out I was wasting time on a game rather than training or studying."

Adrien nodded in understanding. "Yeah, I know the feeling. But I think this'll be fun, after all, you're awesome and I know whoever ends up as your partner will be lucky they did." He said, grinding victoriously as he broke through Kagami's uncertainty. "Oh yeah, a few of my school friends are doing this as well, maybe you'll end up with one of them."

"Your school friends?" Kagami questioned, tilting her head curiously.

Adrien thought for a moment, trying to recall who Kagami had met before. "Well, remember back when I invited you to my friend's band practice? Basically, everyone who showed up there and then some."

"I'm not certain that your friends would like to be paired up with."

"Everyone is so nice, don't worry about a thing, if you're feeling worried or overwhelmed and I'm sure they'll help you out. But I'm sure you'll be great." Adrien praised, but then reflexively stepped back just as Kagami was about to grasp his hand. He felt a momentary rush of guilt seeing her smile fall. "Sorry!" He said, averting his gaze for a moment.

"...No, it's fine." Kagami insisted, shouldering her bag.

"It's just-" Adrien sighed, taking a deep breath as he faced an awkward conversation. "There's something I need to tell you."

* * *

"With one turn of a handle, I can raise the level. Which leads me here of all places." Marin re-read aloud as he stood before the location with a frown, hoping that his bad luck wasn't following him around again.

"Canal Saint-Martin?" Tikki asked peaking out of his jacket pocket.

"Yes, my almost namesake, the place where my parents first came across the magic ice cream man." Marin muttered in embarrassment as he placed his hands on his hips, "Hopefully this isn't a sign-" He said, but then laid his eyes on a familiar face standing before him, looking around.

"What is it? A supervillain?" Tikki asked as she spotted the same person that Marin did. "Isn't that Kagami?"

"Okay, time to go home." Marin said promptly, clapping his hands together as he turned the other direction.

"Marin!" Tikki called out, "You can't just leave her."

"I can if you let me walk away far enough." He reasoned before then feeling his Kwami pinch him in the side. "Ow!"

"Marin, this isn't fair to Kagami. If you won't be her friend, she won't be able to play."

"It's just a game." Marin pointed out, but Tikki frowned at him in disappointment.

"What's wrong? Don't you want to be friends with her?" Tikki asked.

"Tikki I'm pretty sure she can't stand me, also you don't sprain the wrist of someone who you'd consider to be a possible future friend."

"Even so, she's one of Adrien's close friends, shouldn't you at least try?" Tikki suggested as Marin sighed heavily, wondering how he ended up with the sweetest, most right Kwami of the bunch. "Why are you always right?" He asked, grinning a little as he felt her peck a kiss on his hand as he petted her head.

Marin took a deep breath, slapping his face a few times to shake off the nerves. "Okay, I can do this." Marin said to himself as he walked towards the bridge. He saw Kagami already waiting for him as she appeared to be glaring at him. But knowing her, that could just be how she normally looked.

"Hi Kagami." Marin greeted unconsciously gripping his wrist. "What were the odds of you and I being paired up? One in ten million at least. Right? So awesome..." He said trying to faux optimism.

"You didn't look too happy about being my secret friend, though. I saw you turn around and walk away just now." She said bluntly as Marin could feel a cold chill go up his spine.

"I-I actually thought I'd, um, gotten the place wrong. I totally hadn't seen you yet. No way! Really, I'm super excited to play the game with you." He said forcing a smile. He then thanked his stars that both of them received a notification on their phone.

"Congratulations! You've just located your game partner. And who knows? Maybe even a new friend for life. You've just received the second riddle." The app said and then popped a text.

"To get closer to your goal, you must explore further and deeper. This is ridiculous." He sighed, placing his phone in his back pocket, already walking off the canal, closely followed by Kagami.

"You already figured it out?" She questioned.

"Yeah." Marin said. "Each riddle is customized to the area each pair is stationed in. Meaning that as we have to do is to go further down the banks of the Seine, which is deeper than this canal, meaning the next clue is close by." Marin reasoned.

"That is quite insightful of you." Kagami said, "it's surprising to hear someone like you talk like that."

Marin held back for a moment, as he was put-off by her tone. He didn't know Kagami that well, not even knowing if Adrien talked about him at all to her. But even so, he couldn't shake the feeling that she was being a little condescending to him, but then again she was someone who was extremely hard to get a read on. That part of her kinda reminded him of Luka in a sense.

As the approached the end of the canal Marin heard his phone beep, unlocking the screen to see that Alya had sent him a video message. "Heya cutie! I sure hope your partner's as cool as mine; meet Wayhem. You'd better hurry up if you wanna get to Adrien before we do, 'cause we've already solved our first riddle!" She said cheerfully as Marin was surprised to see Wayhem with her. He recalled that he was one of Adrien's other friends one of his biggest fans.

He smiled for a moment before texting her a response before then jogged to catch up with Kagami who was already at the second challenge location. She was fiddling with something in her hands, squatting down next to a box. Next thing he knew Kagami pushed a fishing rod in his hands with a magnet attached.

"Here. Now fish." Kagami said as he reflexively cast out the rod into the river. He saw the lure bob in the water before he reeled up a rusty whistle. Kagami then promptly removed it, tossing it into the box next to her while he cast out again. He had to assumed that the clue had to be marked rather than just be a piece of litter in the river. He reeled in what appeared to be a rusty pan. Kagami then tossed it in the box as they continued fishing.

"Do you prefer to be called by your whole name, or a nickname?"Kagami asked out of nowhere, then flashed her teeth at him.

Marin stared at her for s moment trying to process what she just said. "Uh–my whole name?" He questioned in confusion just as he reeled up another rusted piece of trash.

"What do you mean-"

"Your hair is… very shiny." She seemingly complimented, flashing her teeth again as she tossed the litter in the box.

"...right." Marin said wondering what she was doing. "Your hair is...shiny too?" He then saw her peak at her phone before turning towards him again.

"What is your blood type?" Kagami asked, once again flashing her teeth at him.

"Why?" Marin asked in confusion at this new barrage of information.

"Everyone in Japan knows their blood type, it tells you what kind of personality you have. Mine is O, which means I'm independent, optimistic, strong-willed and intuitive." Kagami explained.

"Well, I'm-"

"What's your favorite season?" Kagami asked cutting him off again.

Marin thought for a moment, hoping she'd actually allow him to respond. "Well, Summer's nice 'cause it's nice and hot. Spring is also nice because that's when all the flowers bloom. Autumn is great too, I just love walking through parks when all the trees turn all sorts of warm colors. But then again I also like everything about winter, despite the fact that I get sick more around that time-"

"You're indecisive, scatterbrained, irresponsible, you have a split personality," Kagami said bluntly as she tossed another piece of litter into the box. Marin willed himself not to bit back at her, but his patience was slowly waning with her constant interruptions.

"Let's say you found out about some special chocolate ice cream; you really want to try it, but someone else gets there first. Do you, A, steal it from them? B, get another type of chocolate ice cream, even if it's not as good? Or, C, never eat chocolate ice cream ever again?" Kagami asked, flashing her teeth at him again. Wait a sec, was she trying to smile?

Marin thought to himself as he reeled in a new looking rice cooker. "Uh– I guess I'd try another flavor?" He said, kneeling down next to the container, opening it up he saw a bottle inside.

"Would you like to get some orange juice with me?" Kagami then asked before Marin held out the bottle towards her. She stared at it for a moment before taking it from his hand. "You've done a great job fishing. Congratulations, Marin. First, we win, then we get orange juice to celebrate." She said, flashing her teeth in what he thought was a smile, placing her hand on his shoulder.

* * *

"Trust challenge. Exchange unlocked phones. Separate and take a selfie in front of different monuments using each other's phones. Then regroup and take a selfie together like the true friends you've become. Once we've received the selfies, we'll send you a final text revealing where Adrien Agreste is hiding." Kagami read aloud as Marin crashed on the bench. His jacket and messenger bag on his lap as he was exhausted from running around the city all day.

"Can't we take a break?" Marin asked as Kagami held out her phone towards him.

"We can take a break once we win." Kagami said bluntly, taking Marin's phone as he took hers. "You really are an indecisive boy. We'll meet back here; we're going to win!" She called as she started sprinting away, leaving Marin alone.

"Ugghh, I'm not built for this kind of thing." He sighed heavily as he rested his head against the bench and closing his eyes.

"Are you alright?" Tikki asked looking up at him in worry.

"I'm alright sugarcube, I just need to do this one more thing, and then I can win the bed."

"Bet."

"Hm?"

"Bet. You said bed."

"Ah." Marin said as she smiled sheepishly, "guess I'm more tired than I thought." He then stood up, stretching his arms over his head. He folded his jacket and placed it in his messenger bag. But just as he was about to start the trek towards the nearest monument Kagami's phone ran. "WAh!" Marin snapped, accidentally pressing the answer button.

"Kagami, where are you? You were supposed to wait for me at home!"

Marin immediately panicked hearing Kagami's mother on the other end. "Uhh– Hello ma'am, I'm not Kagami, actually-"

"Who are you?! Where's my daughter?!" Tomoe demanded.

"I'm uh- I'm a friend of Kagami's-"

"Kagami doesn't have any friends. Why do you have her phone?!"

Marin tried not to let his voice crack but Tomoe was incredibly frightening when she was mad. "Because she took my phone in this game we're both playing, I can assure you that she's-"

"A game?!"

"A game? Did I say game? Oh no, I meant a grab… to grab–"

"Stop fooling around, young man, and put my daughter through. I can assure you she will not be enjoying any glasses of ugh-"

Marin grew worried as he heard Tomoe abruptly stop talking. "Ma'am? Hello?"

"-With pleasure, Hawkmoth."

Marin immediately shut off the call, staring at the phone for a moment. "This is fine." He said as Tikki popped her head out of his messenger bag.

"You need to save Kagami's mom!" She said.

"I know I know, but I need to make sure Kagami's safe first." Marin said. He furiously paced back and forth, trying to think and then lifted his head in realization, running in a random direction and dialing at the same time.

"Marin?"

"Kagami!" Marin said in relief, "does your mother have a tracker on your phone?"

"Wha- yeah probably, why?"

"Because your mom has been Akumatized and she's after you but if there's a tracker on your phone, chances are that she's going to come after me first. So sorry in advance if anything bad happens to your phone!" Marin said as fast as he could before cutting off the call.

"What's your plan?" Tikki asked.

"Run away, as fast as I-" Marin said but then tripped as he felt the ground shake from under him.

He looked back to see a giant red pointy centaur furiously rushing toward him yelling aloud Kagami's name. "Tikki, evasive maneuvers!" Marin beckoned, handing off the phone to Tikki as he dove for cover behind a tree. He peaked out to see Ikari Gozen following the direction Tikki flew in and ran in the other direction, knowing that he'd need help with something like this.

* * *

Marin was gasping for air as he limped into the theatre, "Pop...corn..." He wheezed, holding a ticket for a movie in his hand as half of his body was lying on the snack counter.

" Excellent choice, Marinus, would you like butter on that?"

"N-one sec." Marin said, lifting himself up and then jumped over the counter. "No thank you. No time for pleasantries, I need to help out a friend."

Master Fu nodded, taking the Miraculous box out of a cooler and opening it before him. "Marinus Dupain-Cheng. Pick an ally you can trust right alongside you on this mission. Choose wisely; such powers are meant to serve the greater good."

Marin narrowed his eyes as his hand hovered before the Miraculous Box. For a moment he shut his eyes as he picked up the Dragon Miraculous. "I'm sorry Master, but time I have to do this on my own." He said as he placed the choker on.

"This game you're playing is extremely dangerous Marinus." Master Fu warned as Marin placed the box inside of his messenger bag "Every time you merge two Miraculous together it places a strain on your body that cannot be easily recovered from, especially when you still haven't completely recovered from the last time you used multiple Miraculous at once."

Marin averted his gaze for a moment as he clutched his shirt. He never truly realized how much he actually needed Chat Noir by his side, but asking him for help wasn't an option anymore. "I know you're right master, but sometimes all you can do is trust in yourself."

He took a deep breath, focusing his thoughts summoning a red ball of light that materialized into Tikki.

"Your summoning has improved." Master Fu complimented.

"Marin you need to hurry, Ikari Gozen is close to finding Kagami!" Tikki informed.

"Then we have no time to lose. Thanks Master." Marin said,

* * *

Ladybug landed on top of a fountain as he overlooked Ikari Gozen just as she swallowed Kagami. Which was very weird, but he didn't have time to unpack that right now.

"You're Miraculous is mine Ladybug!" She proclaimed, trying to impale him with her weapon, destroying a foundation in the process.

"Ladybug!" Kagami proclaimed as Ladybug saw her expression of shock. "You were captured by my mother too?"

"...Yes." Ladybug said as he tried to escape the seatbelt, but he wasn't budging.

"What happens now, is Chat Noir going to come save us?" Kagami asked.

Ladybug frowned but sighed before turning towards her. "No. Chat Noir and I aren't partners anymore." He said bluntly but felt bad a little as he saw Kagami looking worried." I promise, I'm going to get us out. Long!" Ladybug called out and a moment later he smiled as he saw the dragon Kwami flew through the Akumatized villain.

"At your service!" She said proudly.

"What is that?!" Kagami gasped in shock at the being hovering before them.

"This is Longg and she's going to help us save your mother. Longg, Tikki unify!" He said, transforming into the combined form of both Kwamis. He could feel Longg's added strength course through his body but at the same time his chest felt tight, similar to back when he unified the powers of multiple Kwamis, he had to do this quickly.

"What just happened?" Kagami asked as she stared at the hero's new form. He couldn't hold back a small smile as he felt a little proud being able to catch the usually stone-faced Kagami off guard.

"This is one of my other forms, Lóng Chóng." He said, then threw his yo-yo in the air, "Lucky charm!" He said, catching a black box with red trim. He hummed in confusion just before he opened up a box of what looked to be red and black bath bombs. Ladybug quickly realized what he had to, throwing them to the ground as he cut Kagami free of her belt using his Jian. Lóng Chóng then held his hand out towards Kagami. "Do you trust me?"

Without hesitation, Kagami grasped his hand as she smiled at him. "Without a doubt Lóng Chóng."

"You'll want to hold your breath then." Lóng Chóng warned just as he closed his eyes focusing all of his energy on himself and Kagami. Next thing he knew he felt his form morph from a solid to liquid, expanding and in turn activating the bath bombs which started to fizz up. Ikari Gozen started to spaz out, falling to the ground as she threw up Kagami. Lóng Chóng quickly caught her in his arms as he regained his physical form then jumped towards a distant fountain before placing her on the ground. He turned to see Ikari Gozen grasping her sword as she struggled to stand.

"Stay here I'll handle her." Lóng Chóng said before he blindingly sped away, only appearing for split seconds as he used vehicles as platforms to gain height. He and Ikari Gozen then clashed swords against each other, both at equal strength before Lóng Chóng's form changed again, this time he could feel himself grow lighter as he dispersed into the air around him, swirling around Ikari Gozen at high speeds. She tried to attack the growing whirlwind around her but was literally trying to attack the wind. Slowly but surely the water that was still on her started to crystalize until a few moments later Lóng Chóng materialized above her, holding his Jian in hand. In a split second he seemingly teleported back down before Ikari Gozen.

Lóng Chóng took a deep breath as he returned his weapon to its sheath. He didn't even react to Ikari Gozen's sword shattered behind him and released the Akuma. "No more mischief from you little Akuma. Time to purify!" He said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion. Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. "Bye-bye, little butterfly. Miraculous Ladybug!" Ladybug said throwing up his lucky charm, returning everything back to normal.

"Tikki, Longg separation." Ladybug said as Longg fell into his hands. "I'll thank you properly later." He promised just before he removed the Dragon Miraculous, then knelt by Tomoe's side, helping her to her feet.

"What's happened to me? Where is Kagami?" She asked grasping Ladybug's arm.

"Your daughter is safe ma'am." Ladybug said glancing at Kagami, who was shaking her head furiously. "She- uh, she's hiding, but I'll make sure she comes back to you safely." Ladybug then escorted her to her car, watching as the car drove off before turning back to Kagami.

"Is there somewhere you'd like me to drop you off?" Ladybug asked but Kagami shook her head, I need to find my partner, I'm worried he may have gotten hurt."

"You don't need to worry about Marin. In fact, he was actually worried about you when he saw Ikari Gozen." He said sincerely.

Kagami folded her hands together, averting her gaze for a moment before facing Ladybug. "I'm sorry for the inconvenience. I snuck away from her because I wanted to play a game, but..." She clutched the hem of her skirt. "But I was just thinking about myself, I didn't think about how it would affect everyone.

"Kagami, you're not an inconvenience, and I doubt your friend thinks so either. If there's something you're worried about, I'm sure he'd listen." Ladybug said just as his earrings started to beep. "Ah, that's my cue, gotta go!" Ladybug said quickly, then used his yo-yo to escape onto the rooftops. However, the moment his feet hit the top he immediately lost all strength, tumbling to the found as his entire body started to ache.

"Tikki...spots off." Ladybug said as he rolled onto his back. Tikki landed on Marin's chest as she flew out of his earrings.

"This is what happens when you push yourself." Tikki murmured as she crawled towards her snacks in Marin's messenger bag.

Marin couldn't even find the strength to respond just wanting to sleep for the rest of his life, but knew that he had to move so as to not worry Kagami. He tried to pick himself breathing shallowly as his insides hurt every time he breathed.

* * *

Adrien stepped out of the car near the park looking around. He had gotten a text from Kagami asking him to meet them. His chest swelled with bliss as he saw two of his closest friends getting along together.

"Hello Adrien."Kagami greeted while Marin averted his gaze.

"I need to go, I promised my mother I'd be home before dinner." Kagami said, brushing the dirt off of her skirt as she stood up.

"I can walk you home if you'd like." Marin offered, but Kagami shook her head.

"No, the game is over and I lost." She said as Marin looked up at her in confusion. "But despite that, I'm glad you were my partner for this game I can see why Adrien like yo."

"Ngh- we're not friends." Marin said in annoyance as he turned his head away in embarrassment.

"Of course," Kagami said with an amused smile on her face. "Walk with me to the bus stop."

"I'll walk with you to the bus station." Adrien offered, walking beside her.

"You and I perfect for each other you know." Kagami remarked as the bus pulled up. "We're so alike."

Adrien glanced at her in surprise for a moment before he nodded. "Yeah, but you don't have to be perfect for someone, I think it's enough if you just like each other."

"That's a very, you answer." Kagami said, kissing his cheek just before she entered the bus.

Adrien watched the bus drive off for a little while before he took a deep breath. As he turned around, he saw that Marin was already waiting for him causing a smile to draw on his face as he walked over to him.

"So, what did Alya order us both to do?" Marin asked, crossing his arms.

Adrien shrugged his shoulders, "Not sure, all she did was text me a riddle just before she left." He said handing Marin his phone pulled up to the text box.

Marin narrowed his eyes as he read over it, muttering the words aloud under his breath. "I know where she wants us to go." He said almost immediately, handing Adrien back his phone.

"You solved it that fast?" Adrien asked pocketing his device while Marin walked past him.

"Yeah? Not like these things are that hard if you think about it for more than a second." Marin said simply as he turned back towards his not-friend. "You coming?"

Adrien smiled as he ran up towards Marin unable to hold back a smile on his face.

* * *

Marin slapped his forehead in displeasure as he overheard familiar singing as they approached the Pont des Arts bridge.

"Oh hey, isn't that-" Adrien started to say.

"Andre Glacier." Marin finished saying just as he received a text on his phone further dampening his mood.

[Cupcake: Need a selfie with the two of you for proof. Please and thank you ;3]

"How does she know where we are?" Adrien asked as he looked on Marin's phone.

"We all have our location set up on this messenger app." Marin sighed. "Of course she'd send us to this guy."

"Do you not like ice cream?" Adrien asked in surprise knowing all too well about Marin's sweet tooth.

"It's not that, it's just-" Marin said hastily before averting his gaze, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment. "I just think his whole styx about two people falling in love and magic ice cream is a little ridiculous and is just probably a placebo that was formed from hundreds of coincidences." He said trying to sound reasonable. But then grew more embarrassed as he could see Adrien trying to hold back his laughter. "What?"

"Nothing." Adrien chuckled, trying to hold back his amusement, "It's just, that's a pretty bold statement for someone who confessed their feelings first."

Marin's eyes widened with him, growing more furious by the moment. "Bye."

"No nooo-" Adrien said as he grabbed Marin's hand. "Come on, we both lost right? Be a good sport about it."

"Funny, because this seems to be more of a reward with the way you're smiling."

But Adrien didn't even try to hide joy. "I'm always smiling when I'm with you now."

"See. Things like that, saying things like that is why we aren't friends anymore." Marin pointed out with a frown on his face while he was blushing furiously.

"Come on, you like ice cream, I like ice cream." Adrien prompted, tilting his head towards the vendor. "

"...Fine." Marin sighed, allowing himself to be dragged towards vendor, his stomach sinking with every step.

"Ah, Marinus!" Andre said in glee as his eyes rested on the two of them. "You've found your way back with a beau in ha-"

"No no. We're not friends." Marin interrupted with a frown.

"I'm his not-friend." Adrien said proudly as he clutched Marin's hand with a sickeningly sweet smile on his face.

"Congratulations!" Andre said as eyes lit up. "I have the perfect pair for the two of you,

"Peppermint, the refreshing taste of wintergreen familiar to all yet there's only one true opposite to complement its refreshing taste. Combined with something that is more underappreciated; A bitter dark chocolate with hints of sweet chocolate chips. Alone both are good, but together, it becomes an explosive mix, often times its opposites that complement each other the most. One of my proudest creations for a complementary pair, on the house." Andre said with a smile as he handed Marin the ice cream.

"Thank you sir." Adrien said gratefully while Marin nodded his head. They sat together on a bench nearby just as the sun was beginning to set.

"Is this the first time you've tried the ice cream?" Adrien asked taking a small spoon of both the flavors.

"Technically, I came back here with my friends but, well-" Marin blushed slightly. "You remember what happened."

"Right, you had a giant ice cream man chasing you down, and a cat-in shining armor to save you." Adrien said with a wink.

Marin chuckled at him, taking the other small spoon and scooping both flavors. "We're already a couple, you don't have to lay on the charm all the time."

"I don't know, now that you know I was Chat Noir I don't think I can turn it off." Adrien admitted.

Marin averted his gaze from Adrien, feeling weighed down by the presence of his Kwami as he knew that Plagg was no longer there to keep him company. Part of him did wish that he could have been the one to give up his Kwami but at the same time he couldn't imagine his life without Tikki now that she was so intertwined with his. He knew all too well the bond between Kwami and master and he had no right to sever that connection.

"Marin?"

"Hm?!" Marin snapped back to attention as he heard Adrien's voice.

"Your ice cream." He pointed out and Marin grew frantic as he realized the ice cream was starting to drip on his arm.

"Aw crap!" Marin gasped, quickly licking it off. "Hurry up and snap a picture before I get all sticky."

"Right, right." Adrien said pulling out his phone, holding it up like a selfie. "Okay, can you feed me some, and I'll do the same?" He requested.

"Sure?" Marin said, for a moment questioning the sappiness of the photo, but then he remembered this was for Alya. He held up the small scoop of ice cream while Adrien did the same. As soon as the flavor hit his tongue he wished he had known about it earlier. "That tastes amazing." He complimented while Adrien nodded in agreement, holding his phone in hand while he seemingly sent the photo.

Marin then heard a beep on his phone. He took it out as he took another spoonful of ice cream, allowing the flavor to seep over his tongue as he looked in confusion at the photo that Adrien sent to the group chat, one of them just sitting on the bench together with the ice cream.

"This isn't the photo you took."

"Hm? Oh yeah, that's one I took a little earlier. The one afterward is just for me." Adrien said nonchalantly, taking another bite of ice cream, then saw Marin's flabergasted face. "What? Despite being forced into it, I consider this our first date." He said shrugging his shoulders.

Marin rested his hand on in his free hand, wondering for a moment how he ever fell for someone as cheeky and sweet as Adrien. But then recalled, it was those traits along with his combined quirks he had formerly associated with Chat Noir.

"...gimmie your phone for a second." Marin said as he still rested his face on his hand.

"Sure. What do you need it for?" Adrien complied, watching as a reluctant smile drew on Marin's face.

"Here."

Adrien took his phone back from Marin who quickly grew more invested in eating the ice cream. His eyes locked onto the page that was open, what was suppose to be Marin's contact info now had a secondary name attached to it.

"Xiang?" Adrien asked, looking at his friend for an answer, but was met with Marin averting his gaze, so embarrassed that his ears were turning red. He mumbled something under his breath while biting down on the plastic spoon. "Come again?" Adrien prompted, and Marin sighed heavily.

"It's...my real name, my other name." He admitted with some reluctance.

"Alright?" Adrien's head tilted slightly, still confused.

"No one else knows about it besides my parents. I figured since you revealed a big secret about yourself, I'd share one of mine..." He mumbled just before biting on the plastic spoon again. Next thing he knew, he saw Adrien's face light up brighter than he'd ever seen before and for a moment he thought he had made a huge mistake.

"No one's ever really trusted me with this big of a secret before, thanks." Adrien said gratefully as he rested his hand on Marins.

"It's no-"

"Xiang." Almost immediately Marin tensed up at the sound of that name and quickly realized that yes, he had made a huge mistake by giving Adrien too much power. But, compared to what he had sacrificed for him...he could take a little embarrassment.

"Oh yeah, I told Kagami about us."

"What what?!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes:
> 
> -I'm no good at writing fluff, if the chapter takes longer to come out, it's generally because I struggle with writing sappy dialogue.
> 
> \- Marin and Adrien's relationship is in the dark because one of these kids is shy af, and the other has a disapproving father.
> 
> -Adrien's Chat Noir is showing every time he's with Marin, and Marin can't really handle how flirty he comes off now that he knows that Adrien and Chat Noir are the same person so he tends to be a tsundere when around other people.
> 
> \- Lóng chóng just translates to Dragon bug.
> 
> \- Kagami and Marin aren't exactly friends, but are on okay terms.
> 
> \- Whenever Marin abuses the power of multiple Miraculous it strains his heart, which is not a good thing when you take into consideration of how frail he is.


	67. They Took the Midnight Startrain going anywhere-

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien comes up with a plan for his class's trip to Big Ben but never expected his plans to go off the rails like this. Meanwhile, Marin is feeling the after-effects of his unification power hard.

"Ladybug has saved the city once again!"

Adrien's back was to the television as he was packing a day-bag for his class field trip. He had been planning around his particular day for a while now, everything was set, all he had to do was reach the Startrain and he'd be home free. The last thing he packed was the Ladybug jacket that Marin has gifted him just before he zipped it up. He doubted that he'd need it but felt like taking it along. Then Adrien took his phone out of his back pocket and scrolled through his texts spotting the name 'Felix' and then clicking on the icon.

[Adrien: The plan is going well so far, let's meet up at Big Ben around lunch, that's when my class is going to be there.]

He texted but then frowned as he saw that Felix saw the message but didn't respond.

[Adrien: Hope you and Auntie are doing alright, see you soon.]

Adrien added before clicking out of the messaging app. His father had prevented him from going to his uncle's funeral, but there was no possible way he could prevent him from seeing Felix now. Just before he put his phone away he clicked onto another contact, a small smile drawing on his face as he read the name 'Xiang' to himself.

There were a number of texts sent from both sides but oddly enough Marin didn't send anything yesterday or this morning.

[Adrikins: Found a loophole to get on the class trip today, here's hoping that we can sit next to each other.]

As Adrien typed out his text, his heart swelled with giddiness at the anticipation of the trip. Sure he'd have to sneak away to meet up with Felix, but at least they'd have the train there and back together. But then he frowned again seeing that Marin wasn't responding as usual. The day was turning out to be a little strange with the lack of communication, but perhaps that was all just a coincidence. Adrien rested his bag on his shoulders, just about to leave when his hand rested on the door for a moment as he gripped the handle.

Without thinking he walked over to his trophy case lifting himself onto his toes to take out his championship fencing trophy he'd won a few years ago. Inside he picked up Plagg's old plushie of himself, the one he had once used as a decoy for when he snuck out. Adrien felt a pang of bittersweet nostalgia as he remembered how his Kwami used to use it as a sleeping companion for the nights he wanted his space. Adrien didn't have the heart to discard it instead, choosing to leave it in Plagg's spot just in case he'd ever...

Adrien immediately shook his head trying to scatter the sad thoughts, he didn't want an Akuma coming after him. So he quickly placed the plushie in his day bag for some extra good luck, silently hoping for this day to go as planned.

* * *

Marin drifted in and out of consciousness as he felt a burning pain inside of his chest. He couldn't move at all under what seemed to be the weight of the entire universe, even unable to reach his phone that was sitting right next to him on the pillow as he rested on his fainting couch. Somehow he was both cold, hot, thirsty, and nauseated all at the same time.

His eyes fluttered open as he saw Tikki hover before him with a concerned expression on her face. In her hand, she held one of her lemon-shortbread cookies gently pressing it to Marin's lips. "You have to eat something." She insisted.

He would've smiled if he wasn't so tired, just opening his mouth as he allowed Tikki to feed him. He didn't have the energy to chew so he chose to just let it sit there while it would eventually dissolve.

"Using the Dragon Miraculous like that was a bad idea Marin." Tikki said, resting on his chest. "You're pushing yourself too hard."

Usually, he would fight an allegation like that, but right now, he wasn't in the position to do just that. He thought that he was in the clear after returning Longg to Master Fu but soon after it felt like his energy was all drained, turning him into an empty husk.

Marin closed his eyes, feeling himself starting to drift to sleep again until he heard a buzz on his phone. Tikki flew over to it, unlocking his device and reading over a message.

"Adrien sent you a text a while ago, along with Max and Alya." She read aloud. "They're wondering what happened to you. Alya says that she met your mom at the door and she told her and Max that you had fallen sick. She gave them snacks for the trip, and Alya says not to worry because they'll plan another group trip where you all can go to London together."

Marin groaned sadly. He was looking forward to the trip, now he was stuck in his room, drained of energy and would be deprived of any time with his friends or Adrien for a while.

"Don't worry." Tikki said reassuringly as she snuggled into the crevice of his neck and into his hood. "I'll be with you all day, I'll read you my manga and help feed you whatever your mom brings so you can just focus on getting better." She said and then pecked his cheek with a kiss.

Marin chuckled to himself, snuggled with his sweet little Kwami for once allowing himself not to worry and quickly blacked out into sleep.

* * *

"So there's no chance he'll be able to make it?" Adrien asked as he stood in the aisle next to Alya's seat with Max sitting right behind her.

"There's a 99.9999% chance that Marin won't make an appearance on this trip." Max said adjusting his glasses, but then looked taken aback as Alya and Adrien both stared at him in dumbfounded expressions. "You asked if there's no chance, I'm saying that there's a 0.0001% chance that he may show up."

Alya sighed at her classmate's explanation while Nino spoke up walking up. "He's right though. If Mrs. Cheung won't let him come then there's no chance of escape."

"Is she that strict?" Alya inquired curiously.

"Well, you can't really blame her wanting to keep her only kid safe."

"I'm a kid, and my dad is super overprotective." Adrien pointed out.

"Sure, but Marin's parents actually have a reason for wanting to keep him at home. Marin even said that he was sure his parents would homeschool him first chance they got." Nino said.

Adrien almost shuddered at the thought of his father actually listening to reason once in a while. Sure it happened, but he never actually expected it to happen. After all, it was always easier to ask for forgiveness than ask permission. "I've been homeschooled for almost all my life, trust me; it can get to you after a while."

"Yeah, but it has to help when you've got the best room in the world." Nino chided playfully as he rested his arm on Adrien's shoulder who rolled his eyes in amusement at his best friend.

"Please take your seats, the train will be departing soon." The announcer said over the speakers. Adrien sat down next to Nino as the train started to leave the station, placing his under the seat in front of them. He then pulled out his frown, feeling a little down as he didn't receive any new messages.

"Hey, did Marin text you by chance?" Adrien asked.

"Nah, but you know him, he's probably dead asleep by now." Ninos said taking out a deck of cards. "Uno?" He asked.

Adrien stared at his phone for a moment, noticing that Marin read the message but even after a few hours still hadn't texted him back. He had already seen how ill his not-friend could get, he just hoped that it wasn't anything that serious. He texted a message first before turning to Nino with a smile on his face, "Sure."

* * *

Tikki's antenae's twitches at the sound of Marin's phone buzzing. She flew out of her hiding spot within her partner's hood to see that Adrien had sent him another text. She turned towards Marin who was sleeping soundly for the first time in a while. Part of her wondered if she should wake him up while the other screamed at her not to. He didn't have school to go to, no Akuma to attack, really anything else could wait Marin deserved this time for him-

All of a sudden Marin's phone buzzed more furiously, this time his eyes shot open at the sound of an Akuma alert. Marin sluggishly reached for his phone, opening it up to see a breaking news bulletin.

"Just just in, straight from the cameras from the international space station is France's Startrain somehow floating in orbit!" Nadja said in a panic as she looked at the footage in almost disbelief. "There are hundreds of passengers on the train but there's no information update on as to how it got up there."

Tikki glanced at Marin who was forcing himself to sit up on his couch, albeit trembling like a newborn doe.

"Marin you can't stand you're not strong enough!" Tikki insisted as she tried to push him bac down but the no avail.

"You know as well as I do this has Akuma written all over it." He said with his face flushed red with fever. But even so, he stood up, quickly changing out of his pajamas into normal clothes and washing his face.

"You're not strong enough for this, if you try to force yourself-"

"I'll think about that later Tikki, right now I'm the only one who can save everyone. All of my classmates are on that train right now Tikki, I'm not going to just sit here and nap-" He said before harshly coughing.

Tikki whimpered as could only watch her partner push himself. He took out his phone, quickly calling up Master Fu who picked up almost immediately.

"Master, we have a situation," Marin said.

"Yes, I can see that." He replied simply from the other end. "I'm waiting outside in the park for you."

"Right, thanks." Marin said gratefully as he reached for his messenger bag while tying his ladybug print tie around his wrist.

"What are your parents going to think? They're not going to just let you leave like this Marin." Tikki informed as he turned towards her.

"With any luck they won't even have to know." Marin said with a mischievous glint in his eye and a bright smile on his face.

Tikki sighed heavily, already flying up towards his bed to set up the decoy while Marin carefully headed down the stairs, heavily leaning on the railing so as not to trip. As soon as his Kwami was out of sight Marin almost fell over as he grasped onto the railing of the stairs for dear life. He clutched his chest, trying to take deep breaths so he could stand tall. He couldn't worry Tikki more than he already had, all he had to do was save an entire train of people, purify an Akuma, come back before his parents knew he was missing and pretend that the room was spinning.

...First, he needed some water.

* * *

He wasn't proud of the number of times he'd snuck out of the house behind his parents back, but he did partially wish that his parents would make it a little harder. He had just walked past them while they were working in the bakery and towards the white van across the street. He knocked on the back of the doors before they opened to reveal Master Fu wearing one of his disguises.

"Aren't you suppose to be bedridden?" Master Fu asked as Wayzz took the chance to hug Marin's face.

Marin returned the gesture by petting the turtle Kwami's back before stepping into the van. "No time for that Master, the sooner Tikki and I save that train the sooner I can go back to bed." He said allowing Wayzz to sit on his shoulder while Tikki sat on the other.

"Then I shall make this quick. I believe we both know which Miraculous you will need for this mission?" Master Fu asked as Marin nodded his head. "Then you are already on your way." Master Fu said as he handed Marin a small Miraculous box. He opened it to reveal a white ball of light that materialized onto the horse Kwami before them.

"Is this important? I was in the middle of something important." Kaalki remarked lamely.

Marin smirked at the rather snooty Kwami, "You know I wouldn't bother you if it wasn't, my little pony." He teased lightly with a smile before coughing one more.

"Are you certain you're up for the task Marinus?" Wayzz asked as Marin placed the Horse Miraculous on.

"It's not a question of can or can't Wayzz. This is something that I have to do. Kaalki, Tikki unify!"

In a moment he transformed into a combination of both the Ladybug and the Horse Miraculous. For a moment he felt a rush of vertigo and used the side of the van as a crutch to steady himself while he held his head for a moment.

"The Horse Miraculous is one of the most particular Miraculous." Master Fu reminded. "It's user must be disciplined and focused in a way above all other in order-"

"To properly use the power of Voyage, I know Master." Horseshoe said as he lifted his head up, pushing his bangs back only for them to fall on his face again as he stood up properly. He turned his back to his Master and Wayzz opening up both of the doors so there was more room.

In his mind, he thought of the halls of the Startrain and instinctively held out his hand as a ring formed around his hand. "Voyage!" He said holding out his arm, and activating his power. Before them appeared a ring of light which hopefully would lead him to the Startrain and not jolt him into space.

"Wish me luck Master." Horseshoe said, overhearing both his Master and Wayzz say luck just before he jumped through the portal.

* * *

Adrien looked out into space, placing his hand against the cold glass while the entire class hovered in zero gravity. Despite the situation, he couldn't help but think how Marin would've enjoyed this view more than anyone else.

"Well, what now?" Nino asked as he

"None of us can really do anything.

"Max, your mom is at the head of the train is there any way we could talk to her?" Adrien asked turning towards his classmates. He saw Max think for a moment before his eyes lit up for a moment.

"There are com's location in every train car that are two-way communicators between the conductors and the attendants. We can use those to-" Max was about to say but then at the doorway appeared a ring of light, a moment later someone entered through with the portal disappearing behind him. He said something under his breath and a moment later he transformed into Ladybug with a Horse Kwami hovering before him looking tired.

"Ladybug!" Alya exclaimed, holding up her phone while the rest of the class looked at the hero joyfully. Meanwhile, Adrien's heart raced at the right and proximity of his former partner. His heart began to ache at the sight of him almost wishing that he could hug him.

"What was that power of yours? Are you going to use it to help save us?" Alya asked holding up her phone near his face.

"Later Ms. Cesaire," Ladybug said trying to calm her down. "Is everyone alright?"

"Yeah, we're all in one piece dude." Nino said hovering closer.

"Alright, everyone needs to return to their seats and put their belts on!" Ladybug announced, "I don't want anyone to go flying once the Startrain returns to earth!" He called out. Everyone complied hovering back to their seats but then Ladybug rested his hand on Max's shoulder. "Not you Mister Kante, I'll need your help."

"Me?" Max asked in surprise with Markov hovering nearby.

Ladybug nodded, "Your mother is the conductor for the Startrain right? I'll need your help bypassing security."

"Ready to help Ladybug." Markov said as Ladybug smiled at the two of them.

"Thank you."

Adrien held his tongue as he watched Ladybug grasp Max's wrist who in turn grabbed Markov as the hero used his yo-yo to propel them forward into the next car. For a split second, he and Ladybug locket eyes before Adrien turned his head away feeling his cheeks burn. He wondered if Ladybug knew who he really was, if Master Fu ever told him after he had given up his Miraculous.

Part of him wanted to ask, but he knew he couldn't. He had already made his choice and there was no turning back on that. At that moment Adrien then picked up his phone, frowning as he saw that there were no new messages probably due in part to being in space and there being no signal. But even so, he desperately wanted to talk to Marin.

* * *

Ladybug coughed harshly as Max and Markov were trying to open up the locked door before them.

"Are you okay?" Max asked turning his head back towards the hero while he supported Markov. "Statistically-"

"I'm fine." Ladybug said as he cleared his throat. "It's just a little cold that's all."

"How droll." Kaalki said holding a macaroon in hand. "A hero that works through sickness and health, if I were you I wouldn't be acting like such a big shot." She remarked dryly before finishing off the macaroon.

Ladybug chuckled at the Kwami, petting her mane gently, "I appreciate the concern." He said knowing firsthand the way she spoke towards others. Kaalki in return turned her head away, scoffing at him.

"Door unlocked Ladybug." Markov announced. Max then grasped Ladybug's hand again as he threw his yo-yo towards the end of the next car, but when they did so the room started heating up furiously.

"My circuits are overheating!" Markov warned as the debugging of the next door halted.

"What do we do?" Max asked growing more panicked.

"It's an obvious answer." Kaalki said pushing a hovering waterbottle towards him. "Now hurry up before my mane is ruined."

Max quickly poured the water on Markov, giving him the chance to cool down for the few moments he needed to unlock the door. Ladybug then pushed them through, grateful for the air conditioning as the door closed behind them.

"I think we could classify this as a code red situation," Makov remarked as Ladybug hovered next to Max who was having some trouble breathing.

"It's only going to get harder from here." Ladybug warned as Max looked up towards him.

"I can do this, it's just one before we reach my mom." He said with determination in his eye.

Ladybug's expression wavered for a moment before he realized what he needed to do in order to prevent Max from being harmed. He removed the Horse Miraculous and handed it towards Max.

"Max Kanté, this is the Horse Miraculous which grants the power of teleportation. You will use it for the greater good and once the mission is over, you will return the Miraculous to me. Can I trust you?"

Max nodded as he accepted the Miraculous, "You can count on me 100% Ladybug, I'll do everything I can to save my friends and my mom."

"A-hem." Kaalki coughed dryly to garner attention. "Don't I get a say in this?"

"No, you do not." Ladybug said sternly. "I trust Mr. Kanté on this Kaalki and you should as well."

But the horse Kwami scoffed, "Hmph, he may be trustworthy but is he skilled enough to wield my Miraculous?"

"I know I can do it." Max offered but the Kaalki rolled her eyes.

"We shall see then. To transform, say; Kaalki, full gallop." Max said transforming into a new hero form. "This is so cool, so do I get to choose my hero name?" He asked.

"Typically."

"Alright, then call me Pegasus!" The new hero said eagerly as Ladybug nodded.

"Once we pass this car you'll need to use your power to get us out of space, Voyage. It's extremely easy for your power to mess up so you'll need to picture the location as best you can with as many details as possible." Ladybug explained. "We'll use it as a distraction so we can take out Startrain, understand?"

"Yeah, I think so." Pegasus said.

"Lucky Charm!" Ladybug said activating his power. Before them formed a ladybug printed screwdriver that hovered in zero gravity. Ladybug grabbed it, eyeing it curiously before seeing the next room's window was covered in permafrost. He glanced at Pegasus who nodded in affirmation, grasping his hand as the door opened and Ladybug used his yo-yo to speed them across the room.

Both of them held their breaths as the room held no oxygen but before long they were being shot at by the train's security system. Ladybug began to shiver at the cold temperatures as his suit was vulnerable to the cold but Pegasus picked up the slack using his horseshoe the defend them.

"Circuits...freezing!" Markov tried to warn before he froze completely solid. Ladybug turned towards the small robot, looking around for anything that could help and his eyes rested

Ladybug quickly looked around, spotting heating pads hovering before from one of the fallen suitcases. He grabbed a few using his teeth to activate them and then pressed it to Markov who started to thaw. Behind him, he turned to see that Pegasus had taken out all of the small robots just as the door opened to the conductors' room.

As the hovered to the head of the train, Pegasus held out his arm. "Voyage!" He said summoning a ring around his wrist as Ladybug grabbed Startrain who struggled under his grasp.

"No! I'm so close to the stars!" She said just as the train fell into free fall once Pegasus opened a portal in front of the train.

Ladybug took the opportunity to stab the screwdriver into one of Startrain's gauntlets, the one that he sensed the Akuma in, releasing the corrupted butterfly just as he and Pegasus collided at the nose of the train. Looking outside Ladybug eyed Big Ben only a few feet from them, then looked back as Pegasus smiling sheepishly.

"We were planning on going here anyway. Guess my calculations were a little off." He said as Ladybug captured the Akuma and purifying it. He then tossed up his Lucky Charm turning everything back to normal.

The next time Ladybug opened up his eyes he and Pegasus were standing on the skylight of the train station just overlooking the Startrain. He and Max bumped fists just as the latter transformed back to normal and taking off his Miraculous.

"You did well today." Ladybug said as he took back the Horse Miraculous. "I hope you and your class had a good field trip." He said just as he started coughing again.

"Do you always have to be a hero when you're sick?" Max asked reaching out a hand towards Ladybug in concern.

Ladybug chuckled to himself as he flashed a smile. "Have to, it's kinda my job after all. Don't worry though, I'm taking a break fro the rest of the day." He said reassuringly as Max smiled at him.

The two waved to each other as Max ran towards the rooftop exit. The moment that he did, however, Ladybug fell to his knees in exhaustion feeling a cold chill creep up his spine as he gasped for breath.

He didn't use his unification power for long this time, but if it was enough to affect him this bad then it would have to be the last time he'd be able to use it. At least until he would be back to normal. Ladybug took a few deep breaths as he tried to clear his mind but then saw Adrien in the glass before talking to Nino. It looked like their class was just about to board the train again for their trip save for Adrien who was caught by his bodyguard and his father's secretary.

Ladybug heart went out for him knowing how eager Adrien was for this opportunity. Part of him wanted to go there and comfort him, but he knew all too well that Ladybug was useless when it came to helping out Adrien Agreste.

Instead, he lifted himself onto his feet fully intending to go home and sleep for probably the rest of his life.

* * *

Adrien took a deep breath before he crashed on his bed face-first into his pillow just as the sun began to set. He had filled up his newfound extra hours with mindless studying and video game playing as he tried to quell his feelings of guilt. Felix wouldn't answer his calls or texts and according to his aunt he didn't want to talk to him at all. He sighed heavily as he gripped his phone in hand, wishing that there was some way he could-

Adrien flinched as he heard his phone start to ring abruptly, he checked the caller ID and responded immediately. "Marin?" He asked as he smiled a little saying his name.

"Hey," He said from the other line, his voice sounding sluggish. "How're you? Heard about what happened."

Adrien rested his arms on his pillow as he held the phone to his ear. For a moment he wondered why Marin was calling him so late, but if he was sick, changes were that he just woke up and heard the news. "I'm okay, lucky us that Ladybug saved an entire train of people." He said wincing slightly, feeling guilty as he recalled feeling his heart race at the sight of his former partner. It probably wasn't anything serious, but he still felt bad.

"Hey Marin?" Adrien said sitting up on his bed. "I uh, have something to tell you."

"Alright? Should I be sitting down for this?" Marin joked.

Adrien scratched the back of his head nervously."Um...maybe?"

"Well I can't leave my bed at all, so don't worry about me falling over."

"See uh...I, was kinda super into Ladybug."

"I know, you said that you were a fan."

"No but like, I was kind of really head over heel super in love with him." He said aloud feeling his heart beat faster once more. "and when I saw him today I felt that same feeling of love."

"Ah, okay."

" Are you mad at me?" Adrien asked hesitantly.

"Well, I mean Alya is pretty in love with him for some reason, and she's made that point very clear to Nino. But he understands." Marin said trying to crack a joke, but could quickly sense the mood once Adrien didn't respond normally. " You were Ladybug's partner for a long time, so it's probably natural that you wouldn't be able to let go so easily. It'd be fine if you chose him over me, after all everyone knew how in love Chat Noir was with Ladybug."

"That's not what I'm saying at all!" Adrien interrupted abruptly, his face flushed red now with annoyance. "I mean yeah to an extent I do love and care for Ladybug but I love you way more!" Adrien said earnestly, grasping the fabric his bedsheets. He then waited for a little while hearing no response. "Hello? Xiang?" He checked, seeing that the call was still on. "Are you still-"

"Have some self-awareness once in a while!" Marin exclaimed from the other side through his horse voice.

"Huh?!" Adrien asked. "What'd I say? I just said that I lo-"

"LALALALALAALA!" Marin interrupted obnoxiously trying to drown out his voice. "You're tired go to bed."

Adrien sat there on his bed stunned at this shift in tone but grumbled at his boyfriend's stubbornness. "Let me see you first." He asked. "I didn't get to hear from you the whole day."

"No, I'm all gross and sick."

"I got thrown into space and haven't had a chance to shower yet since." Adrien retorted but then took a more pleading tone. "Pleaseee? I miss you."

"...Ugh, fine." Marin agreed and a few moments later he saw a side view of his boyfriend who was resting on his bed with his hood pulled over his head intentionally hiding most of his face, but his exhaustion showed. His face was more pale than usual and he had extreme dark circles under his eyes. But even so, Adrien smiled when Marin started glaring at him in annoyance. "Liar! You look like you're ready for a photoshoot!"

Adrien laughed for a good few seconds as he beamed with happiness. "Actually my hair is a mess and I haven't changed since this morning but thank you for the compliment." He teased. "But I like that jacket you're wearing, seems like you really like the person who inspired it."

"You're terrible." Marin bluntly said with a frown, covering up his face with his pillow, but then he looked more concerned as he spoke again. "I heard your wardens got you before you could see your cousin, I'm sorry about that."

Adrien's smiled turned more wry as he could hear the sincerity in Marin's voice. "He's not even talking to me. I tried calling and texting but he doesn't want anything to do with me now."

"He's your family Adrien, he'll come around."

"I don't know, I already let him down once when I couldn't make it to his dads' funeral. Now just feels like a slap to the face since that I couldn't even reach him." Adrien sighed, laying down on his side while still holding up the phone to see Marin's face.

"You can't blame yourself for that. He knows how hard you tried, just give him a little time to process this I know he'll come around." Marin gently suggested.

Adrien smirked, "Easy for someone resting in bed all day to say." Adrien teased playfully. "I almost wish I had a valid excuse to miss out on the field trip, then maybe he wouldn't be so mad-" Adrien was interrupted by Marin harshly coughing. His screen went black for a moment before returning to his face again. "Are you alright? That sounds bad." Adrien said now growing more concerned.

"It's worse than it looks." Marin tried to reassure as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I'll probably be fine tomorrow."

"Shouldn't you get some rest?" Adrien asked ready to shut off the call.

"No way, I've been sleeping all day just talk to me, I'll probably black out sooner or later."

"Is that your way of telling me that I'm boring?" Adrien chuckled, feeling his chest swell with amusement.

"It's the opposite actually. I feel better when you're around. I do wish you could come over for a sleepover, I miss you." Marin sighed keeping his eyes closed which Adrien was grateful for as his face turned red with embarrassment recalling all the times he spent the night. He was bold at times but now that the wall between Chat Noir and Marin's friendship was shattered he was certain he wouldn't be able to be as shameless.

He was sure that Marin was getting sleepier the looser his tongue was becoming.

"Hey, love you." Adrien said timidly, wondering just how sleepy his boyfriend was.

" 'Love you..." Marin murmured back, meaning that he was running on autopilot and wouldn't remember the last part of their conversation. But even so, Adrien clutched his shirt, smiling like an idiot as his heart swelled hearing boyfriend saying those words.

He was really enjoying being in love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- The fluff in these chapters is going to end up choking me. I'm too sappy with the dialogue. XD
> 
> -One main difference Marinus has from Marinette is that he has a compromised immune system, making his body more frail. So while combining multiple Miraculous doesn't mess with his head, it does strain his body. Especially since he's a solo act. But he, unfortunately, has this habit where he literally does not care about his own well being and just wants to live the way he wants do. I wonder what kind of repercussions this will have to the story :3c
> 
> \- Get it? Because a Horseshoe is a kind of good luck charm. The alternative name was Appaloosa is a breed of spotted horse.
> 
> -Felix is indeed a character I will have fun writing in the future.
> 
> \- When Mar gets tired he becomes wither extremely angry or extremely useless there is no inbetween
> 
> -In this fic, personally speaking, Party Crasher will be the most important episode just thought I'd throw this out there, and the next episode coming up is Silencer which is going to be fun to write.
> 
> -Concept art: amino apps. /c/miraculous/page/blog/miraculously-ladybug-chapter-update-they-took-the-midnight-startrain-going-anywhere/kR6L_G2iGu46mkq4Wvl61Bzp5q8aoBkjDx
> 
> Concept art:https://aminoapps.com/c/miraculous/page/blog/miraculously-ladybug-chapter-update-they-took-the-midnight-startrain-going-anywhere/kR6L_G2iGu46mkq4Wvl61Bzp5q8aoBkjDx


	68. Silencer is Golden

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The band Kitty section enters a competition, Adrien tries to go on a date with his boyfriend but ends up meeting someone he never expected to in the movie theatre.

Adrien towards his bodyguard who was standing on guard before his car, waiting there all day as per his father's orders.

"What with the Gorilla today dude?" Nino asked as he stood beside his best friend, taking notice of his best friend's sheepish smile.

"My dad asked him to keep a closer watch on me ever since he's going out of town soon." He explained as they stood there together.

"That's a bummer, but think you can sneak away from him long enough for us to hang out at the amusement park next week?" Nino asked.

Adrien thought for a moment, thinking that it was possible, but then overheard Alix talking to Marin near the staircase behind them. "Maybe, I'll catch up haveta talk to Marin about the homework." He said walking back into the school.

Nino stared at him suspiciously, "You're seriously not upset about him being upset with you for some mysterious reason that neither he or you will disclose?"

"Course not." Adrien said holding out his arms in a matter-of-fact like manner, knowing exactly how to push his best friend's buttons. "It was my fault after all."

"Oh my goodness what happened with you two?!" Nino demanded but Adrien laughed as he turned his back to his friend.

As Adrien walked towards his two classmates he noticed Marin handing Alix a notebook and she looked up at him gratefully.

"Thanks, you're really saving my life here." Alix said placing the notebook in her bag.

"No problem, I'm happy to help you out." Marin brushed off with a sincere smile. "You know you can ask me about anything you don't understand."

"Hey guys." Adrien greeted and almost immediately Marin tried to escape, but Alix grabbed his arm preventing him from doing so.

"Hello Adrien." Alix said with a mischievous smile, locking her arm with Marin's. "What brings you to our little conversation?"

"I just needed to talk to Marin about something, am I interrupting you two?" Adrien said.

"Not at all, I wouldn't want to get in-between you two talking. Hey Marin, why don't you talk to Adrien right now over there." She said pointing to a nearby bench, no longer trying to hide her glee as Marin looked down at her in defeat.

"Sure...no problem," Marin said as he knew that they weren't going to allow him to escape so easily.

"Cool cool." Alix smiled, giving Adrien a thumbs up as she walked towards the front of the school with a victorious smile plastered on her face.

As soon as Alix's back was turned Marin's eyes darted towards Adrien. "You don't always have to make a show of trying to talk to me when our peers are around you know." He said lowering his voice in a slightly annoyed tone. Knowing how much amusement Adrien drew from his chagrin.

"I don't have to, but I like to." Adrien said with a smile. "But I do need to talk you about something."

Marin's annoyance immediately dropped, "It's nothing serious right?"

"No no, nothing like that." Adrien said as the sat down on the bench together. "It's just that my dad is out for the week-"

"Because of Fashion week in Tokyo."

Adrien chuckled to himself in amusement."Of course, you know that, but yeah, he's away and it's just my Bodyguard and me in the house right now."

"So...?" Marin prompted not seeing where this was going.

"So..." Adrien scratched the back of his head. "I was thinking that maybe we could catch a movie or something. You know, go on a date."

Marin's face immediately ran red as he averted his gaze. "You can't just drop a bomb like that at school!" He mumbled as he planted his face in his hands.

Adrien shrugged his shoulders as he rested his arms behind his head. "I don't see a problem with it, I'm just asking a not-friend if they'd like to go see a movie with their not-boyfriend."

Marin sighed heavily as he lifted his head, crossing his arms and looking straight out onto the blacktop. "I'm still working with Kitty section for an upcoming contest."

"Really?" Adrien asked in surprise as he noticed Marin's hands were covered in paint. "Hasn't it already been a week now?"

"It's hard, but I think that we're going to make something really great." Marin said sincerely. "All we just have to do is push until the deadline."

Adrien's eyes softened as he glanced at his boyfriend. "That's gotta be tough with you giving all your time to them on top of the school stuff. Are you sure you're not working too hard? Are you getting enough sleep?"

Marin chuckled dryly, "I'm getting sleep." He said but didn't specifically didn't specify a time. "I may not be available to chat over the next week that much, just a heads up."

"Well let me know if you need any help, I don't like it when you're exhausted."

"I was born exhausted." Marin scoffed. "Having a normal sleep schedule is for the weak."

"You realize that's not good for your health." Adrien said, dumbfounded at how laid back Marin sounded. "Like, that's the exact opposite of what you should be doing."

"Hey, you knew exactly how I was when you agreed to...the thing." Marin said sheepishly, causing Adrien to once again be swept away by how cute his boyfriend was.

"As I recall-" Adrien was about to point out, but Marin spoke over him almost immediately.

"IF THAT IS ALL I WILL BE TAKING MY LEAVE NOW, THANK YOU VERY MUCH." Marin said stiffly, about to leave, but stopped as Adrien placed his hand over his.

The two were frozen for a moment as Marin sighed, releasing the tension from his body as he squeezed Adrien's hand for a moment. It had been a while since they had a chance to sit together alone. Despite always being in proximity of each other a school all day, there was always a wall between them that they never seemed to overcome. It was hard at times to always rely on technology in order to properly be alone, but secretly, Adrien knew it was worth it. But their connection broke as Marin overheard someone coming, he quickly retracted his hand, holding it close to his chest as they heard someone call out.

"Mar!"

Both of them spotted Luka called out, standing near Juleka and Rose; the latter was staring at them suspiciously like she was trying to figure something out.

Adrien's heart raced with worry as he spotted the guitarist, recalling that he too was a member of Kitty Section. Also, and little more importantly, he was almost certain that Luka was in love with his boyfriend, but it was no big deal.

"So that movie?" Adrien asked, feeling something bubble in his chest that he'd rather not address but felt a source of urgency in the question.

"After the deadline next week." Marin promised, nodding his head as he stood up. But before he left he looked through his bag, pulling out a notebook and handing it to Adrien much to his surprise.

"Just in case you need an excuse to return it." Marin said shyly, averting his gaze as Adrien hid his growing smile behind his boyfriend's notebook, hoping that no one would be able to see how happy he was.

But then as he lifted his head, hearing a sound right next to him, he saw Alix sitting beside him with a cheeky expression, lounging on the bench right next to him.

"So, you're dating our little Marin, do I have that right?"

"...crap." Adrien grimaced, hiding his face as Alix laughed heartily, placing her hand on his shoulder for comfort.

* * *

"Hope we didn't pull you away from anything." Luka said walking with his bike as he and Marin walked down the street. Rose and Julka had ridden ahead of them per Rose's prompting, confusing Marin as she seemed a little too eager to leave.

He'd have to ask her about it later.

"No, of course not." Marin said. "Adrien was just asking for some notes he missed in class so I was helping him out." Marin said, hoping that Luka didn't notice the intimacy. He liked Adrien a lot, and appreciated how patient he was when it came to keeping their relationship a secret. Well, mostly a secret.

"So how did the confession go?"

Marin almost tripped over his own feet but was luckily save my Luka who quickly wrapped her arm around his waist to steady him. "Ha-I uh, kinda hoped you forgot about that whole mess." Marin said looking flustered as he fidgeted with his blazer.

Luka chuckled to himself as he retracted his arm. "Kind of hard to forget something like that since you used me to rehearse."

"Well, I figured you wouldn't really care about something silly like that." Marin said, wanting to bleach the embarrassing memory from his mind.

"We're friends, why would you think that?" Luka asked.

"...Because I hoped that you'd choose to forget my juvenileness." Marin said hiding his face in his hands.

"So how did it go?"

"It uh...went." Marin offered, wishing he was wearing a hoodie so he could cover his entire face.

"It went..." Luka prompted with a playful grin.

"It went." Marin said firmly. "So, how's the editing for the video going?"

"Great, so you actually went through with it?" Luka prompted.

"What is with the sudden eagerness in how I spend my time?"

"What is with you evading the question?" Luka asked calmly.

Marin sighed heavily as he noticed they were approaching the Couffaine houseboat, seeing that the band was waiting on deck. Marin stopped walking and Luka turned back as he noticed his friend wasn't beside him anymore. "Okay, promise you won't tell anyone."

"Promise." Luka said as Marin walked up to him. Luka lowered his head slightly as Marin whispered into his ear, never wanting what he had to say to reach anyone that passed them by in the street. As Marin stepped back with an embarrassed expression Luka forced himself to smile.

"That's great, congratulations." He said, feeling a sting as Marin smile at him in relief.

"So how did it go? Did you tell him?" Rose asked sitting down next to Luka eagerly with her eyes lit up in excitement.

He smiled at his younger sister's best friend, ruffling her hair affectionately. "Nah, it wasn't the right time."

"Boo," She pouted, crossing her arms. "How long are you going to push this off? You two would be totally perfect for each other!"

Luka shrugged his shoulders as he tuned his guitar, sneaking a glance at Marin who was helping Ivan with his costume. " I just missed my chance, that's all." He said, then ignored Rose as she pelted him with weak punches of annoyance.

* * *

About a week later at the Couffaine houseboat, Marin was sitting on the sofa constantly refreshing his phone while the band finished their set. He was deep in a trance as his eyes were narrowed and he was wearing his sound-canceling headphones to drain out the higher volume. But it proved to work too well as Marin didn't even hear Luka walking up to him. The old boy took his phone from him, looking down at him in concern as Marin pushed his headphones back.

"Sorry." Marin said reflexively.

"You gotta chill out." Luka said sitting down next to him.

"I'm just so anxious about this, what if they didn't like the video, what if the costumes were too gaudy, or what if the editing was too sporadic?"

"Or what if they didn't like the song?" Rose offered but Marin shook his head.

"No way, with Luka's melody and your lyrics? Has to be in the finer details." Marin said confidently as he tried to grab his phone back from Luka who was holding it above his head.

"They must've received a ton of videos. They probably haven't made their pick yet." Ivan pointed out while Julka added something that was hard to hear.

"We've been practicing all day, I say we take the rest of the day off and check back on the contest tomorrow." Rose offered and everyone nodded in agreement.

"I uh, can't today." Marin said still trying to get his phone back, but looking at Rose while doing so. "I have plans."

"Plans eh?" Rose said in an accusatory tone as she eyed him suspiciously.

"Rose." Luka said firmly, glancing at Rose as the two seemed to have an argument with just their eyes.

"Yes...plans." Marin said in a not suspicious tone as he successfully snatched his phone back from Luka who was distracted for a second. "HAH." He stuck his tongue out victoriously, refreshing the page one more time but frowned in disappointment. "Nothing." He sighed heavily before noticing a new text on his phone that made his heart race a little. "I should head out now if that's alright." He said suddenly as he put his phone into his bag.

"Nah, there's nothing more but we'll text you if something comes up." Luka said as he stood up, "You want me to walk you out?"

"No, it's alright," Marin said shouldering his bag over his head. "I'll see you!" He said hastily as he walked up the stairs and towards the main deck. Just as he walked onto the main streets Tikki popped her head out of his bag and looked up at him.

"That was a little odd don't you think?" Tikki inquired as Marin looked down at her.

"What was?"

"Don't you think your friends have been acting a little strange since you told Luka about you and Adrien?" She asked.

"What? No. Luka? No." Marin said stumbling over his words. "He's one of my buds."

"I don't know." Tikki said. "Even I could feel it."

"Feel what?" Marin asked sincerely.

"There was some definite tension." Tikki said trying to a little more obvious about what she was implying.

"Everyone's just worried about the video getting noticed, I am too Sugar cube." Marin reasoned. "But we need to get our minds of that contest for a while, win or lose."

Tikki stared up at her partner, wondering for a moment if he was in state of denial, or if he was really that oblivious. But she sighed, conceding to let the chips fall as they may. "So are you going on that date with Adrien now?"

Red dusted Marin's cheeks as he rubbed the back of his neck, "...maybe."

* * *

Adrien noticed the childproof locks were already set up as his bodyguard was driving him back from his last photoshoot of the day. As evening hit, he knew that he had to strike if he wanted to even have a chance of catching the movie. His phone then beeped as he looked down to see a text from Marin, confirming that he would be there. He side glanced his bodyguard in the front who kept his eyes on the road.

Timing was everything in these kinds of situations. He had to choose the most opportune moment, both to escape and to give his bodyguard the most interference once he gave chase. He saw his chance as the car slowed down, coming to a stop near a subway station, the obvious choice; But then he eyed the nearby bus station which had a bunch of people, another way of escape; Finally, he saw a narrow alleyway.

Casually, Adrien rolled the window of the car down, and simply jumped out of it hitting the street as he was luckily small enough to escape with little resistance. He glanced back to his Bodyguard who at this point, looked exhausted but still determined as he glared at his ward.

Adrien clapped his hands together apologetically, hoping that his father paid his bodyguard extremely well to deal with someone like him. "I promise I'll leave my phone on please don't tell my father, 'kay thanks bye!" Adrien said as he sprinted towards the alleyway and to the next bus stop down the street.

It was moments like these when he missed Plagg the most. Of course he constantly missed his Kwami, but it was in moments of rebellion like this that he wished his Kwami could see, maybe even be proud of him.

* * *

Adrien arrived at the movie theatre just in time for the movie to begin, panting as he ran towards the front of the theatre.

"Hey...Marin..." Adrien gasped resting his hands on his knees. "So, what movie are we seeing?"

"Kick Warrior." Marin said holding up the tickets. "I uh, I'm not good at choosing movies." He admitted sheepishly.

"I'm up for anything, maybe it'll be one of those so bad it's good kinda flicks," Adrien said optimistically as they walked inside. "Should I grab some popped corn since you got the tickets?" He asked as they walked into the theatre together.

"You don't need to do that-" Marin tried to say but Adrien cut him off before he could finish.

"Don't worry about it, you just find our seats." Adrien insisted as Marin just nodded, walking towards the theatre. Adrien smiled at him before walking towards the snack stand. "Excuse me?" He called out, seeing that there was no one there. But then froze as the Guardian of the Miraculous was appeared before him behind the concession stand at a movie theatre of all places.

"Greeting, how may I assist you today?" Master Fu said nonchalantly.

Adrien stared at him, dumbfounded.

"We have freshly popped popcorn along with a variety of toppings." Master Fu said gesturing behind him. "or if you'd like something else that's one our vast menu of concessions."

"I...uh-" Adrien fumbled with his words, not knowing how to react at all.

"Hey, found the seats." Marin said walking up behind him, effectively startling him as he flinched at his touch. Marin stared at him for a second, looking between him and the Guardian. "Everything alright?" Marin asked, noticing his frazzled nature.

"Y-yeah, just..."

"Your popcorn and drinks sir." Master Fu said passing along a tub and two drinks like he had ordered them himself. However, Adrien just stood there like a deer in the headlights until Marin grabbed the snacks for them, and tugged him along hand-in-hand as they entered the theatre.

"Did that guy say something to you?" Marin inquired.

"Who him? No...no," Adrien said grasping Marin's hand tighter. "I'm just, I guess I'm just tired or something." He sighed. "Let's just watch the movie." He requested. They sat down in an empty theatre.

A number of thoughts raced through Adrien's mind. Did he actually see the Guardian out there?; Was he really out there right now selling popcorn?; Could he actually go up and talk to him?; Could he ask to see...

Adrien shook his head to erase those thoughts. He had pushed past them, he didn't need to think about him anymore, he made his choice. He may not have liked it, but it was the right thing to do. That being said, Adrien felt tears beginning to well up in his eyes as he grasped Marin's hand tighter and was extremely grateful that they were in a dark theatre.

"Hey, remember the last time we went to see a movie together?" Marin suddenly asked as he returned Adrien's gesture.

"Yeah," Adrien chuckled, "Didn't even make it past the first few minutes before something went wrong."

"Right before your bodyguard turned into a giant Gorilla and kidnapped you. It was a fun day though, all things considered."

"I'm glad I went with you." Adrien said honestly. "Being with you makes everything better."

"This is what I mean when I say you're sappy." Marin grimaced but didn't pull his hand away.

"I can't help it." Adrien laughed. "I like being with you, I can't not express that kind of happiness. After all, we barely get to do this kinda stuff together." He pointed out, but then remembered. "Oh yeah, I'm pretty sure that Alix knows about us."

"What? How?"

"She told me." Adrien said sheepishly.

"Just as well, there's something that I-" A beep interrupted them as Marin felt his phone vibrate. His brow's furrowed as he saw the link that Ivan had sent him, his eyes then widened in shock as he held the phone up to his ear to hear it better. "What the-"

"Is something wrong?" Adrien asked.

"Yeah, I gotta go." Marin said abruptly as he stood up.

"Already? Is it that important?" Adrien asked and Marin immediately felt like he had just kicked a puppy, not that he knew what that felt like, but it had to be close to what he was feeling right now.

"I'm sorry, it's super important. I'll try to be back before the intermission." Marin said, handing off the popcorn over to him with uncertainty. He hesitated for a moment before turned back towards Adrien, placing his hand over his. "I promise I'll make it up to you if I'm late." He said hesitantly before quickly kissing his cheek and then running out of the theatre, leaving him alone just as the movie began.

* * *

Marin ran out of the back exit, putting on his headphones as he glared at the sight of XY playing a crude version of Luka's melody and wearing what looked to be a trash version of his costume design.

"What the heck even is this?" He asked to himself as he tried to process the recording that was sent to him. He re-checked the website, noticing that there was a live recording and saw a new Akumatized villain appearing on camera. One that seemingly stole XY's voice, and was chasing after Jagged Stone's record producer. If he hurried there was a chance that they would still be inside the building. Also, he really wanted to watch a movie with his not-friend.

"Tikki, spots on!"

* * *

Ladybug was running across the rooftops, trying to ignore a growing headache as he then noticed his friends standing before the tv station. Using his yo-yo he landed nearby, much to their surprise.

"Ladybug!" Rose exclaimed as they turned towards them.

"What's going on?" Ladybug asked noticing that Luka wasn't with them and suddenly got a sinking feeling.

"Our friend went up there to talk to XY because he stole our song and costume design," Ivan explained. "But then an Akuma appeared and now we can't get in touch with him."

Ladybug narrowed his eyes as he looked up towards the roof of the building. He closed his eyes, focusing as he could sense a faint presence of an Akuma still within. He hummed to himself for a moment before turning back to his friends.

"You guys stay outside where it's safe, I'll handle this." He ordered then used his yo-yo to scale the building skillfully. As he got closer he could sense the Akuma more and more until he finally reached to top. As he was airborne he scanned the scene to see Jagged Stone's music producer seemingly being hunted down by a newly Akumatized villain. Using his yo-yo he bound the villain and placed himself between Bob Ross and the new villain.

"It took you long enough!" The producer snapped. But Ladybug ignored him, keeping his eye on the villain who dashed toward Ladybug as his torso was still bound, kicking him as Ladybug jumped back to evade however was slammed back onto an advertisement as the new villain landed a kick square in his stomach."What kind of hero are you?! Aren't you suppose to be magic or something?!" The Produced chided but then backed away as the villain turned his attention back towards him.

"You can't get away from me, Bob Roth. I will make you tell the truth, live on TV." The villain said, though his voice sounded extremely similar to that of XY.

"Don't touch me! I'm warning you! I'm well-connected. One call to Mr. Bourgeois, and he'll bring the police for me. The whole army if he has to!" Roth threatened but looked at the villain fearfully.

Ladybug tackled the villain to the ground despite his head starting to throb painfully. "Get lost!" He snapped at the producer who for a moment looked like he was about to argue but the villain shrugged he made his way towards a window cleaner lift to escape. Ladybug pinned the Silencer's arms behind him, hoping that this Akumatized villain wouldn't have heightened strength.

" I can't let you do this Silencer." Ladybug said as he realized the Akuma was in Silencer's helmet, but quickly realized he had no solid way of breaking it. He wished Chat Noir was with him right now.

"He's the one who silenced my friends when he stole our video. I'm just returning the favor." Silencer said as he pushed back against' Ladybug's, knocking him back and then pinning him against the roof with his hand above his head.

Ladybug's eyes widened as he got a better view of Silencer behind his helmet. "Luka?" He asked reflexively as he was stunned that his normally calm friend would be susceptible to an Akuma. For a moment he wondered what could've caused him to become akumatized before he remembered that one of his best friends was a villain trying to take his Miraculous. He tried to escape but was pinned by the villain's strength. "What happened to you?"

Silencer narrowed his eyes at him as he tightened his grip on his wrists. "You weren't here when we needed someone to help us, how could I not accept Hawkmoth's help?"

There were a number of reasons not to accept help from a villain like that, but there was no time list every single one. "Lucky Cha-" He tried to say, but Silencer covered his mouth, freeing one hand as Ladybug felt his breath being taken away. Before him, he saw what looked to be a small bright red jellyfish covered in black spots. But before he realized what was happening Silencer absorbed it into his helmet.

"You shouldn't have stood in my way, Ladybug." Silencer said, but now he was speaking in Ladybug's own voice. It felt bizarre to hear. "Without your Lucky Charm you're helples-" Silencer said in Ladybug's voice but flinched as Ladybug used his free hand to punch his helmet.

It backfired quickly as Ladybug winced in pain at the impact, but he jumped back, gaining some distance as he swiftly kicked Silencer's helmet to the ground, cracking the glass and releasing the Akuma. He didn't need any words to capture it, holding it in his yo-yo as he saw Luka transform back to normal, releasing the voices that were stolen. Ladybug grabbed his own and put it back into his mouth, returning his voice back.

"Like I need a Lucky Charm." He said to himself and then knelt by Luka's side who looked around in confusion as to why he was on the roof of the television station.

"Ladybug? Where am I?" He asked earnestly as Ladybug helped him to his feet, clutching his friend's hand for a moment before he released it.

"You were akumatized by Hawkmoth." Ladybug explained as he released the Akuma now newly purified. "Do you remember what happened?"

Luka averted his gaze shamefully as he hung his head. "I...my friend and I are in a band. We all entered a contest and that guy stole our work to make his son look good. When I confronted them about it they called us punks and threw me out of the studio."

Ladybug nodded, quelling the growing fury in his belly. He checked the time on his yo-yo, flipping it into phone mode. Internally he grimaced at the sight of how much time he'd spent on this and wouldn't be able to make it back until after the movie ended. It was going to kill him, standing up Adrien like this. But he was a hero first.

Ladybug placed his hand on Luka's shoulder, "Don't worry I'll take care of this personally."

Luka's eyes widened in surprise at the hero, "Are you sure?"

"Did you expect me to leave you hanging?" Ladybug asked as Luka smiled at him sheepishly, then followed the hero back into the building.

* * *

Adrien sat outside the theatre in the lobby area on a bench throwing popcorn into his mouth. After Marin left he didn't feel like watching the rest of the movie but he didn't want to go home either. All he could really do was wait around until his bodyguard hunted him down. That was until he saw a familiar old man walking up to him with his hand folded behind his back.

"Mind if I sit down?" Master Fu asked.

Adrien stared at him disbelief for a moment, still trying to process that the Guardian of the Miraculous was standing before him in a movie theatre of all places. "Yeah, sure." Adrien nodded respectfully as the old man sat down next to him, his feet barely touching the floor due to his height.

"It's been a while hasn't it, Adrien Agreste." Master Fu asked.

"Yeah," Adrien nodded. "It's a little weird to see you again. I didn't think I'd ever get to meet you again."

"Normally that would be the case, however, I do not wish that. You know I chose you for a reason" Master Fu said as Adrien looked at him in surprise.

"Yeah, Ladybug and Plagg kinda explained that." Adrien said.

"Then you know that every Ladybug needs a partner. One who would be able to balance out their more...stubborn attributes."

Adrien wasn't really a fan of where this conversation was turning. "So? He can choose whoever he wants. Anyone would be lucky to have him as a partner, I know I was."

Master Fu smiled inwardly as he glanced at the younger man. "Ladybug doesn't want a new partner. In fact, he's gone out of his way to prove that he can perform his and your duties alone for the most part."

"Huh? Wait, why would he do that? I thought he had the Kwami's to help him." Adrien questioned. But saw that Master Fu's eyes looked glossy, filled with emotion that seemed to weigh on on mind.

"Adrien. Would you hear this old man out?" Master Fu asked, but Adrien already an idea of what was coming.

Adrien's expression softened as he turned his head away. "You're going to ask me to use the Miraculous of Destruction again, aren't you?"

Master Fu nodded simply as he held an all too familiar box towards Adrien, a small black one with red markings engraved on top. The box that changed his entire life for the better Adrien hesitated for a moment. He'd be lying if he hadn't thought about it. About being Chat Noir again, about regaining that taste of true freedom once again. Part of Adrien would have said yes, one hundred times yes. He missed Plagg so much, much more than he'd ever thought possible. He missed fighting alongside Ladybug, he missing standing alongside the first person who saw him for him, who showed him genuine kindness and never made him feel ashamed for how much he yearned for it. But even so...

Adrien shook his head, clutching his jeans as he hung his head, "I'm sorry, but I can't." He said honestly.

Master Fu nodded thoughtfully as he stroked his beard. "You're quite mindful of such things. But tell me, would you be alright if you never saw them again?"

Adrien chuckled to himself, " Of course not. No one would be just alright if they could never see their friends again. Plagg and Ladybug mean everything to me but that doesn't change what I did. All intentions aside I placed everyone in danger when I revealed my identity not just myself. What kind of hero of justice would I be if I couldn't uphold my own morals?"

Master Fu nodded thoughtfully, respecting his answer. "Then I hope you will at least do this old man one small kindness." Master Fu said as he stood up, facing Adrien with an unreadable expression. "Should the time come when Ladybug asks for your aid, would you at least stand by his side?"

"...That's a little ominous Master, nothing's going to happen to Ladybug. He's the strongest person in Paris."

Master Fu nodded as a more somber expression was written on his face. "To an extent he is. But even the strongest tree can fall when struck down. Even with all of the Kwami's at his disposal, I suspect he has been pushing himself beyond even his own capabilities. He has the skill and discipline to go on alone for a long time but eventually the strain is going to catch up to him. Enough so that even I fear for his safety."

Adrien furrowed his brow now heavy with worry for his former partner. "Why don't you stop him then? You're his master aren't you? I'm sure he'd listen to you." Adrien asked, but was met with hearty laughter from the old man.

"It is kind of you to assume that. It's true that Ladybug has great respect for me as his teacher and is extremely compassionate towards others, but that hasn't stopped him from also yelling at me when I've strayed from my own health."

Adrien stared at the Guardian for a moment, unable to properly picture his partner yelling at what appeared to be a feeble old man far from his prime. "That seems a little hypocritical."

Master Fu nodded in amusement. "It's how he is and I am certain that if I pushed him then he would willingly give up his Miraculous. However, I were to do that, to take away his Miraculous, I would be placing the city in even more danger that is already is in and I'm too old to keep running from my own mistakes."

"So what? Are you asking me to try and convince Ladybug to find a new Chat Noir?" Adrien asked.

"No, I suspect that Plagg would be more averse to the idea more so than Ladybug." Master Fu said as he stroked his beard with a curious expression. "All I will say is that should the time come, would you be able to offer your aid if Ladybug himself asked?"

Adrien averted his gaze for a moment, wondering what could come about in hypothetical situations being placed before him. But before he could answer Master Fu seemingly had already gotten the answer that he was looking for, as evident with a bittersweet smile ridden on his face.

"I respect your decision Adrien Agreste. I hope the next time we meet it won't be nearly as dreary." Master Fu said bowing his head respectfully, a gesture which Adrien mirrored as he was left alone again to mull over his own thoughts.

* * *

Marin had a good feeling in his chest as he landed on his feet, transforming back, behind the movie theatre. He had left Kitty Section on good terms and was just about to walk back into the theatre, hoping that he hadn't missed all of the movie when he spotted Adrien standing out in front of the building. He hadn't noticed him yet as Adrien was looking out onto the streets.

A new feeling of panic washed over him, wondering if Adrien was mad. Marin was fairly certain that his not-friend wasn't the type to get mad over something like this, but it was a strange day, and perhaps this would be the day that he'd get to see a new side of him.

Hesitantly, Marin walked up to Adrien, tapping him from behind as Adrien turned towards him with a small smile on his face. "Hey, how did the thing go?" He asked.

Marin took a deep breath. "It's a long story, but basically it's got theft, celebrities, betrayal, drama, and ends with Ladybug saving the day." He said, noticing that Adrien slightly flinched when he said Ladybug but if he had any negative emotion regarding the hero they were immediately hidden as he chuckled in amusement.

"Sounds like you went through a lot." Adrien said

"Uh, yeah about that." Marin said as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I was on my way to the television station when Juleka called me up about everything just when it finished. So I cut our date down for no reason. I'm really sorry." Marin apologized, folding his hands together and handing his head shamefully.

"You said date." Adrien giggled in amusement much to Marin's chagrin.

"Is that what you're most focused on!?" Marin snapped feeling the guilt well up in his chest. "I ditch you over nothing and you're not even annoyed?"

Adrien shrugged his shoulders as he shoved his hands in his pockets. "Well I mean sure if it was anyone else I would be kind of annoyed. But I like to think I know you pretty well. So I know that you probably feel worse about ditching me and running across town than I do about sitting in a nice air-conditioned movie theatre eating freshly made buttered popcorn." Adrien explained, as a matter of fact, like but then broke into a smile looking at his boyfriend's dumbfounded expression.

Marin sighed heavily then placed hips. "So, what do you want to head back in there?" He asked but then received a swift answer as a familiar black car pulled up and Adrien's bodyguard stepped out with his usual frown.

"Hm. His times are getting better." Adrien said nonchalantly as he checked a timer on his phone.

" I guess this is good bye then? See you at school tomorrow?" Marin asked holding out his hand respectfully, believing that Adrien would shake it. He already knew what it meant when Adrien's bodyguard showed up, feeling a little sad to part with Adrien when they spent so little time together.

But Adrien shrugged his shoulders. "Could be. Do you want to end the day like this?"

"Huh? No, not really." Marin said sincerely as Adrien's bodyguard walked up to then. The next thing Marin knew Adrien suddenly grasped his hand out of his blue and looked up to his bodyguard with a calm expression on his ace.

"I finished all my school and homework can I please see another showing of a movie with my boyfriend?"

"WHA-" Marin gasped taken aback by Adrien's bluntness, unable to speak as all he could only do was hide his reddening face behind his free hand and be embarrassed. He only peaked out as he felt his head being patted, peaking out to see Adrien's bodyguard doing the same to Adrien and then returning to the car.

"He's cool with it." Adrien said simply like he didn't just out them in front of his bodyguard casually still grasping Marin's hand.

"..."

Adrien tilted his head at him curiously, "This is the part where you yell at me for embarrassing you."

"Well I should," Marin said trying to hold his tone not wanting Adrien to be right. "Did he know beforehand? Did you tell him?"

"No, I told him right now," Adrien said and immediately Marin whined in embarrassment, hiding his face again in his hand. "Who else am I gonna tell? Nathalie? My Dad?" Adrien said like his bodyguard was the obvious option. "I think he approves, he's always liked you ya know."

As much as Marin wanted to ask how he could tell his head was still felt fuzzy.

"...Do you still want to see the movie?" Adrien asked, and received an answer as Marin only nodded, allowing himself to be guided by him as they walked back into the theatre.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -When you forget to save ya' work and it gets taken away so you have to start all over. ;;
> 
> \- Kick Warrior was the movie from Ikari Gozen, I almost wrote it as Kich Warrior because I couldn't read the font.
> 
> -Luka is the character that seizes the moment, respects the boundaries of other people, and disrespects the law. But at the same time is timid when it comes to closing distance, and is content to admire from afar.
> 
> -Rose is in the know about Luka's feelings and is essentially his Alya
> 
> -Silencer's voice comes through his helmet because that's where the stolen voices become trapped in.
> 
> -Master Fu is aware of Marin's dwindling health and while he wants to keep his student safe he doesn't exactly have a lot of options.
> 
> -This episode and a few other episodes are going to be given more context later on so the story has more re-readability.
> 
> \- Look at all that foreshadowing, I wonder where it's going to lead up to.
> 
> -Gorilla is a better dad than Gabe and you can't change my mind.
> 
> -Horray, Adrien and Marin get to go on a normal date.


	69. Life of the Party Crasher

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nino wants to hang out with his best friend. Nothing else important happens in this chapter.

"I'm really sorry, Wayhem, but I've got a casting this afternoon and then a private fencing lesson." Adrien apologized as he was video chatting with his friend. He could see Wayhem's eyes tearing up at turning him down again. He didn't like making his friend feel bad but his hands were tied. "But we'll be able to hang out soon I promise. You're my number one fan after all. My father doesn't really approve of me having friends, I'm not even allowed to have anyone over." He said sadly recalling the number of times that he asked only to be turned away every.

"Seriously? You never have friends over? That's harsh. One of these days, I'm gonna come over and change your dad's mind and we'll have a rocking good time. For real!" Wayhem reassured making Adrien chuckle.

"My father doesn't change his mind very easily but I appreciate the thought. Okay, gotta go finish my homework before the shoot. See you, Wayhem."

"Bye, Adrien." Wayhem said as Adrien turned off the call, sighing heavily as he turned his chair towards the window, looking outside towards the clouds. He'd rather be outside with his friends than inside studying all day. however he couldn't get a hold of Nino to chat with, Marin was going to be busy all day, and Mylene was hosting a tree planting which was probably where the rest of his friends were. Even Kagami was unavailable to talk to as she was on a training retreat with her mother. He just sighed to himself heavily, glancing at the photo of his mother for a moment before he decided to study for the rest of the day.

* * *

Marin took a deep breath as every breath he took triggered a sharp pain within him. His hands were placed on either side of a sink as he could see the toll taken that weeks of being a solo superhero had taken on him, turning his skin more pale than usual and darkening the bags under his eyes, making him look like a panda. He grasped his bangs before his face, pulling them down to cover more of his face as they were long enough now to touch the bridge of his nose.

He really needed a hair cut but that was a problem for another time...probably.

Marin pushed back his bangs, using his bobby pins to keep his messy hair in place as he stepped out of the bathroom and into an old-looking house. As he stepped into the kitchen he put on his apron and smiled as he saw three small mice scurrying towards him as their owner was mixing something in a small glass bowl.

"You were taking too long. You ill or something boy?" His grandfather asked sounded grumpy. But Marin shook his head as he placed the mice on his shoulder walking over to his grandpa as he continued to mold mini cake tins out of aluminum foil.

"Just tired gramps." Marin said as he watched his grandpa work. "You know how young people are, always working never having time to dilly dally or play with their friends." He joked.

Rolland grumbled something under his breath as he glanced at his grandson, "Those done yet?"

"Almost-" Marin said as his phone started to ring from his apron pocket. He wondered who could be calling him, he didn't have any plans, and he was sure he'd remember if he had already committed to something with Adrien. "Just a sec gramps." Marin requested as his grandfather nodded towards him continuing to assemble the mini cakes. Marin looked down to see, Cookie, on the caller ID of his phone before he answered the call.

"Hi Nino." Marin greeted as he stepped away from the kitchen.

"Hey cutie pie, you, us, Adrien's place, now." Nino said enthusiastically from the other end.

Marin stood there for a moment in confusion, trying to process what his friend just said. "...us?"

"Yeah dude, you, me, our boys, Adrien's place, now." Nino repeated as he quickly realized that he was losing some of his spark as Marin sighed heavily.

"There are a number of things wrong with what you're saying that I could point out, but let's both save some time and have me hang up right about-"

"WAIT WAIT WAIT- hear me out!" Nino pleaded. "...A hang out session. At Adrien's place. With your friends."

"Good-bye Nino."

"NO! Wait! Marin!" Nino pleaded as Marin hung up, placing his phone in his back pocket as he walked back into the kitchen.

* * *

Adrien's eyes grew lidded as he continued to write reports on history book chapters that hadn't even been covered yet. It was good mind stimulation after hours of playing video games on his own.

Suddenly he heard a knocking on his door just before his bodyguard walked in with Nino, Max, Kim, and Ivan much to his surprise, "What are you guys doing here?

"We're here for the school project.

Adrien tilted his head in confusion. "Project? What project?"

"You know. The project." Nino said, winking as he forced himself to smile as not to arouse suspicion.

Adrien smiled as he caught on. "Oh, that project!" He said as he nodded to his bodyguard who walked away. The moment the door closed his friends suddenly surrounded him in a group hug.

"Project Surprise!" They said in unison as Adrien laughed joyously.

"You've never had any hang out time at your place, right?"

"We get to have it whenever we want-" Ivan began to say.

"So we've come up with a plan to right this injustice." Max finished as Adrien eyed them gratefully, but then he stepped back as his anxiety rose.

"That's really cool of you all. But if my father found out about this..." He began to say but then noticed his friend's disappointment as they expected to be tossed out after all their hard work. "Uh, but hey! As long as it's not for very long and he never, ever finds out about it..." Adrien added not wanting to see them disappointed.

"Hang out time!" They said in unison as they began to check out Adrien's room Nino walked over to his best friend, resting his hand on his shoulder.

"Ah, one more thing. We've got a few more people popping up later on."

Adrien eyed him curiously. "Who?"

"Just a couple of our other buds; Nathaniel, Marc-"

"What about Marin?" Adrien asked, "Did he know about this?"

Nino suddenly grew silent as he had an uncharacteristically determined expression on his ace but then Ivan intervened.

"Nino called Marin about a dozen times but he says that he's too busy with something."

"Yeah, he said that he helping his grandpa with something today." Adrien informed but then realized his mistake as they stared at him as it was apparent that Marin did not make this common knowledge to the rest of his friends.

"How do you know that?" Nino asked.

"He uh, mentioned it to me." Adrien said unable to think up a lie. "I asked if he maybe wanted to study but he said that he was baking a birthday cake for his grandpa's pet mice."

"What the heck kinda excuse is that?!" Nino exclaimed in disbelief starting to dial again.

"I calculate that excuse is 99.69% false." Markov said.

"Ah- um, hey we're having a good time right now, no need to get bent out of shape over this." Adrien said trying to ease the rising tension in his best friend while also trying to cover for his boyfriend.

"Dude!" Nino said still trying to dial Marin. "You, me, and our cutie pie are buds. We can't have guy time without our favorite guy!"

Adrien scratched the back on his head nervously. "Sorry, this whole hanging out thing is kinda new. But Marin and I aren't really-"

"Doesn't matter, guy time is guy time." Nino said in a tone that read, end-of-discussion as he still tried to call his friend.

"Uh, hey why don't we crank up some tunes?" Adrien suggested as that seemed to calm Nino down. He guided him towards one of his cupboards where he revealed a vast collection of old records that made his heart swell with nostalgia.

"Woah! These can't be your awesome old records, you have no taste in music." Nino said in surprise as he scanned over the vintage records.

"They were my mother's." Adrien said as he pulled out his favorite, handing it over to Nino who placed it in a record player while Max turned up the volume.

"Uh, wait a sec. Is this as loud as it gets?" Nino asked as the music was belted out on the speakers. "Max."

Max adjusted his glasses as he plugged Markov into Adrien's PC. "I just need to hook Markov to the home's electrical panel." He said as the door opened again revealing that Nathaniel and Marc had arrived, greeted by Ivan who gave them a big hug.

Adrien waved to them with a smile just before Max got his attention. "Woah! Your house has an insane power supply, Adrien. It could compete with a nuclear power station."

He wasn't really sure what to make of it, after all his father's house was huge. He shrugged his shoulders. "My father always has known the biggest and the best."

"Cool! Crank it up to overdrive!" Nino insisted as Max started grinning like a manic.

"You sure it's not going to be too loud?" Adrien asked starting to have a bad feeling.

"Are you kidding? This is the way music is supposed to..."Suddenly, Nino's eyes widened with realization. "Music of course! Ivan!" Nino called running over to his friend to get a number.

* * *

Marin turned his head back to the door as he heard the bell ring, exchanging a confused expression with his grandpa as both of them knew well that Rolland practically never received visitors even priding himself on that fact.

"Are you expecting anyone gramps?" Marin asked as he wiped down his hands.

"Of course not." He responded as Marin handed him the rag before he walked towards the door. Just before he did Tikki poked her head out of his bag.

"What about the mini cakes?" She asked expectantly.

"Later Sugarcube, promise." He said as he opened it up and was surprised to see Luka standing behind the gate with one guitar case strapped to his back and another resting in the basket of his bike.

"Luka?" Marin asked as he walked down towards his friend. "What are you doing here?"

"Ivan called and said that he needed two guitarists for a gig he apparently booked last minute and I hoped that you could help me out."

Marin immediately glared at him suspiciously. "Ivan set up a gig huh?"

"Yes."

"On his own and he needs two guitarists huh?" Marin asked with a deadpanned expression.

"Well, technically one guitarist and one bass player, Jules is with her friends and you're kinda the only other person I could ask."

Marin stared at him in disbelief, he already has a suspicious feeling that something was off due to Nino's insistent earlier phone call and now even more so at Luka's presence.

"How did you even find me? I just said that I was going to my grandpa's today."

"You kept your phone on." Luka pointed out as Marin remembered that he had that same friend tracking app that Alya and he used.

"...Right."

"So are you up for this or-"

"Marinus! Who's at the door?!" He sighed heavily as he turned towards Luka with urgency. "Save yourself while you still can-"

Both of them flinched at the sound of his grandpa suddenly yelling then turned to see him standing at the top of the stairs looking down at Luka with a disapproving expression. "Tell 'em we're not buying any more calenders! Buzzards! The lot of them." He grumbled.

"Who's at the door boy!" Rolland asked again as he walked down the stairs.

"Just a friend gramps." Marin clarified as Rolland walked up to him.

"Hello sir, I'm-"

"This is the kind of company you keep?" Rolland asked. "A flashy blue boy?"

"Gramps, this is Luka. He's a friend of mine and a musician-"

"A musician!" Rolland laughed in disbelief. "And what kind of musician is blue?! Back in my day kids didn't go around with their blue hair and flashy clothes. They stayed home and baked bread."

Marin slapped his forehead in embarrassment as he knew his grandpa was just getting started.

"It's rock and roll sir." Luka clarified.

"Sonny. I lived through the height of rock and roll music before you were even a thought. Back in my day rock and roll meant something, it was true rebellious spirit in the face of the man. Now it's all flash and no substance."

"Gramps, don't be rude." Marin said sternly as Rolland crossed his arms defiantly. "Luka's a good friend of mine, he's a musician, and he was just leaving." Marin placed an extra emphasis on the word leaving as he widened his eyes at Luka, signaling him to leave. But his friend just stood there with a calm smile on his face.

"No I wasn't. I actually need to borrow Marin for a gig we have."

Marin froze in place while Rolland eyed Marin curiously. "You still play?"

"No- I uh-I mean-"

"Yes sir he plays beautifully," Luka said as Marin wanted to scream at him. "He practices with us and even manages our band. Which is why we need his help for todays gig."

"Why didn't you say so then?" Rolland asked as he looked up at Marin who was helpless in this situation.

"You know him, probably wanted to just spend time with family. He was probably worried about his grandpa."

Rolland scoffed as he turned his back to them. "I can take care of myself just fine boy, go on and play with your colorful friends I'll finish up the rest." He said sternly as he walked back up the stairs to his house, leaving his grandson stunned.

"...What just happened?" Marin asked he rubbed the back of his head while Luka opened the gate with an amused smile on his face.

* * *

Adrien looked over what had quickly turned out to be a huge get together of friends and mild acquaintances as Nino danced next to him. "Is hang out time always like this?

"No, but it should be!" Nino cheered, but then pulled out his phone as he received a message. His expression lit up as he clenched his fist victoriously. "YES."

"What is it?" Adrien asked as Nino turned towards him with a smile.

"We got our boy." Nino said as Adrien suddenly grew nervous. It wasn't that he didn't want to hang out with his boyfriend, but he liked to think he knew Marin pretty well. He knew that he would hate being in place mostly filled with people he was acquainted with.

"Uh, maybe this isn't a good ide-"

"Too late he's already here." Nino said mischievously much to Adrien's chagrin.

* * *

Marin jumped off of the back of Luka's bicycle. He had Luka's guitar case strapped on while he had Juleka's case strapped on. While his friend was parking his bike Marin looked up towards Adrien's house, feeling a range of emotions ranging from anxiety to worry to annoyance.

"Here." Luka said holding out a familiar black case to Marin as he rang the doorbell. Marin opened it to reveal high-quality earplugs meant to muffle loud sounds. Each of the members of Kitty Section had their own pair that they used during practice.

"Do you just carry these everywhere?" Marin asked as the gate opened up before them.

"Yeah, never know when you're gonna when you're going to rock, or help out a friend." He said with a smile as Marin placed the plugs in, rolling his eyes in amusement as they walked inside together.

* * *

As soon as the door opened Adrien's eyes darted towards it as his heart raced with excitement, but then wavered a little as he saw Luka walking in with him.

Oh hey, Luka's here?" Adrien asked as Nino lit up with excitement amidst the ongoing hangout.

"Yeah dude, Ivan said Luka would bring him over." Nino informed as Adrien grimaced but still allowed himself to be dragged over. Nino hugged Marin who stiffened at the contact before returning the gesture. "You came!" He said with a smile.

Marin glanced at Adrien for a moment before turning his gaze back on Nino. "Under false pretenses but yeah. So this is your hang out session?" Marin asked mildly annoyed as confetti began to fell.

"Yeah, great isn't it." Nino said, "Hey, Adrikins this is the first time Marin's been here right? Why don't you two bond a bit?" He suggested pushing them together as he stood next to Luka with a victorious expression on his face.

The two stood together awkwardly being surrounded by everyone else enjoying themselves.

"Do you want to stand outside-" Adrien began to ask and Marin immediately jumped on the opportunity.

"Yes please."

Adrien led the way as he stepped out of the party and into the foyer where Adrien could see his bodyguard playing with his newly acquired action figures. He and Marin sat on the stairs together. Marin sighed heavily as rested his body on his legs. "Yeesh I was only there for 2 seconds, how am I already tired?"

"I don't know, you've been in large groups before haven't you?"

"Yeah, with our friends." Marin pointed out, "How are you alright being in there?"

Adrien shrugged his shoulders. "I'm just having fun, I've never hung out with friends before, is it usually this much crazy?"

"I wouldn't really know." Marin said. "I try to avoid gatherings like this usually."

"But you went to Chloe's party didn't you? That was a pretty big one."

"Sure but it was mostly our school, most of whom are people I don't even know." Marin pointed out as he rested his arms behind his back.

They sat together in silence with only the base of the music playing behind them until Adrien turned his head towards Marin.

"I was surprised when you turned up." Adrien said. "You know, since you said that you were going to be helping out your grandpa for the rest of the day."

"Yeah, I thought so too. You know what my gramps is like, but somehow Luka convinced him to let me go it was pretty incredible." Marin chuckled to himself recalling the memory of his astonishment. I think it helped that I mentioned that Luka was a musician."

"Why's that?"

Marin turned his gaze away as he had a sheepish expression on his face. "My gramps taught me when I was young and ever since I started helping out with Kitty Section I've been practicing with Luka. It's fun."

"You can play guitar?" Adrien asked in surprise.

"Not as good as Luka or Juleka but yeah. Adrien?" Marin asked as Adrien averted his gaze as he shoved his hands into his pockets.

"I'm kind of a musician too ya know." Adrien pointed out.

"...Yeah?" Marin nodded, wondering where he was going with this.

"So, maybe I could play for you somet-"

Marin tuned out of what Adrien was saying as he saw someone familiar pass by.

"Marin?" Adrien asked trying to get his attention.

"Uh, I'm gonna head back in, hold that thought," Marin said hastily, backing away slowly as Adrien was left confused and alone.

"...okay."

* * *

Marin pushed through the crowd and towards a small old man dancing on top of a familiar cooler. wearing a cheap disguise. "Master Fu?"

"Who? Me? No, not at all. I'm DJ Wong! Boom, boom! Wiki, wiki, wa!" Master Fu said trying not to get caught but failed to realize that his student wouldn't be fooled so easily. But before he could scold his Master for risking his safety Marin held his hand to his mouth as he felt a sudden rush of vertigo. The room started to spin as he ran straight into the restroom, not realizing that he'd almost knocked Master Fu down off of his cooler.

"Woah, that was close!" Kim said as he caught the old man, who's alarm bells immediately went off. "Thank you, young man. Your natural reflexes are quite good."

"Helping others should always be a natural reflex." Kim said as he and Master Fu looked towards the bathroom.

Marin held his head as he could feel a chill on the back of his neck, every part of his body screamed at him to run away or hide as there was something dangerous nearby.

"Marinus."

He didn't have to turn his head to know Master fu was walking towards him, closing the door behind them to get them a semblance of privacy, luckily everyone was so focused on the dancing that they wouldn't notice them.

"Dude, you didn't look too well." Kim pointed out placing his hand on his back.

"I'm fine, just a little overwhelmed in the crowd." Marin said before suddenly coughing.

"Don't worry, I have experience with these kinds of things, I'll look after him."

" 'kay, cool." Kim said simply as he jumped into the bathtub with a splash.

Marin took a deep breath as he leaned over the counter. "Could you sense that Master?" He asked, trying not to hurl. "It's...powerful, so much that it hurts."

"You've never been this close to a beacon of negative energy." Master Fu inquired. "Wayzz." He said summoning his Kwami who hid in his shirt pocket.

"Yes Master." The turtle Kwami said sensing the tension in the air, already knowing what his master was going to say he phased through the floor while Master Fu looked up towards his student with a serious expression.

"Can you sense where the Akuma is right now?" He asked.

Marin closed his eyes, his head felt incredibly fuzzy, like his head was stuff of static which made it hard to concentrate. He winced in pain as he broke through, sending the Akuma extremely nearby and now heading towards them.

"It's here, it's-"

Just then a loud burst was heard from the next room. Master Fu peaked through the door as he saw a newly Akumatized villain.

"So, Adrien? Too busy for your number one fan? Well I'll make sure you never forget to invite Party Crasher to one of your parties again!" He announced as he began to absorb people with his blasts of energy. The Guardian eyed his cooler sitting out in the open, within range.

"This is very bad." Master Fu said to himself as he tried to think up a plan.

"Adrien! Where are you, Adrien?!" Party Crasher demanded as everyone ran around to escape the room. Master Fu spotted his opening the villain jumped through the window as he quickly grabbed his cooler and returned to his students' side who has his back to the wall as Tikki hovered nearby.

"I can do this Master." Marin said as Master Fu could see a spark of determination in his eye.

"Not alone you can't. This new villain is extremely capable." Master Fu said as he pulled out the Miracle box, placing it before Marin. "Marinus Dupain Cheung you must choose an ally you can trust."

This was a no brainer.

Marin reached toward a Miraculous that he had picked before, placing it in his pocket. Now all he had to do was hope that he didn't get blasted by Party Crasher yet.

"Tikki, Spots on!"

* * *

Adrien flinched as he heard yells from inside his room and everyone running out in a panic.

"Hey what's going o-" He rasped before he saw an Akumatized villain and Ivan passed him.

"We need to get out of here!" The larger boy said but then grasped Adrien's shoulder as he saw him try to run back in. "What are you doing?!"

"What if there's people still in there?!" Adrien asked, holding himself back from asking about Marin.

"He probably split like everyone else, we need to go!" Ivan said then easily grabbed his friend and carried him to safety outside of the manor.

* * *

Ladybug jumped on top of the fence as he spotted Party Crasher looking around for Adrien. But that was a problem for later as he eyed his target hiding behind some cars. Skillfully, he landed nearby, placing a hand on Luka's back as he jolted with surprise, turning around to see Ladybug kneeling right next to him.

"Ladybug, my friends-" Luka began to say but Ladybug lifted his hand up to stop him from speaking any further.

"I know and I promise that we will save your friends but first I'm going to need your help." Ladybug said as he held out the Miraculous box before him. He saw Luka staring down at it for a moment but then he hesitated.

"...Are you sure you want to give this to me?" He asked as he averted his gaze.

"Huh? Of course, why wouldn't I?" Ladybug asked in surprise, seeing his normal composed friend look uncertain.

"I was Akumatized recently, lost my temper, aren't you worried that it may happen again?" He asked, seeming extremely nervous about the last time that they met. His expression softened as he was reminded of the first time he donned his Miraculous.

"Luka, one bad day doesn't re-define who you are." Ladybug said sincerely. "You're empathic, considerate towards others, and even in a bad situation, you can keep a level head. That's the kind of person I need to help me. Are you up to the task?" Ladybug asked again holding out the Miraculous box.

This time Luka nodded with renewed determination, flinching back as he opened up the box and revealing Sass who nodded at Luka respectfully.

"It is an honor to serve alongside you again."

"Likewise." Luka said as he placed the Snake Miraculous on his wrist. "Sass, Scales slither." Luka said as he transformed into Viperion.

* * *

"What's the plan?" He asked as Ladybug peaked from behind the car, glancing at Party Crasher who was walking towards the main road. He saw Ladybug narrow his eyes towards the villain.

"Remember the last time I gave you a Miraculous?" Ladybug asked to which Viperion immediately nodded. "You need to stay back and look for an opening, whatever this guy's weakness is, and no matter what don't let him see you or capture you. If you get caught then this is all over. Ready?"

Viperion nodded pulling back the snake on his bracelet. "Second chance!" He said activating his power. As soon as he did Ladybug jumped on top of the car and then used his yo-yo to bind Party Crasher in hopes that it would be enough. But the villain almost immediately reacted, tumbling forward to throw off Ladybug momentum and kicking him onto his back.

"So the Hero wants to boogie huh?" Party crasher said as he was about to absorb the hero but Ladybug used his legs to twist his body. He backflipped away trying to put some distance between him and the villain but Party Crasher's aim was on point as he shot a beam towards the very spot where Ladybug about to stand. The hero disappeared as soon as the beam made contact, causing the villain to laugh triumphantly.

Every part of Viperion yelled at him to save his temporary partner but he knew better, he knew the moment he stepped out there then Ladybug would lose for real. Which was why he could only shut his eyes as he reset.

* * *

As Viperion opened up his eyes again he saw Ladybug tense up, about to jump on the car again. Almost immediately he stopped the hero by placing his hand on his shoulder.

"That's not going to work." Viperion warned. "He can read your moves and easily predict where you're going to end up." The hero could see Ladybug worshipping through this new information, narrowing his eyes and placing his hand over his mouth.

"If he can read my moves before they happen then we may need to disorient him."

"How are you going to do that?" Viperion asked, watching as Ladybug glanced back at the house.

"By enlisting some reinforcements." Ladybug said. "Keep an eye on him, I'll be right back."

* * *

Viperion did as he was told, waiting for Ladybug who returned with one familiar hero and another new one whom he didn't recognize. They all hid behind the mansion's walls while they became acquainted.

"Viperion, this is Carapese and Pegasus." Ladybug introduced. "You already know Carapese's power of Shell-ter, but PEgasus's power is Voyage. Which enables him to create a one way portal to anywhere he's seen before.

"Nice to meet you two." Viperion greeted.

"Are we gonna get this show on the road or not?" Carapace asked holding his shield.

"Soon enough but we have to be careful, this guy can predict any one of our moves. So long as we're able to disorient him by outnumbering him then we'll be okay." Ladybug warned.

The plan was simple enough according to Ladybug as Viperion watched it all unfold before his eye while he hid. He watched Pegasus use his power to catch Party Crasher off guard and in mid air Carapese used his Shell-ter to trap him and Ladybug followed it up by breaking his glasses. The item that Ladybug said that Akuma was possessing. But the plan quickly fell apart as Party Crasher could predict everywhere that Pegasus's portal would pop up. As soon as he was taken out then came Carapese who was captured before he could activate his power, then finally Ladybug as Party Crasher beat him in single combat.

Every time they tried every variation of the plan, it came undone one way or another and it always hurt to see his teammates being defeated so many times.

Viperion soaked up all the information and then reset again.

* * *

This time he grasped Ladybug's hand as he stopped him just before he jumped on the car.

"Viperion?" Ladybug asked glancing at his friend. He could quickly see the exhaustion in the hero's eyes. "How many times?"

"68." He said shamefully just as he saw Ladybug's eye's widened in surprise but before the hero could say anything Viperion spoke up. "Every time you and Carapese and Pegasus get close Party Crasher's powers to overwhelm you. He can predict everything you're about to do just before you're about to do it, and I can't see a way to get past it. I'm sorry."

Ladybug wavered for a moment until he threw his yo-yo into the air. "Lucky Charm!" He said activating his power and in his hands fell a small strange looking headband that looked to be a crown of sorts. "No, this is good." Ladybug said placing both of his hands on Viperions shoulders, trying to reassure him. "Thank Viperion, you helped me out a lot."

"Wha- what are you talking about?" Viperion asked as Ladybug stood up.

"I know what I need to do now. Once Carapese and Pegasus get here you're going to have to explain the plan while I try and find the last member of our team. " Ladybug said standing up, but Viperion gripped his hand looking up at him with a determined expression on his face but then he shut his eyes tightly for a moment before letting go. "Don't worry."

Viperion suddenly lifted his head as it was like Ladybug read his thoughts.

"This time we're not going to lose anyone, trust me." The Hero said just before he jumped back into the manor.

* * *

"Master Fu!" Ladybug called as he opened the bathroom door, seeing his master meditating alone. "I need some help."

His master didn't ask any questions. He only opened up the Miracle box presenting all of them before him. "Which Miraculous do you require?" He asked as Ladybug knelt before him.

"I'll need the Turtle and Horse, and one other one."

"A new Miraculous? Are you sure that is wise?" Master Fu inquired as he saw Ladybug taking out the Horse Miraculous box along with another.

"Yes, I'm certain." Ladybug nodded. "Do you think you'll be able to track down Nino and Max while I look for-"

Just them someone popped out of the bathtub in glee with his goggles on. "BWAH- Oh hey," He said with a grin looking between a stunned Ladybug and Master Fu. "Did you come to party too Ladybug?! So cool!" He exclaimed gleefully.

"Um, this could be a problem." Master Fu said but Ladybug shook his head.

"No, this is exactly who we need." He said, walking over to Kim who was still standing in the bathtub while Master Fu left to find the other two. Kim had a goofy grin on his face until Ladybug held out a Miraculous Box before him.

"Lê Chiến Kim, this is the Miraculous of the Monkey, which grants the power of Disruption. You will use it for the greater good. Once we defeat the supervillain, you will return the Miraculous to me. Can I trust you?" He asked as Kim stared at the box presented before him.

"You mean...I get to be a super hero?!" He asked as his eyes lit up but then looked confused for a moment. "Wait why?"

"Because a super villain popped up and he attacked your friends."

"Oh no, not mu buds!" Kim exclaimed as he took the Miracle box from Ladybug's hand. As he opened it up a yellow ball of light appeared before him, manifesting into a small monkey-like Kwami.

"Awww! A flying monkey plushie!" Kim exclaimed in glee, much to the Kwami's annoyance.

"I'm no plushie! My name's Xuppu, you nitwit!" Xuppu said sticking out his tongue at him.

Kim scowled at his new partner, "My name's not nitwit! My name's Kim!" He exclaimed back and the two started to make faced towards each other.

Ladybug frowned at the two of them. This reaction wasn't unexpected but he was a little surprised that he had hoped that the two would be more professional. "Alright, that's enough." He said clapping his hands together. The two glanced at him amidst their silly faces. "Xuppu, he's just a kid."

"But he started it!" Xuppu exclaimed.

"I'm not a kid!" Kim added to which Ladybug ignored.

"It doesn't matter, you have a responsibility." Ladybug scolded as the Monkey kwami huffed, crossing his arms and then turning away.

"Just say showtime already!" Xuppu snapped as Kim put on the crown.

"Xuppu, showtime!"

* * *

Party Crasher laughed like a maniac as he evaded Carapese's and Pegasus's attacks, effectively toying with them. "Let's dance!"

Viperion held back as he gritted his teeth. He knew that earlier he wanted to fight instead of holding back, but without Ladybug he couldn't risk endangering anyone else.

"Hey, wait a sec! King Monkey loves to party too!"

Viperion turned his head as he saw Ladybug landing on top of the fountain with a new hero. His heart swelled with relief as he and Ladybug shared an affirmative nod.

"One more? No big, the more Miraculous out the more party favors Hawkmoth will receive!" Party crasher remarked pointing his Discoball at Ladybug who jumped towards him, swinging his yo-yo in hand.

"Pegasus, Carapese now!" Viperion yelled out as both heroes nodded towards him, activating their powers. Carapace placed a shield up to protect the three of them while Pegasus created a portal that Ladybug fell through and disappeared.

"Uproar!" King Monkey said activating his power as a toy banana fell into his hand. He squeaked it once before throwing it directly at Party Crasher just as Ladybug appeared before the villain. "Eat this!"

Party Crasher stared at the toy that was thrown at him, almost insulted. "Seriously?" He asked but as he was about to absorb Ladybug the disco balls on his hands exploded. "Wha-What's going on?!"

"Sorry. I just love messing around with others' powers." King Monkey teased as Ladybug sucker-punched Party Crasher in the face. He then kicked his glasses towards Viperion who immediately snapped it in two releasing the Akuma.

"No more mischief from you little Akuma. Time to purify!" Ladybug said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion. Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. "Bye-bye, little butterfly. Miraculous Ladybug!" Ladybug called out, throwing up the lucky charm as everything turned back to normal.

Just as he turned back he almost stumbled over as King Monkey wrapped his arm around him in a half hug. "We did it!" He said gleefully just as all of their Miraculous started to beep, presenting a new problem all together.

"You guys split up a good distance from each other, I'll collect your Miraculous one by one." Ladybug ordered as he clapped his hands together. Viperion lingered for a moment as he saw Ladybug help the Akumatized victim to his feet, telling him something before getting hugged before hiding behind an ad.

Just as he did so he saw the snake on his wrist reach it ends, transforming him back into Luka. He caught Sass in his hands, looking down at the Kwami who was exhausted from his transformation. His expression softened as he felt a little guilty at making the Kwami work so hard.

"You're the last one, good job today I knew I could rely on you." Ladybug said as he took Luka's Miraculous back as well as Sass who looked up at Ladybug's warm smile. Luka could just see the love that the hero held for the Kwami, something that even he didn't think he could properly understand. He watched as Sass disappeared and Ladybug placed the Miraculous back in it's box, then stored it within his yo-yo.

"It was an honor to work alongside you again." Luka said simply, but just before he could leave Ladybug took a step closer to him.

"Hey," Ladybug said slightly tilting his head as he was trying to get Luka's attention. "Using the Snake Miraculous can be draining. It's not easy to just reset so many times and walk away like nothing happened."

Luka's eyes widened at the hero, amazed but not surprised how easily he was able to be read. "I know. It'll just take a little time to process, that's all." Luka said as Ladybug's Miraculous beeped for the final time.

"I have to go now, but uh-" Ladybug said sheepishly before he wrapped his arms around his neck, hugging from tightly for a moment. Luka froze in place, unable to believe what was happening but before he could discern anything about the moment Ladybug pulled back with a reddened face."I hear these are good for...you know." He said before he jumped on top of the ad and then used his yo-yo to jump onto the rooftops.

Luka was unable to hold back a hearty laugh, holding his head in his hand as he was reminded why Ladybug was adored so much as he was, easily reminding him of someone who he adored just as much perhaps even more so.

* * *

Marin walked through the park with his phone at his ear "I'm fine Nino, sorry I couldn't help clean up." He apologized but then heard Nino laugh.

"Only you would apologize for not cleaning something up when it's not even your job to. Don't worry about it dude, I was just glad that you actually showed up. Looks like Luka's our go-to guy for dragging you where we want you to go." He said cheekily as Marin sighed heavily.

"Please don't trouble him." Marin pleaded but only received maniacal laughter as a response, rolling his eyes at his friend. "So how's Adrien?" Marin added more hesitantly.

"Oh, he's cool. Was worried sick about you, but he chilled out when I said you were good. Wanna talk to him?"

"Wait, Ni-"

"Hey Adrikins! Marin wants to talk to you!" Nino exclaimed as Marin cringed internally. Before he knew it he could feel his face turning red as he heard his not-friend speaking on the other end.

"Marin?" Adrien asked.

"Hey, uh- hi. How are you?" Marin asked reflexively as he rested his back on a nearby tree. "Had a good hang out session?" He then immediately chided himself for asking something dumb but Adrien laughed.

[ "Yeah, I loved it. It was so much fun."]

Marin's eyes widened as he heard Adrien speaking Mandarin then heard a few of their friends yelling at him for something, but Adrien laughed it off.

["Our friends are mad that they can't eavesdrop on our conversation."] Adrien explained as Marin nodded his head. ["You're alright aren't you? Kim said that you got nausea or something?"]

Marin felt a chill start to creep up his spine. ["It's nothing to worry about. I just got a little overwhelmed in that crowd with all the music-"] Marin's eyes widened as he then touched his ears, feeling the earplugs still inside. ["Ughhhhh, just realized I'm still wearing Luka's earplugs.] He said as he placed them back into their case, balancing his phone on his shoulder for a moment.

["Luka just carries earplugs around with him?"] Adrien questioned.

["Yeah, all of Kitty Section does. I think Ivan actually has a pair on him as well"] Marin recalled, but then remembered. ["Oh yeah weren't you saying something about music earlier at the party?"]

Adrien was silent on the other end.

["...Adrien?] Marin asked growing more anxious.

["I'm still here."]

["Oh, cool. So what were you saying? It kinda seemed like it was important."]

[ "I just...wanted to let you know I was a musician too."] Adrien began to say. ["So maybe I could play something for you sometime."] A smile drew on Marin's face as he tried to hide it, feeling something happy bubble in his chest. ["I know it won't be anything rock and roll like you're probably used to but-"]

["I'd love to hear you play."] Marin said sincerely. But then his smile quickly faded as he saw a familiar face sitting on a nearby bench. ["I have to go now but I'll text you later."]

["Alright, I love you."] Adrien said casually on the other end.

Marin froze, for some reason his mind his eject on the conversation. "OKAY THANK YOU BYE." He blabbered before ending the call and then immediately turning off his phone. He rested his head on the tree as he gripped his phone tightly in his hand, screaming to himself on the inside, asking what the heck was wrong with him. But he didn't have time to worry about that right now.

He placed his phone in his messenger back, leaving his hand in it for Tikki to nuzzle, giving him courage as he sat down next to his master.

"Master Fu." Marin said noticing that his Master was giving off a reserved air about him. His eyes were closed and his hands were folded on his lap.

"Wayzz tracked down the source of the beacon." Master Fu said simply.

"And?" Marin asked as he gripped the fabric of his pants. But, Master Fu didn't have to say anything. If there was nothing to find then he would have reassured him that nothing was wrong by now. No matter what he said, no matter what he argued, he knew the truth. If such negativity was found in Adrien's father's manor if his past suspicious were to be believed...

Marin hung his head for a moment as his expression grew solemn with resolve. "So, what do we do now?"

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- This one got deleted 3 times while I was writing it
> 
> \- Luka/Marin lives...kinda
> 
> -That friends tracking app is essentially snapchat
> 
> \- Adrien's a low key jelly type and isn't really alright with someone as cool as Luka hanging out but also being in love with his bf
> 
> -I meant it when I said Party Crasher would be an important episode, it and The Ladybug effect set everything in motion.
> 
> -Luka is a good friend first, and someone who's in love with his best friend second
> 
> -Two more episodes to go ya'll, thanks for the support!


	70. Felix the Chat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felix causes trouble and Marin is on his own when he receives an unexpected visitor of his own. 
> 
> Lesser to say, it does not go over well with anyone really.

Marin stood next off to the side, holding Alya's tablet in hand near Alya as some of their friends were gathered at the Couffaine houseboat. Marc, Nathaniel, Myléne, Ivan, Lila, and Chloé were on video call while Kim, Rose, Juleka, Max, Kagami, Alix, Nino, and Luka were standing by. Alya was at the forefront of all this as she stood before everyone assertively.

"So we're all in agreement, we can't just leave Adrien all alone on a day like this."

"Of course we're all in agreement but there's no way his old man's gonna let us see him." Alix pointed out as she stood next to Max with his arms crossed.

Alya smirked as she adjusted his glasses. "Which is why our dear class rep thought of a way to send our support without even breaking daddy Agrete's silly rules."

"Basically we're just going to take turns sending Adrien video messages about how much we care about him. Marin explained briefly as he was a little embarrassed at all the eyes on him.

"Okay, Marin you first since this was your idea!" Nino said immediately as he held up his phone towards him, but Marin immediately recoiled as he covered his face with Alya's tablet.

"I- uh, was going to just record by myself within the safety of isolation." He said still covering his face. "Plus I'm baking muffins downstairs in the kitchen, gotta go check on that!"

"I'll help you out with that." Alix said as she and Kim had greedy expression written on their faces, but Marin was already backing away.

"No, no it's good, I got this. You all know the plan right? Great!" Marin said, scrambling away, quickly returning Alya's tablet as Nino snapped his fingers in frustration as one of his best friends escaped. But then quickly changed his mood as Alya pointed her phone towards him, a wave of excitement washing over them as Alya hit record.

* * *

Adrien sat in the garden alone clutching his phone in hand just in case he got any message. He checked it again, seeing that there were no new messages. That dampened his spirit a little, but as he looked up towards the statue of his mother he smiled a little. Even if it was a portrait or a stone figure he felt some comfort looking at her face. Adrien smiled to himself as he hummed a familiar tune. She always sang it when he was younger and had trouble sleeping or when he was sick. Right now, however, all he felt was a lingering loneliness that never seemed to truly disappear.

"Little kitty on a roof, all alone without his-"

A beep interrupted his song as he looked down on his phone to see a new text notification. Excitement swelled his chest as he recognized the sender but just as he was about to open it he heard footsteps drawing near.

"Adrien."

"Father?" Adrien asked as he looked up to see his dad. He was taken off guard as his father sat down next to him abruptly looking uncertain before he turned his head towards him with a serious expression.

"There is something important I have to talk to you about. I think about telling you every day, but I don't know how to find the right words." His father began to say. But as he was talking Adrien noticed that in the window behind them Nathalie was looking down at the two of them with a hopeful smile on her face. Adrien stared at her for a moment before a smile broke out on his face, waving towards her before he turned back to his father. "You know that I would do anything for this family-"

"I think I already know what you mean father," Adrien said as he noticed his father's shocked expression. "I've noticed how close you and Nathalie have become. If she can make you happy again, then... as far as I'm concerned, she's already part of our family."

But Adrien quickly regretted saying those words as he saw his father's expression warp into a silent fury. Almost immediately he stood up, towering over his son as he folded his hands behind his back, now staring at the statue of his late wife.

"You should be ashamed of yourself," Gabriel said coldly as Adrien winced at his tone. "Nathalie is an important member of this house but nobody could ever replace your mother, as long as she is still in our hearts she lives on." He said sternly as he then turned his back to his son. "We're expecting guests. Be ready." He said leaving Adrien alone in the garden with dampened spirits.

* * *

Tikki poked her head out of Marin's pocket as he pulled muffins out of the oven, resting them on the countertop as he removed his oven mitts, sighing heavily. "What am I gonna say to him? Also, how are these smelling?" He asked before he turned to see Tikki gluttonous eyes extremely close to the muffins, hovering over a dozen double chocolate muffins.

"Just let your heart do the talking, and as long as it is filled with love, you can't go wrong!" She said optimistically but looked at her partner in content as he looked disheartened.

Marin rested his back to the counter, looking down at his phone. He didn't see any new messages from Adrien. He probably didn't want to be bothered on a day like today. Or maybe Adrien was offended on how he'd ended their last conversation. In any case, Marin knew he was in no right mind to be really doing anything. He took a few deep breaths, claiming his heart as he closed his eyes, then rested his back, crossing his arms. Every free moment he could spare was given to meditating, processing everything that had just happened the past few days, unable to sleep at all ever since he found out…

Well. He didn't even want to think about it.

Gabriel Agreste of all people. The man whom he admired for his work almost all his life, who was Adrien's father, and who brainwashed the citizens of Paris to bend to his will. Oh, also he'd tried to kill him on occasion, but that was a problem for another time.

He recalled his Master's words, telling him that their next move was all on him. He had to choose a partner or partners to take out Hawkmoth once and for all. But it wasn't that simple. He couldn't just defeat Hawkmoth so simply. Wayzz had told him that there was a secret underground facility under the Agreste manor, that was just one way down and one way back up. But nothing more at risk of the Kwami being discovered. But there was so much more he couldn't account for, Mayura being the main one.

Not to mention the fact that he would be taking out Adrien's father.

"Is there a right answer to this Tikki?" Marin asked openly, feeling her sit on his shoulder while he was still in his trance.

"There is never just one way to confront a problem. Some need time and planning others just need you to just be honest. All you need to do is be sure of what you choose. It may not seem like the right answer to begin with, but so long as you can trust yourself you'll be alright."

Marin sighed heavily as he opened his eyes, resting his hands on the counter behind him. "Every plan I've ever come up with has just been by instinct. Once I've collected all the pieces I can see the bigger picture so clearly. But with this, it's all fuzzy. Even with all of our allies and with Master Fu helping I just don't know what to do." Marin averted his gaze.

"About Hawkmoth or about Adrien?" Tikki asked as Marin averted his gaze from his Kwami. "Normally when you're thinking you're Ladybug, you just have to purify an Akuma and save someone from Hawkmoth's control. But now you have to face not just a masked stranger but someone you know, someone who's connected to your friends." Tikki inquired as she saw the turmoil brewing on her partner's face. "You already know what you have to do, don't you?"

"I don't know anything." Marin denied turning around.

"Maybe talking to Adrien will help? If you're worried about him the most wouldn't it be better to relieve yourself of that burden?" Tikki suggested.

"Not really." Marin said as he rubbed the back of his neck. He hadn't called Adrien since their last conversation for obvious reasons. But didn't have the will to make the first move on a day like day considering it was the first anniversary of his mother's…

"I'll send him a few texts later on... but if he wants to call me then I'll be there. But I seriously doubt that." He reasoned as he rested his hands in his hands shamefully really feeling his face heat up with embarrassment.

"Nonsense!" Tikki insisted as her eyes started to light up. "You know how he feels about you and you know how you feel about him. This day is important to both of you, so you two should spend it together." She reasoned.

"You're kind of forgetting something there Sugarcube," Marin said as he nuzzled his Kwami with his hand. "He's kind of under watch by the evilest villain in the city. Like I said earlier, something like this needs careful planning, not emotions clouding my judgment," Marin said. "Every single time I let my heart, or whatever

"Hawkmoth doesn't know who you really are or that you already know his identity, right now you have the upper hand. Shouldn't you take advantage of that while you still can?" Tikki asked as she rested on the palm of his hand.

But before Marin could respond he heard footsteps walking down the stairs. He quickly grabbed his Kwami, placing her in his inner jacket pocket before making it look like he was just setting the muffins down.

"Is something wrong Marinus?" Kagami asked as she stood before him with her arms behind her back.

"Oh, hi Kagami I'm just-" Marin suddenly stared coughing harshly, feeling a sharp pain in his chest that lingered for a little while. He was at a loss for words, seeing Kagami's reaction it and instead he held his hands behind his back, trying to not veer the conversation to an unwelcome topic. "Uh, muffin? They're fresh from the oven."

She stared at him for a moment before crossing her arms. "You're trying to misdirect me." She pointed out.

"...Nooo I'm not." He said trying to misdirect her.

"I thought I heard someone else down here." She said looking around.

Marin flinched slightly, averting his gaze looked down at it for a moment before sighing heavily. "That was just...me. I'm just worried I'll say the wrong thing, so I'm having a conversation...with myself." He slightly fibbed as Kagami stood next to him, reaching for a muffin.

"If saying something like this is hard then it just means that you care about Adrien very much." Kagami said as-a-matter-of-fact like as she approached him with her arms behind her back.

"Hm?"

"You care about what he thinks and all you want is for him to feel at ease but it is your lack of experience in matters like this that makes you feel insecure. You feel as though you're going to hurt him, when it couldn't be the opposite."

"...did you just think of that now?" Marin asked in surprise at her wisdom as Kagami took a bite of the muffin.

"It's just common sense," Kagami said as she turned her head towards him, her eyes lighting up. "Did you really make this?"

"Um, yes." Marin said sheepishly as he took out his phone as Kagami continued to eat. He took a deep breath and typed out what was on his mind, sending it quickly before he could regret his actions.

"You're not going to record something for him? It seems a little cold considering he's your boyfriend."

Marin's face immediately ran red as he hid it in his hands. "Please don't say that aloud Kagami." he whimpered, feeling Kagami pet his head as a form of comfort. "I just sent him a few texts-" Marin was about to say before he saw a notification on his phone.

"That was quick." Kagami remarked looking at his screen.

Marin tilted his head in confusion as he read aloud the message. "He says that he has something to tell me and want to meet up." Marin recited as he and Kagami exchanged a look of surprise.

"I thought his father wasn't allowing him to leave the house." Kagami said as Marin chuckled to himself in amusement.

"He has a way of sneaking out whenever he wants to. Guess I should see him if going through the trouble of leaving." He said with a small smile, placing his phone into his back pocket. "I don't really wanna have to explain myself so would you mind telling everyone I had to go?"

"Okay, but what am I supposed to say if they ask where you are?" Kagami asked as she walked up the stairs with him.

"Just that I have to help out my parents?" Marin offered. with a little smile on his face. But before he walked away, he turned and hugged Kagami for a moment. A gesture which she returned with a smile on her face. "Thanks for talking with me, you really helped me out."

"No problem, we're friends after all." She said shoving the rest of the muffin in her mouth much to Marin's amusement.

* * *

Adrien rested his head on his desk feeling a familiar sore pain in his chest. He hadn't left the house all day but somehow he was exhausted, almost wanting to take a nap and sleep through the entire day. But there was no way his father would allow it.

He quickly snapped out of it, wiping away his tears as he was surprised by a knocking at his door, revealing Nathalie.

"Your father is waiting for you downstairs, Adrien." She said briefly.

"Ah... I'll be right there." He said wiping away his tears as Nathalie left the door open behind her. Adrien sighed heavily while he still could. He looked down at his phone for a moment seeing that there were a few unread messages on his phone. Part of him wanted to open them all now and soak up the excitement of his friends' attention, but he knew he'd need it for later.

Adrien placed his phone in his back pocket as he walked out of his room and down the stairs. He stood next to his father who was at attention, not even sparing him a glance as Adrien's eyes widened with realization.

He had no idea who was coming today.

The more he thought about it the more he realized that he was extremely strange for his father to allow anyone in the house today of all days. He held back asking as the front door opened and Adrien was stunned by the familiar face that walked through.

A beautiful woman with light blonde hair similar to his own dressed in a black suit and whose radiance could only be matched by the smile on her face as her eyes laid on him.

"My, my! Look at how much you've grown!" The woman immediately said as she rushed towards him, immediately embracing him and giving him numerous kisses on his cheek. "Gabriel, how on earth is this adorable boy your son?" She joked as Gabriel's expression didn't waver, seemingly used to this kind of behavior.

"I'm sure Adrien is delighted to have such a timely visit from his aunt, today of all days." Gabriel said in a monotone as Adrien looked up to his aunt in realization.

"Aunt Amelie?" Adrien asked as his aunt gave him another tight hug.

"I'm soo happy to see you again! I thought it'd be better if we were all together on a day like this! Don't you agree, dear?" She said with a bright smile on her face.

Adrien was overwhelmed by all the attention from his aunt, he felt happy but at the same time it was laden with a little guilt. If Aunt Amelie was here than it would mean that he was here as well.

Right on cue, he heard footsteps as he spotted another familiar face walking through the door with a familiar stern expression on his face.

"Félix?" Adrien asked as his cousin walked towards him holding out his hand. But Adrien met his gesture with a hug, overwhelmed to see him after so long. "It's good to see you again!" He said with a smile but as he pulled back he noticed that Félix was glaring at him before Amelie stood between them, resting her arms on their shoulders happily.

"Aw, they look just like twins! Don't they, Gabriel? Do you remember when they used to have so much fun pretending to be each other? Once they had you and Emilie fooled for a whole weekend!" Amelie laughed fondly at the memory as Adrien smiled sheepishly. "We laughed so hard!"

Gabriel once again met her positive energy with mild disapproval. "I won't be fooled a second time."

"Hello, uncle." Félix greeted holding out his hand towards Adrien's father but was met with a cold response as Gabriel only glanced at him for a moment before Amelie cut between them.

"Félix, you know your uncle's never been the physical sort." Amelie said with a smile. "Why don't you two go on up and play in Adrien's room and I'll check on you two later okay?" She said with a smile.

"Sure, come on Félix," Adrien said with a smile leading the way towards his room as Félix walked behind him closely followed by Adrien's bodyguard who was carrying the luggage.

* * *

"Have fun boys!" Amelie called out, waving her arm happily as she saw her son and nephew walking off together. As soon as she heard the door close behind them her she dropped her arm. Her smile quickly faded as she turned to Gabriel, mirroring his expression as she folded her arms before her politely.

"I see you're still wearing your wedding band." She inquired, her tone turning colder with no trace of that friendly warmth from earlier. "And if you still have yours then I assume you're in possession of my sister's as well."

Gabriel narrowed his eyes as he clutched his hands tighter, growing more protective of the ring on his finger. "These rings are obviously very dear to me-"

"They're very dear to me too, Gabe." Amelie interrupted unapologetically taking a step towards him. "Those jewels have always been in the Graham de Vanily family, not the Agreste's." Amelie pointed out. "I realize that you may believe that I'm asking a lot, but you're a smart enough man to know that those rings aren't the only dear thing Emilie left behind in your care."

"...We will discuss it later. It's been a long journey from London, I'm sure you may want to rest a bit. Nathalie?" Gabriel said, narrowing his eyes as his secretary approached them.

"Follow me, please." Nathalie requested as she guided them towards the guest bedrooms, but Amelie lingered behind looking back at Gabriel over her shoulder for a moment as she retained her composed expression.

"Don't think you've tabled this discussion Gabe. I haven't brought it up out of respect you and to Adrien but it's been long enough."

"I would be daft to believe a Graham de Vanily would give up so easily." He responded with mild amusement, almost missing his verbal banters with his sister-in-law.

* * *

Adrien dribbled the basketball in his hands as he and Félix stood in his room. "Do you remember our shooting contests?" He asked playfully before he passed the ball to Félix who easily shot a basket with one arm skillfully but was unenthusiastic the entire time. Adrien's previous excitement was quickly extinguished as he knew that no amount of reminiscing would cover up the tension between them. "I'm really sorry I didn't come to your dad's funeral. My father thought it would be too hard on me, considering... everything that's happened this year. You've every right to be mad at me."

Félix narrowed his eyes towards him. "Do you always do everything your father tells you to do?"

Adrien averted his gaze as he didn't meet his cousin's eyes. "He's just...protective of me." he said sheepishly. But he felt reassured as he saw Félix smile, walking over to him and giving him a hug.

"Oh hey, do you have that chessboard we used to play all the time?" Félix asked pulling back.

Adrien nodded eagerly as he ran up to the second floor. "Of course! Let me go upstairs and get it for us!"

"Mind if I use your bathroom?!" Félix called out from below.

"No, go ahead! Make yourself at home!" Adrien said with a smile on his face as he eagerly pulled out all the games he and Félix used to play together.

* * *

Félix leaned against the back wall well away from the spray of the showerhead holding Adrien's phone he had pickpocketed off his cousin. He rolled his eyes as he easily unlocked Adrien's phone having access to everything on it

"Tch, what kind of idiot uses the same password for everything?" Félix chided as he snooped through his cousin's phone. He hummed to himself as he noticed all the unread messages Adrien had received one for almost every contact on his phone.

As he clicked the first message he saw a boy wearing glasses with a cap looking goofy. "Hey, my dude! I'm not quite sure what to tell you, except that, you're my man, dude! And bros are always there for their guys!"

Félix scoffed. "Bros are always there- blah, blah, blah! Moron." He grumbled moving on to the next message, seeing a petit girl wearing all pink.

"Unicorns have a saying: even when there's nothing but gray skies and rain, all it takes is one little sunbeam for a rainbow to appear!"

Félix didn't even let her finish as everything about this girl wanted to make him barf. He skipped through the rest of them not seeing anything interesting and growing more annoyed by the number of people that seemed to take an interest in his cousin. Finally, he stopped as he saw a familiar face.

"When my mother left for New York, I felt so sad. It felt like she was…" Félix narrowed his eyes as he saw Chloe falter averting his gaze as she took a deep breath, drawing a smile on her face as he faced back to the camera. "She came back, and I know how lucky I am. Auntie was like a mom to me when I was alone so, you can count on me to help you out too, my Adrikins."

Félix rolled his eyes. "Chloé. Just as annoying as usual," he said just as he deleted all the video messages that were sent. Just as he was about to pocket the device again he saw that someone else had sent Adrien a message.

[Xiang: Sorry about freaking out about...the thing. Anyway, hope you have a good day.]

[ Xiang: Ah- maybe not a good day, but like- you know-]

[Xiang: A day where you don't have to worry]

[Xiang: That is to say you shouldn't have to feel like you don't have to worry, worrying is natural. Even if this is a day where you got some really bad and confusing news just don't feel like you don't have

[Xiang: I'm here if you kneed me]

[Xiang: need]

Félix hummed to himself as he clicked on the contact photo attached to the messages, seeing the full photo was one with his cousin and this boy. Snooping further into his cousin's photos were numerous pictures of a handsome-looking boy, most of the pictures with Adrien himself but as few were taken of him by himself. Félix hummed to himself as he looked over texts Adrien's text messages, seeing that same dark haired boy in his contacts.

"Xiang huh?" Félix said aloud as he grimaced, seeing that all the messages typed between them were in Mandarin. He recalled that his cousin had been studying it for years so it fit well that he had found someone who spoke it just as fluently. He spotted the open window just a few feet above his head, meant to release steam but it would be easy enough to jump through. Maybe this trip wouldn't be such a waste, after all, he had found something entertaining to do. He ruffled his hair a little as he opened a recording app.

"First of all, thanks so much for all your messages, guys..."

* * *

Marin was walking down an alley as he saw the message from Adrien. One that was sent to all of his friends, completely out of character. Almost like Adrien was a different person altogether.

[Adrikins: It's over between us, lose my number.]

He stared at the blunt text that was sent from Adrien's number. He'd know, he checked more times that was necessary, feeling a calm numbness washing over his mind. But before he could properly gaze a reaction a familiar portal and only a moment later a familiar face stepped through it, one what he hadn't seen in a long time, making him drop his phone.

Marin didn't move a muscle, seeing the Miraculous holder from the future step out."Bunnyx?" Marin asked as his jaw fell in surprise, looking up slightly towards the older Miraculous user. But then he took a step back as he realized that he had let it slip that he knew who he was, something no one should know except for Ladybug in this time.

But she didn't seem to react to his slip as she walked directly towards him as the portal disappeared behind her. Marin noticed she had a sullen expression on her face, her body was covered in wounds, claw marks that penetrated the magical defenses all holders were gifted when using a Miraculous. This troubled him as only something that was stronger than a Miraculous, stronger than a Kwami could disrupt their magic.

"You're injured!" He said reflexively, stepping towards her in concern, also worried about Fluff. He took out a mini first aid kit that he always kept in his bag about to open it up but Bunnyx placed her hand over his. Something about her was different, something that made him tense up, but Marin looked up towards her, he could see that there was still a spark of warmth within them deep inside her tired exterior.

"Mar, I need to tell you something, and I need you to listen." Bunnyx said seriously, sounding like she was tired.

"Yeah, this seems about right." Marin said to himself as he knelt down, seeing that his phone had a crack on the screen.

* * *

"Félix?" Adrien asked looking around seeing that his cousin wasn't there. He heard the shower still running so he must have still be in there. He shrugged his shoulders, placing the board games aside while he sat down before his computer screen. He noticed that he had only one new message on his phone. It was odd to him, considering he saw a bunch of new ones earlier, now there was one. While Félix was occupied there was no harm indulging in a little computer time.

Adrien looked through a few of his inbox's between his friends, not seeing any new messages, but then moved over towards the newest one. He clutched the mouse in his hand tightly as he read through messages he didn't read and a response he didn't write and his boyfriend responding.

[Xiang: I'm sorry you feel this way, I'll get out of your hair.]

Adrien re-read what he had just seen multiple times but it wasn't setting in. Did someone hack his account? His eyes widened as he stood up, patting down his pockets but then snapped to attention as Natalie burst into this room.

"Come along, Adrien. You have a last-minute photo shoot." She ordered with urgency.

"Now?" Adrien asked in surprise, wondering why his father would allow him to do any work today. "What about Félix?"

"Your father insisted you go alone, hurry." Nathalie insisted.

"Uh, yeah sure one second." Adrien said as he noticed there was a new message on his computer from Alya. He wondered what it could be as he clicked on it. Next thing he knew his monitors flashed white and three familiar Villains appeared in his room. Lady Wifi, Reflekta, and Princess Fragrance, all three whom he had faced off before as Chat Noir. But this time he didn't have Chat Noir to back him up.

" It's time for your punishment, you naughty boy." Reflekta said holding out her bracelet towards him as the other two did the same with their weapons.

Adrien reflexively held up his arm defensively. "Alya, Rose, Juleka what's going on?" He asked as Nathalie stood between him and the villains defensively.

"Playing dumb huh? You'd know all about that huh?" Lady Wifi accused.

"No, I really don't know what you guys are talking about."

"Only a real meanie would insult the video we made for him and then act like he did nothing wrong!" Princess Fragrance said angrily as she released a smoke cloud from her perfume bottle.

"Adrien run!" Nathalie ordered as Adrien did as he was told.

"Not so fast rich boy!" Lady Wifi said aiming towards him but Nathalie kicked the tablet out of her hand as she took them on while Adrien ran away towards the main foyer.

"Just what the heck is going on?!" He demanded to know.

"Nathalie's in trouble, she's fighting in my room!" Adrien said to his bodyguard who ran to help her while Adrien ran into his father's study but only saw his aunt sitting in there alone. Her eyes lit up as she saw him.

"Adrikins!" She said happily, giving him a hug before he could say anything.

"Aunt Amelie!" Adrien yelled pulling him away in urgency, "Do you know where Félix is?" He asked growing more worried for Nathalie.

"Oh did he sneak out again?" Amelie chuckled with an amused expression. "He's just so excited about being in Paris again after so long." She said nonchalantly.

"Wha-" Adrien gasped in disbelief. "Aren't you worried about him?!"

"No, he just does this sometimes when he needs his space." She said pulling out her phone and activating an app on it. "He has an app in his phone that always shows me his location. Our little compromise." She said winking at Adrien playfully. "There you see?" She said holding out her phone towards him. "He's near the Grand Hotel, maybe he's visiting Chloe." She suggested as Adrien silently disagreed.

"Aunt Amelie, may I please borrow your phone?" Adrien asked growing more frantic as the seconds passed. "I think Félix took mine."

Adrien saw his aunt sigh as she placed her hand on her cheek, "That would be like him, he's been causing more mischief lately. But," She said pulling back her phone just before Adrien could grab it. "What's in this for me?"

Adrien was stunned at his Aunt's forwardness as he saw a mischievous glint in her eye. "Uh, what do you want?" He asked as she folded her hands behind her back and closed her eyes expectantly.

Adrien stared at her for a moment before he sighed heavily, kissing her cheek as she then smiled happily.

"So adorable!" She squeed as she handed him her phone. "Play nice with your cousin now, alright my little darling?"

"Yes, Aunt Amelie." Adrien nodded as he then ran out the door.

* * *

Marin stared at the time-traveling hero as he began wondering if he did something in a past life that was messing him up so bad within his present one.

"Mar?" Bunnyx inquired as she reached out her hand towards him in concern.

He closed his eyes for a moment, closing off any lingering emotions from this morning, no distractions."I understand what you're saying, but no matter what Hawkmoth needs to be taken out." Marin said with determination as Tikki sat on his shoulder looking between the two fearfully.

The moment he said that Bunnyx's eyes flashed with something raw but that was only for a moment before she closed her eyes."Didn't you listen to what I said?" Bunnyx asked as her voice began to tremble.

"I know what you said." He said firmly clutching his hand. "But you're asking me to look the other way when we have a chance to end this whole mess." He tried to reason.

"I'm not, not really. Just..." Bunnyx was at a loss for words as she held his head in his hand looking like she had a growing headache. "If you do this, then everything is going to fall apart. Even me being here is risking our safety."

"Maybe it's enough." Marin said optimistically. "Maybe you meeting me in this moment, right now is enough to change what will happen." He said trying to sound optimistic, but he knew better and he had a feeling Bunnyx knew better as well. "Even if what you're saying is true...I can't just turn my back on people who need me."

"You're making up your mind that fast?"

Marin averted his gaze despite having already turned his back to her, just wanting the day to be over already. "It doesn't change that I have to do this." He confirmed.

"It should change everything!" Bunnyx snapped turning to him. "I tell you that you're going to lose no matter what happens to Hawkmoth and you still decide to fight him?! Mar, I've been through this over and over again-"

"Bunnyx…" Marin said heavily before turning fully towards her, his tone turning more serious. "A Miraculous holder can't be selfish in the name of desire. Amidst the confusion and chaos-"

"The true mind can weather all lies and illusions without being lost and the true heart can tough the poison of hatred without being harmed." Bunnyx finished. "Master Fu didn't just train you." She said growing more irritated. Something about Bunnyx being another one of Master Fu's students upset Marin, both of them had the same teacher, yet they had two completely different reactions to the situation.

"Then you must already know what it means to be a Miraculous holder. I've been afraid of failing even before I became Ladybug, but I only really lose if I allow it to dictate all of my choices so you shouldn't either. No matter what we have to keep the city safe."

"It's not just about protecting the city." Bunnyx said clenching her fists in frustration.

"No, it's also about making sure everyone feels safe too. Hawkmoth can't be allowed to wreak chaos every time someone has a bad day, he can't be allowed to take control of anyone like that anymore. I have the chance to stop him now."

"Every time I've tried to convince you like this I've always failed." Bunnyx chuckled dryly, as though she were laughing at herself.

"You're not going to fail." Marin said trying to lift up her spirits. "Now I know what is coming, I know what I have to do. Don't worry, we're going to fix this."

"That's what you said every time before…" Bunnyx murmured as Marin could feel the air between them intensify. He turned back to see that Bunnyx had drawn her weapon and there was no longer any warmth in her eyes, only a familiar steely determination. "Sorry, but I'm not letting you do this."

"Ah- Tikki, spots on!" Marin exclaimed as Bunnyx charged towards him at blinding speed.

* * *

Luckily for Adrien, all of his guardians were preoccupied for a little while so he had free reign of the city. His auntie's phone led him straight to Félix whom he saw standing before the Grand Hotel looking up at it; like he hadn't just messed up his day.

"What the heck Félix?!" Adrien demanded as he grabbed his cousin's shoulder in annoyance.

"Hm. You sound upset." Félix said cooly, unsurprised as Adrien had tracked him down.

Adrien's annoyance quickly turned to anger as he saw how unfazed, how unapologetic his cousin looked.

"First of all, give me back my phone. Second, I know you're upset about what happened between us but that doesn't give you the right to be mean to by friends and it especially doesn't give you the right to mess with my boyfriend!"

"So what? Take a joke once in a while." Félix remarked, uninterested with what his cousin had to say as he held out the cell phone. "What do you care anyhow? You hardly know any of those people." he pointed out.

"Those people are my friends Félix." Adrien said fuming at the seams. Just as he was about to take his phone back and yell at him more Adrien's phone rang and next thing they knew the trio is villainesses appeared before them with their weapons pointed at him.

"Wait there are two Adrien's?"

"Actually we're cousins," Félix said.

"What? But you two look exactly the same." Reflekta pointed out.

"Our mothers were twins." Adrien said.

"THAT DOESNT EXPLAIN ANYTHING AT- you know what it doesn't matter so long as we get one of you." Lady WiFi said as the trio pointed their weapons toward them. Adrien stepped in front of his cousin protectively, he wasn't sure what he could do but so long as he didn't panic-

All of a sudden a familiar hero skidded past them in a defensive stance, falling down on one knee trying to catch his breath as another unfamiliar woman with rabbit ears landed nearby.

Adrien wasn't sure what to make of the scene as the woman's expression was square on Ladybug but then noticed him and the trio of villains.

"Ah right, you three were a thing." She remarked as though she knew them, resting an umbrella on her shoulder. Before Lady Wifi could attack them the rabbit-eared woman kicked the tablet out of her hands, smashing it under her foot as an Akuma was released. Adrien saw his friends turn back to normal before he saw Ladybug's yo-yo capturing the Akuma, but he didn't purify it yet as he was still on guard towards the rabbit-eared woman.

While Rose and Juleka looked confused Alya's eyes immediately lit up.

"Ohhhhh are you a new Miraculous holder? An adult Miraculous superhero?! Can I interview you for my Lady-"

"Sorry kids but you need to run along now." She said walking past them and towards Ladybug who gripped his yo-yo in hand, stepping back into a fighting stance as the woman dashed towards him with blinding speed. Ladybug shallowly dodged her attacks but then used his yo-yo to parkour onto the rooftop of the hotel.

"Psh- like I'm gonna miss this." Aly remarked taking out her phone but Adrien stepped in front of her, having a bad feeling.

"Alya! Have you met my cousin Félix?" Adrien said pushing his cousin towards them. "Whatever you three were mad at, it's his fault."

* * *

Ladybug tumbled to the ground as Bunnyx had skillfully overpowered him. Both of them were standing on top of the hotel which was cleared of any guests staying, leaving only the two heroes. He already knew that she had years of experience under her belt, far more than he had as Ladybug. Not to mention despite her injuries she was far more fighting fit than he could ever be, especially with his health.

"This is wrong Bunnyx." Ladybug said as he looked up towards the person he thought of as an ally of sorts. "What you're doing, trying to mess up time is extremely dangerous." Ladybug said. "The rabbit Miraculous wasn't created to be used like this. If you mess with the timeline any more-"

"You know that I don't want to have to do this." She said rather sincerely but held her seen expression as she walked towards him. "But the stakes have changed. I've already tried convincing you hundreds of times. Every time you face Hawkmoth, no matter what I say or do, it doesn't change the outcome. This is the only way to actually change things." The rabbit Miraculous holder explained as she stood over him. He didn't avert his gaze as she reached towards his Miraculous but even so, he couldn't help but wince apologetically as he saw firsthand the cruel effects of the rabbit Miraculous.

Ladybug could see the fear in her eyes as she recoiled back, looking at her arm start to disappear as she winced in pain."Whatever happens causes you to get your Miraculous, if something drastic happens then you disappear. I'm sorry, so sorry about everything you went through, but it's not worth the risk. Neither of us can do anything, not without risking you disappearing. We're stuck like this." He said.

Bunnyx laughed to herself, resting her head on her hand. "So, all

"There's always another way, you're not alone in this Bunnyx." Ladybug said as he held his side. "No matter what happens, I'm not going to let you disappear." He promised.

The Rabbit eared hero's expression fell said with a wry smile. Before she could say anything Ladybug's eyes widened as he saw Bunnyx's ears twitch as they picked up on someone approaching.

"I'll give you this mini-bug." She said opening up a burrow behind her. "You're got some pretty good friends." She said, disappearing through the portal just before Ladybug used a nearby wall to help lift him onto his feet. He was in no shape to interact with any civilian. He held his yo-yo in hand, releasing the newly purified Akuma into the sky, stepping onto the railing nearby.

Looking back for a moment he saw Adrien walking around, seemingly looking for something. But Ladybug didn't want to have to explain any part of his disheveled appearance, not wanting to worry his former partner. Instead, he jumped off the roof heading back towards where he was originally planning on going, after he summoned a lucky charm of course.

* * *

Adrien stood in the foyer of the house, still upset about what happened earlier. Both of them had received stern lectures from Nathalie despite the context to their situation (some details were retracted, not like Nathalie or his father needed to know every single thing about him after all) but ultimately his aunt Amelie decided that it would be better to cut their trip short by a few days.

"Everything you did today, how you treated my friends... Unforgivable, Félix." Adrien said in annoyance with his arms crossed while Félix couldn't look him in the eye.

Amelie looked between the two, upset that they were arguing. "Now that his father isn't here to stop him from getting into mischief -" She tried to explain but Félix stopped her.

"Adrien's right mother, I've been acting like a jerk all day. No apology can ever be enough. I just hope I can learn from this, and come back to see you as a better person someday." He said respectfully towards Adrien. "I really am sorry. I'll do my best to make it up to you."

Part of Adrien's anger wavered as Félix turned towards his father, holding out his hand towards him. "Uncle." He said.

"Goodbye, Félix." Gabriel said shaking his nephew's hand.

Meanwhile, Adrien tried not to fall over as his aunt covered his face in kisses as she squeezed him tightly in a hug.

"Mother, please." Félix prompted as he watched the scene unfold with an unamused expression. "You're going to choke him."

"I just want to get my fill of my adorable little baby nephew before I have to go again!" She retorted back playfully giving one final kiss to Adrien on his cheek as she placed both hands on his shoulders. "Now remember, if you're feeling overwhelmed or if you just want to get away we're one Startrain ride away. Come over anytime if you ever miss your auntie or cousin."

"Thank you Aunt Amelie I will." Adrien said politely but broke out into a smile as she hugged him again, only to be pried off by her son and pushed outside.

"Just one more hug, I promise-"

"No mother we need to go." Félix said sternly, he sighed heavily as he finally got her out of the house.

Adrien watched as his aunt and cousin walked out of the house as something nagged at him. "Félix, wait!" He called out, ignoring his father who ordered him to remain. Félix looked at him in surprise as Amelie entered the car. "If you're feeling upset or out of control, just call before you do anything you might regret."

Félix's expression softened as he hugged his cousin, a gesture that Adrien returned with a small smile on his face. As Félix pulled back and walked towards the car, he hesitated for a moment as he turned back towards Adrien. "You have some good friends."

"Yeah, I know." Adrien said with a smile as Félix entered the car. Adrien watched for a little while as he watched his extended family leave. Despite everything that happened, it felt a little lonelier but it helped to think about how he could visit them anytime. As he turned back towards his house he took out his phone, prepared to return the kindness his friends had sent him earlier.

"Hey guys. I never got your messages, but I'm really touched just knowing you were thinking of me today. You're the best friends anyone could ever dream of. I love you, all of you."

* * *

_"Are you certain about this?"_

_No. But it's been a long day Master Fu, honestly, I'm just on auto-pilot at his point." He sighed heavily as Master Fu placed two Miraculous boxes before him._

Marin recalled his previous visit with his Master as the day neared its end. He was sitting near Alix on the staircase behind her house, the two of them watched her dad and brother pack up the car, bickering over something as they did so.

"So, Cairo huh?" Marin said, sparking a conversation between himself and his friend. a

"Yeah, we're gonna be gone for a few weeks." She said resting her back against the stairs. "But luckily I have a bud like you to make sure I don't fall behind the rest of you guys. I can just mope around in a desert instead of around school now." She chucked by noticed that Marin has his "lecture" face.

"Just because you're not going to be in school for the next few days doesn't mean-"

"That I can just slack off with my studies because I can so easily fall behind, yadda yadda." She said that last past a little mocking but both she and Marin laughed at her wit.

"Alix, come on we gotta go!" Her brother called.

"Coming!" She said shouldering her pack as she stood up. " Welp, that's my cue I guess. Thanks for seeing me off. Nath was going to but he and Marc are off being dorks together." She grimaced. "But I guess you'd know all about that." She winked teasingly as Marin started to blush.

"Oh, uh before you go-" Marin said taking a small wrapped box out of his bag. "This is for you,"

"Ooo, a present for me?" Alix asked, intrigued. "But my birthdays not for a good while."

"Think of it as an early gift." Marin suggested rubbing the back of his neck. "For if you're feeling down, or something."

"Heh, sorry to disappoint but I'm gonna be riding high for a while." She said pulling out a familiar white plush unicorn that could have only belonged to one person,

"Is that Rose's unicorn?"

"Yup, she and I had this bet going see, and I ended up winning." She said with a cheeky grin. "I told her that you and Adrien would end up being an item, she had her reservations."

"...you two." Marin grimaced with embarrassment, slapping his forehead.

"Don't worry, I'm not below accepting your kind gift." She said shaking the box close to her ear. "What is it some kind of gear to upgrade my skates?"

"Like I said, it for when you're feeling down, or you're just missing Paris." Marin said, hugging his friend tightly before she ran off towards her family.

"I'll be seeing ya Mar!" Alix called out as she ran towards her family.

Marin turned away just as he saw the car drive off, his smile quickly fading as he walked off the main street. He turned his head to see Tikki popping out of his jacket pocket looking up at him in concern.

"You don't have to do this you know." She said as she noticed Marin's face growing paler.

"Don't you go doubting me sugarcube. You're supposed to be my rock." Marin said, forcing a smile just before he started coughing again.

* * *

Adrien quickly walked down the stairs near the riverfront. He received a text from Marin to meet him here, hopefully not feeling hurt about his cousin fake breaking up with him. But he chose to think optimistically as he spotted Marin standing under the bridge looking down at something at his phone while rested his back against the wall. He could feel his heart race with worry, even more so as Marin spotted him.

"Hi Adr-"

"I'm so sorry about today, my cousin stole my phone and was being a jerk to everyone; an Akuma transformed Alya, Rose, and Juleka; then they turned my bodyguard and dad's sectary into Reflekta clones; then I had to take my Aunt's phone to track down Félix who was apparently running all over town for some reason and..." Adrien trailed off as he realized how much he was ranting while Marin was listening intently. "I'm done talking now." He said sheepishly rubbing the back of his head. He could see Marin looking tense, more tense than usual.

"...I have something to tell you, and I need you to believe me." Marin said taking something out of his back pocket.

"...Okay?" Adrien said, not exactly sure what he was expecting but the last thing he expected to see was Marin holding out a small Miraculous box before him. He looked down at it trying to progress the implications of his boyfriend holding a Miraculous box in his hand. "Woah what is that thing, some kinda...box?" He said at random quickly realizing it was a silly thing to say as Marin looked at him with a dumbfounded expression.

Marin sighed heavily. "It's my Miraculous box." He said bluntly as Adrien's face ran red.

"...Then you're-"

"He's Ladybug!"

Adrien saw a familiar red Kwami fly out of Marin's bag, hovering between the two with a smile on her face. "This is so exciting," she said darting her head at the two former partners.

"I realize this is a lot to take in and you may not believe me but-"

"Ohhhhh this makes so much sense," Adrien said trying not to freak out as he turned away from Marin and started pacing. His face heated up with embarrassment as he ran through every previous interaction he ever had with Ladybug as every single one of his feelings were now shed in a new light. Every feeling he had was called into question, especially their friendship while he was still Chat Noir. He took a deep breath, turning towards Marin who had a neutral expression on his face. "Okay, is there anything else I should know?" He asked hesitantly.

Marin's eyes darted away for a moment as Tikki rested on her partner's shoulder. "Your dad is Hawkmoth."

"..."

That wasn't something he thought he was going to hear today.

"So my father is Hawkmoth and my boyfriend is Ladybug." He said aloud, not wanting to believe it at all. "What a day."

"I-I'm sorry." Marin said as he hung his head apologetically but then he was taken off guard as Adrien suddenly hugged him tightly. "What- What are you doing?!" He demanded as Adrien started to smile, already knowing that Marin's face would be flushed red.

"I'm hugging you." He said simply.

"I get that but why are you hugging me?!" Marin demanded while Adrien took a step back, smiling happily.

"Because I love you."

"Well don't say that!" Marin scolded as his ears started to turn red. "I expected you to be upset or mad!"

"What? Why?"

"I don't know, I'm giving you some really heavy news." Marin stammered as he hid his face behind his hands rather cutely. He sat against the wall, wrapping his arms around his legs.

"Yeah well, I'm just going to keep riding this high until it all comes crashing down. Probably tomorrow." Adrien said sitting down next to his boyfriend, his previous joy started to dwindle, quickly realizing that if his father was Hawkmoth, then it would mean that Marin-Ladybug would have to face off against him; and he remembered all too well the last time they tried to take his Miraculous. "So what are you going to do if…" Adrien asked, his voice starting to waver.

"All I want is to take away their Miraculous, his and Mayura's," Marin said starting to calm down a little as he glanced at Adrien who was frowning.

"All this time my father's been endangering the lives of everyone in Paris including you and me. Do you at least have a plan?" Adrien asked.

"Kind of." Marin said sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Kind of?" Adrien asked in confusion and received an answer as Marin held out a small Miraculous box before him.

"Adrien Agreste, this is the Miraculous of the Cat, which grants the power of destruction. You will use it for the greater good and once the mission is over, you will return the Miraculous to me...you know, if you want to." Marin mumbled at the end as he averted his gaze.

Adrien's expression softened as he recognized the same box from before. He took the box without hesitation, as he opened it up a black ball of light manifested around him, transforming into a familiar Plagg Kwami who looked at his former partner in confusion before immediately hugging him.

"ADRIEN!" Plagg exclaimed joyfully as a few tears fell from Adrien's eyes, reuniting with his precious Kwami.

As much as Tikki wanted to enjoy the moment she looked up towards Marin whos eyes looked glossy, emotionless despite the scene unfolding before them.

* * *

Gabriel looked outside the window of his office as he heard Nathalie approach, rubbing the newly placed ring on his finger. He silently promised himself that Félix would be dealt with another day.

"Well?" Gabriel asked as Nathalie approached him. He could sense his partner's hesitation for a moment before she spoke up again.

"There's no sign of the foe Ladybug was fighting or the ring of Destruction." She informed. "But Ladybug is getting weaker with your constant barrage of Akuma attacks along with Chat Noir no longer being present.

"And Adrien?" Gabriel asked.

"He's made no contact with Ladybug." She said. "Sir, forgive me if I'm out of line...but perhaps it's possible that the Cat Miraculous is no longer in circulation?"

Gabriel closed his eyes taking a deep breath to calm his mind. He recalled the moment when Nathalie had told him what she had saw when he tried to Akumatized one of his classmates but failed to do so. He denied it for a while before Mayura played her part, distracting the two heroes while investigated, discovering that almost all of Adrien's absences had been timed near appearances of Chat Noir. His son's missing ring only solidified the fact.

"Patience is a virtue, Nathalie." Gabriel said as he rubbed the ring on his hand."Sooner or later this advantage will benefit us, and when it does we will be prepared to strike down all that have stood in our way no matter the cost."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -The chronology in this is a little off as Marin's POV is a little ahead of Adrien
> 
> -To an extent, Marin is thickheaded as much as Adrien is perceptive.
> 
> -Amélie would throw down with her brother in law and knows Gabe better than most ( despite her not knowing that he's a super villain) She can see through Gabriel's bad fathering, and would kidnap her nephew, but holds back for Adriens sake. She is fully capable of being a crime aunt.
> 
> -Gabe and Nath found out Adrien was Chat Noir in the Ladybug episode.
> 
> -If it wasn't clear Bunnyx intended to take the earrings but doing would indirectly make her disappear because Marin was the one who gave her the rabbit Miraculous to begin with. So now she knows that directly trying to intervene is not going to work out well for her. 
> 
> \- Next chapter is going to be even heavier than this one, sorry in advance.


	71. Tales of Ladybug and Chat Blanc

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marin hypes himself up as he plants to confesses his true feelings to the person he loves come hell or high water. But fate has another plan in play, as if his day could get any worse. 
> 
> He's fine. He'll be fine.

Marin took a deep breath as he clutched the helm of his jacket, furiously blushing. "Sorry I know this is sudden at all, I know we're good friends, but I like you more than that, more than anyone else I've liked before in my life ever since we met!" He admitted aloud for the first them before then averting his gaze, pressing his fingertips together nervously as he awaited an answer.

"That was pretty good." Luka responded as they both stood at the riverfront.

Marin his face behind his hands groaning in embarrassment as he sat down by the riverfront just inches away from the water. "Sorry to trouble you with this Luka." He apologized as Luka sat down next to him.

"It's fine." He said supportively.

"I can understand that. So there's someone that you like huh?"

" Ah, yeah." Marin nodded sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I like them a lot."

"Well whoever they are, they're really lucky."

"Hm?" Marin turned towards him curiously, wondering what Luka meant just as an alarm went off on his phone. As he pulled it out he immediately started to panic, standing up and shouldering his messenger bag on. "We're going to be late if we don't leave now." He said but took notice that Luka made no attempt to move, instead he folded his hands behind head, resting back on the cobblestone.

"Nah, I'm skipping today."

Marin stared down at him in disbelief, gently kicking his side as Luka seemingly started to doze off. "You can't just skip class, you'll get behind in your classes."

"Once in a while, it's fine, not like I'm missing out on much." He argued back in a carefree manner.

There were a number of things wrong with what he just said but Marin simply sighed heavily, squatting down next to his friend with a disapproving frown on his face. He stared at him for a few seconds, for a moment thinking that his friend looked rather peaceful...before then pinching his nose.

"Don't make this a habit."

"Yes sir mister class rep." Luka said with a cheeky smile and his eyes still closed.

Marin chuckled under his breath, fully intending to check up on him again after all his classes were finished. "Let's get some ice cream after school." He said pulling out his phone as he started walking away. A smile quickly drew on his face as he saw that he had a text from Adrien, no doubt asking about what kind of cookies he was bringing today.

"Hey, Mar!" Luka called much to Marin's surprise, seeing that his friend was sitting up, no longer looking carefree like usual. "Ah..." Luka faltered for a moment, darting his eyes away for a moment before he called out. "I'll be cheering you on!"

Marin's expression softened as he smiled in relief, knowing that he had support helped. "Thanks! I'll see you later!" He called back quickly realizing that he was going to be late; Not noticing Luka covering his face shamefully as he momentarily chided himself for being extremely envious of the person

* * *

Marin had to run towards school as his window to not being tardy was quickly closing. The jacket he spend months sewing to perfection along with Adrien's favorite cookies felt heavy in his messenger bag.

"Are you really gonna do this?" Tikki asked as she poked her head out of his pocket, seeing her partner start to blush.

"I am, Tikki, I feel really good about this. The last few times I tried I chickened out, but today is the day I can just feel it." He said with confidence, more so as he saw Adrien at the head of the building, standing atop the staircase. Marin gasped for breath as Adrien smiled at him in amusement.

"Overslept again?" Adrien asked in expectation as he saw a white box in Marin's hands, his mouth already watering.

"Maybe." Marin gasped, trying to catch his breath, placing his hands on his knees.

"You're more out of breath than usual, did you go somewhere or something?"

"What?! No!" Marin immediately responded defensively, hoping that his best friend wouldn't notice his nervous energy as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Why, did you hear something?"

"No...should I have?" Adrien asked a little playfully looking at him curiously. "Where were you this morning?"

"...Nowhere." Marin said already walking towards their first class together with the white macaroon box in hand.

"Come on, tell me." Adrien asked folding his hands behind his back. "Where would you go that's so important that you of all people would wake up early, today of all days? Is there something especially important about today?"

"No, there's nothing." Marin tried to say as he tried his best to avert his gaze, feeling his face burn.

"Really?" Adrien asked, tilted his head with a mischievously grin on his face. "Are you lying?"

"Say one more word and no cookies!" Marin retorted as his face started to turn red with embarrassment. As much as Adrien wanted to pry further, he wanted his hands on those cookies more.

"Fine, fine." Adrien said. "So we're still on for you giving me cookies later, right?"

Marin sighed heavily, but couldn't help but smirk at his best friend's brattiness. "You say that like I have a choice in that matter."

* * *

"I'm good friends with the best manga publisher in Japan, you know. I can talk to them about your comic book project if you like."

Marin heard Lila saying to Nathaniel as she next to him at their shared desk in the back row. Had he realized what kind of mental torture it was, sitting next to a girl that was arguably the worst person he'd ever met, he would've taken the seat next to Adrien earlier. But what could he do, actually have the audacity to sit near his best friend when he promised he'd help out Lila?

At least this was the last class before lunch, then he could actually relax for a while. His leg started to shake reflexively as he eyed his phone, just waiting for the bell to ring.

"I've graded your mock exam papers. Most of you did quite well, some better than others. Marin, could you see me after class please?" Miss Bustier asked, and promptly crushed his growing relief.

A bad feeling settled in Marin's stomach. Usually, it was never a good thing when a teacher had to talk to you, much less pull you away from the eyes of the entire class. As the lunch bell rang, he waited until the entire class cleared out before walking down towards the front. He saw Adrien waiting for him outside and then waved towards him, signaling that he'd catch up later. He saw his best friend looking at him in concern just before closing the door behind him, now leaving him alone with the teacher.

"Would you mind handing over your bag please?" Marin was taken aback by her request. He clutched the handle of his bag, hoping that Tikki would phase out just as he handed his bag over to his teacher, without complaint. He watched nervously as she rummaged around through, hopefully not about to pull out a fairy that was as ancient as time itself. "Today, someone placed an anonymous note on my desk, claiming that you'd stolen the exam answers, could you please explain what this is?" The teacher asked as she pulled out an answer key from Marin's messenger bag.

"I...I don't-" Marin stammered as his head felt fuzzy. "I didn't steal it!"

Miss Bustier sighed as she crossed her arms. "Marin, I believe that you're a good student, but you've been acting strange since this year began. Is it possible that you've taken on too many commitments and may had a relapse in judgment? You're my aid, after all, you'd have the chance to take it."

"No it's nothing like that at all- I would never do something like this! Someone must've planted that piece of paper in my bag!" He tried to reason, but could see that his teacher wasn't buying it.

"Why would want to do something like that? Everyone likes you very much, I can't imagine anyone wanting to frame you for something like this." Miss Bustier said, and then sighed heavily. "I've already talked with about this but he wants to see you in his office."

"But-" Marin tried to say but was cut off.

"I don't like this any more than you do, but the sooner we talk this out the sooner we can deal with this." His teacher said as he lowered his head unhappily.

* * *

Marin sat inside of the principal's office alone as felt his anxiety rising. He didn't do anything wrong, at least, he thought that he didn't. What if he did something by accident? What if he offended someone by accident and he hurt them enough to get back at him? A number of thoughts and possible scenarios raced through his head, but all came to a screeching halt as he flinched at the door opening.

walked in staring at him seriously. "Please come with me Mr. Dupain-Cheng." He ordered.

"I didn't do anything sir." Marin said as his voice started to waver.

"I don't want to do this either but there have been a number of anonymous accusations against you in the past a few weeks."

Marin's eyes widened in disbelief, unable to think of a proper response.

"If you could just please come with me so we can place this all to rest once and for all?"

He didn't have the will to fight back as he started to feel shame creep up his spine as he was marched towards the locker room. He felt every set of eyes on him as the locker room drew closer despite him handing his head.

Carefully, he opened up his locker and everything seemed to fall apart as he saw an unfamiliar white box placed in his locker. He could see various missing items that were placed inside, items that he knew were missing, items that people had come to him, and told him were missing.

"I didn't steal anything-" He began to say as he overhead his classmates begin to whisper among themselves.

"Marinus Dupain-Cheng you are suspended until further notice. Please wait in my office until we can bring your parents in to discuss this further."

* * *

He felt low, embarrassed, exposed, humiliated, as well as a number of other emotions that he couldn't pin. Mr. Damocles had ordered him to go back home with a note his parents needed to sign. They would have to come back to talk to him in person but for now, he was officially suspended. As he closed the door behind him he felt a numbing feeling in his chest, not even noticing someone standing nearby until they spoke up.

"Marin."

Adrien greeted with an expression of concern on his face.

"My mom's going to kill me." Marin said bluntly to his best friend, almost certain.

"That's what you're worried about?" Adrien asked gently, trying to improve the mood but Marin was in no mood to smile, instead, he placed his face in his hands still feeling the shock of the past few hours. "Hey Marin, Aly, and I found the stuff that was in your locker."

Immediately Marin looked at him in a helpless panic for a moment wondering if Adrien would accuse him.

"We know something's up, there's no way you'd take anything from anyone. Do you have any idea who'd want to set you up like this?"

Marin sighed heavily for a number of reasons. "No, I don't...I didn't even go to my locker this morning." He said as he felt his chest start to swell with sadness. "Sorry Adrien, I have to go home now."

"Ah, alright, see you later?" Adrien asked, but didn't get an answer as Marin walked down the stairs from the school entrance.

Marin walked down the stairs towards the riverfront under the bridge. During midday, there wouldn't be anyone around to see him. What kind of day was this? It started off well enough, he dropped off the jacket that he made for Adrien and was going to tell him at lunch that he made special orange peppermint flavored. Honestly, a flavor palette that was disgusting to him, but for some reason Adrien loved. Now here he was, about to be thrown out of school, was avoiding going home with the knowledge that his parents would be extremely upset, so he was hiding under a bridge to escape his problems.

He reached into his back pocket, taking out the lucky charm that was gifted to him. A gift that didn't work at all, in fact, it seemed like that ever since he picked it up all his bad luck had turned worse. Whoever had gifted it was probably someone who was laughing behind his back, because at the end of the day all he was was just a huge joke. He clutched it in his hand tightly, but just as he was about to toss it into the river he overheard footsteps racing towards him before he was suddenly grabbed, seeing a flash of white.

* * *

Adrien couldn't help but clutch his lucky charm in his hand. Just because his bracelet was in the box of stolen items wouldn't just remove suspicion from his friend. Someone had to take responsibility if Mr. Damocles was ever going to be swayed. But as he was about to turn back into the school he saw that Marin was going him, instead, he was walking towards the riverfront, and trailing behind him was an Akuma.

He felt a rush of adrenaline as he saw the threat towards his best friend. Without thinking he ran towards him across the street but before he could say a word just as a truck drove by he lost sight of him.

Adrien looked around for a moment, seeing that the Akuma was still fluttering around aimlessly, but his best friend was nowhere in sight.

* * *

"Bunnyx?" Marin asked as he was led into a familiar place he had visited only once before, technically this would be the third time as he recognized the burrow belonging to the rabbit Miraculous. The first time he entered was the first time he met Bunnyx not even knowing what a burrow was, the second was when he trained with the rabbit Miraculous, and this would be the third time. He looked up towards the older woman, quickly realizing that he had made a mistake as he stepped back from her defensively.

"I mean uh- who are you strange rabbit woman?! Why did you kidnap me?!" He asked trying to play off his previous slip up but could see that she wasn't buying his act.

"Minibug, something happened today that caused a major disaster in the future. I'm not sure what it was or when it happened exactly. Did anything unusual happen on your side?" She asked, clearly already knowing who he really was if she has dragged him into a burrow.

Marin thought for a moment, wondering what exactly she meant. "If you mean how I'm being suspended for stealing stuff I don't remember stealing." Marin noticed she had a sullen expression on her face, her body was covered in wounds, claw marks that penetrated the magical defenses all holders were gifted when using a Miraculous. This troubled him as only something that was stronger than a Miraculous, stronger than a Kwami could disrupt their magic.

"You're injured!" He said reflexively, stepping towards her in concern, also worried about Fluff. He took out a mini first aid kit that he always kept in his bag about to open it up but Bunnyx just as turned towards him he noticed that she flinched slightly but he couldn't see what at before she placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Normally, we have to avoid interfering with past or present events as much as possible, but this is really serious, Minibug. Our future is in danger! I need your help, can I trust you with this mission?" She asked with a serious expression on her face, one that startled Marin. Normally he was on the other end of this, asking people for their trust. He wondered if this was how it felt for everyone else he had given a Miraculous to in the past, the feeling of anticipation. If it was anyone else he wondered if he might reject this, but something about the Rabbit themed-hero made him feel like he could trust her.

"Of course." He said simply as Tikki flew out of his jacket. "Tikki, Spots on." He said, transforming for the first time in front of another Miraculous holder.

* * *

Chat Noir jumped down from the hole that Hawkmoth, that his father fell from, falling onto a walkway above a pool of water as Ladybug jumped down beside him. He was grateful for the magical protection of the Miraculous, not wanting to see his father get hurt. Hawkmoth threw his can towards them but Chat Noir easily knocked it away into the water.

"Just make this easy for yourself gramps." Chat Noir snarkily remarked as Hawkmoth backed away towards a platform behind him. One that was covered in grass, flowers, and several bushes.

"It's over. Hand over your Miraculous." Ladybug said as he spun his yo-yo in hand, his eyes darted across the room while Chat Noir's ears twitched. He could tell that neither of them could sense Mayura, which raised a red flag within itself.

"I wouldn't take a step further if I were you, dear Adrien." Hawkmoth said holding his hand behind his back.

Almost immediately Chat Noir froze in place as Ladybug stepped before him.

"How do you—" Chat Noir was about to ask just as Hawkmoth opened the panel of what looked to be a coffin. In it he saw someone that he never thought he'd see again. A beautiful light blonde-haired woman, looking just like she did the last time he saw her. Just before she and his father left on their trip so long ago. "M-Mom?" Chat Noir asked taking a step back as Ladybug looked back at him for a moment before locking his eyes on the villain before them.

"Y-you told me they couldn't find her body, that she was gone..." Chat Noir said angrily as he tried to fight back the tears welling up in his eyes. "You lied to me!"

Hawkmoth placed his hand on the coffin as he looked at his son. "I'm doing it for her, Adrien. Don't you want to see your dear mother again?" He asked as Ladybug stepped forward before his partner.

"It's over for you Hawkmoth, give us yours and Mayura's Miraculous.

"This is your partner? Someone who is so heartless as to deprive you of any chance of seeing your mother again?"

"Don't listen to him Chat." Ladybug said. "He's trying to mess with your head just like he does with everyone else he akumatizes."

"If my words can't reach you Ladybug, then it appears you force my hand." Hawkmoth said with a smile just as he melted before them, his body now taking shape of a familiar giant moth.

"Wha-" Chat Noir gasped just as Ladybug pushed him out of the way of its blast.

"It was a sentimonster!" Ladybug called out just as the Sentimonster descended upon them in the confined space they were trapped in. Ladybug jumped in the railing, using his yo-yo to try and bind its wings while Chat Noir was still in a daze.

* * *

"Hey, Bunnyx, when you travel through time, do you forget what happened when you're done?" Ladybug asked as he turned his back towards the rabbit themed hero while she calibrated one of her portals.

"What's seen can't be unseen. I know quite a few things I could tell you that would blow your mind." She teased lightly.

"Then, can I ask about the first time we met?" He asked curiously.

"There's a time for everything and time is a fragile thing. That's the reason you picked me, Minibug. I know how to keep a secret." Bunnyx remarked as she recalled the memory fondly. "But I'll tell you this little fun fact. The first time we met was my first mission after training for years."

"Years?"

"Yup, a proper Rabbit Miraculous holder like myself has had years of special training to properly use this Miraculous. The first time we met was safe because it didn't alter the course of anything drastically." Bunnyx gave him a wry smiled as she led the way towards one of the exits. As Ladybug stepped through he gasped at the sight before him, of his home in ruin, covered in seawater which made it almost unrecognizable. As he stood atop the TV station tower he looked up towards the moon that was partially destroyed. Ladybug wondered, almost feared what could possibly have that kind of power.

"What happened here?" Ladybug said with his mouth agape in shock.

"The less you know about the future, the better. Just do your thing: capture the Akuma and restore order. Then...everything will go back to normal." Bunnyx said as she turned back towards the burrow.

Ladybug was looking up at the shattered moon before he turned back to Bunnyx. "You're not staying? Isn't this the time you came from?"

"Let's say I gotta stand ready to jump back into time and try something else, in case you fail." She said as Ladybug walked up to her.

"Fail?" He questioned for a moment before Bunnyx ruffled his hair playfully.

"If it was anyone else I would actually be worried. Sorry about this Mar." Bunnyx said before disappearing into her burrow, leaving him alone in the ruins of Paris. Ladybug looked up towards the sky sadly, thinking about what could have caused a future like this but then his guard went up as he heard someone behind him. Towards the end of the building, there was someone sitting on the edge, someone completely dressed in white with familiar-looking cat ears.

"Little kitty on a roof...all alone without his lady." He sang gently as Ladybug gripped his yo-yo in hand.

"Chat... Noir?" Ladybug asked aloud as he saw their ears twitch.

"Your impersonations are getting better rabbit-" He said standing up and turning towards him freezing in place as his eyes laid on Ladybug, almost in disbelief.

Ladybug took a step back as he saw clearly that this was Chat Noir, his Chat Noir alive, looking the same in a future that had to be over a decade in.

"My Lady?" Chat Noir asked in disbelief before a smile drew on his face as he jumped down from where he was sitting. " I thought I'd lost you!"

"Lost me?" Ladybug asked aloud, unable to tear his eyes away from his partner who circled him like a cat before standing before him, placing a hand on his cheek as he chucked to himself in disbelief.

"It's you, it's really you."Chat Noir said letting out a heavy sigh of relief. The expression made Ladybug immensely uncomfortable, this was Chat Noir but at the same time...

"Chat, what happened to you? How did you- How did this happen?" Ladybug asked gently removing Chat Noir's hand from his face but didn't let it go as he looked at his partner with growing worry.

But Chat Noir didn't seem to hear him as his newly blue eyes turned glossy his calico eyes drawing into cat-like slits. "Now that you're back it's going to be alright because you still have your **Miraculous**!"

Ladybug's eyes widened as Chat Noir tried to take his earrings but Ladybug reflexively kicked him back as he back-flipped away gain some distance between them. He felt a rush of adrenaline as he saw Chat Noir's eyes turn back to normal but something was still wrong. "What's wrong with you, Chat Noir?!" The hero demanded to know as he saw that his partner looked away, ashamed.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be rude. Could you please hand me your Miraculous, please? Chat Blanc has... gotten into some mischief."

Ladybug's eyes widened in shock as he realized. "You've been akumatized...But, that's impossible." Ladybug murmured to himself as he couldn't sense the presence of an Akuma at all. But if Chat Noir was akumatized it would explain what happened to the city as well as the moon. This presented a problem; if he couldn't sense an Akuma at all it meant...

"You don't need my Miraculous, you need me to purify you." Ladybug said walking towards his partner, his expression wavering as he saw a single tear fall down Chat Noir...Chat Blanc's cheek. Ladybug brushed the tear away as Chat Blanc couldn't meet his eyes.

"Help me..."

Ladybug winced at the sound of his voice. He never imagined he'd hear such sadness from someone so important to him. "Tell me, do you remember where the Akuma went?" Ladybug asked gently as he placed his hand on Chat Blanc's cheek but responded by grabbing Ladybug's wrist, placing his hand on his chest.

"Here! But it's already too late!" Chat Blanc said as his eyes dilated with excitement, never looking more unkind than they did now.

Ladybug gasped as he winced in pain at Chat Blanc's heightened strength, more so with the help of an Akuma. He palmed Chat Blanc's face with all of his force, stunning him for long enough to break away.

Chat Blanc glared at him angrily as his lips twisted into a snarl, showing off his fangs. "Even now you're still finding new ways to hurt me Xiang?!" He demanded as Ladybug froze.

A wave of anxiousness washed over him as Ladybug froze, turning towards Chat Blanc in shock saying aloud a name that his partner should never have spoken aloud.

But Ladybug couldn't think straight as Chat Blanc dashed towards him. Ladybug only had enough time to evade his swipes before jumping off of the building. Below he landed on a bus that was floating on the water. The whole area was essentially a death trap for him not including his possessed partner. He felt the bus under his feet shake as he turned to see Chat Blanc landing behind him. His partner held out his arms towards him, baring the most malicious smile he'd ever seen.

"It doesn't have to be this way. Please, just give me your Miraculous so I can make everything go back to the way it was." He asked walking towards him.

Ladybug glanced at the water for a moment. He took out his yo-yo, holding it behind his back as his partner approached him threateningly. He mapped out an exit, jumping on the floating rubble of the city, followed by his partner as Ladybug landed on the Eiffle tower. "I can't do that Chat!" Ladybug called out after hiding on a piece of railing just below his former partner.

That answer made Chat Blanc frown. Instead of speaking up, he held his arm over his head releasing a wave of energy that made everything around them shake, causing the old monument to creak. "I don't want to hurt you Xiang. I love you."

Those words hurt his heart as Ladybug gripped his yo-yo, not moving a muscle, being all too aware of Chat Noir's sensitive ears.

"Things were perfect until that day. You remember don't you? How when we fought Hawkmoth and Mayura together we failed. He knew we were coming and we stupidly walked into his ambush." Chat Blanc said as his ears twitched, trying to pinpoint where his partner was. " It was our love that did this to the world, my Xiang."

Ladybug overheard his words as he climbed up the tower by hand spotting his partner. He tackled him to the ground, grabbing his staff and belt, snapping them in half but much to his surprise nothing happened.

"Looking for my Akuma, my lady!?" Chat Blanc asked aggressively as in his hand appeared a white ball of energy. "There's a faster way to make this end, you know. You just need to hand over... **YOUR MIRACULOUS**!" He exclaimed as he shot the ball of energy just above him. The attack caused the railings above him to crack and shake the whole tower.

Ladybug evaded the falling debris as he used his yo-yo to jump on top of the tower, running towards the edge but saw that he was no debris to jump onto from so far up. Instead, Ladybug opened up his yo-yo, taking something green out as Chat Blanc appeared just across from him.

"Why are you trying to fight this? You know that by merging our Miraculous together, we'd be granted one wish, right? Any wish we wanted. Well, my wish would be to fix everything, so we could be in love again. And have a hamster, too. You've always dreamed of having one. We'll call it—"

"Why are you acting like this? Like Hawkmoth?!" Ladybug demanded, glaring into Chat Blanc's icy blue eyes. They were dull for a moment before Chat Blanc gripped his fist. It appeared that a wave of realization washed over the villain as Chat Blanc dropped his arm, tilting his head thoughtfully with a blank expression on his face.

"Ah, that's right...you're not my Ladybug." He said coldly. "You're just a trick that Bunnyx pulled out of her burrow."

"I don't understand what you're talking about, but if you could just listen-"

"**OF COURSE YOU DON'T**." Chat Blanc snapped back, anger seeping into his eyes as Ladybug's heart fell. "You don't understand what I'm saying at all because you're just here to erase everything." He said as Ladybug's eyes widened slightly. "She didn't send you here to fix anything, she wants you to erase everything that happened here."

"T-That's what my Miraculous does, it's turns everything back to normal."

"No, it undoes mistakes. It erases memories like they never happened. Well, **THIS** happened, **I** happened. I lost everything and all you, all everyone wants is to take away any memory of what happened."

"Chat-"

"NO." Chat Blanc said taking a step forward. "I'm not like the rest of Hawkmoths lackies. I'm real. My feelings are real. I'm not going to just let you make them disappear like all the rest."

Ladybug closed his eyes for a moment, almost apologetically. "I can't do that Chat, I can't leave you and Paris like this."

Chat Blanc scoffed as he turned away from Ladybug, looking out onto the new sea of Paris, her ruins admit the cold waters. "I've only dreamed of something like this you know. To see you again after so long. But I guess it doesn't really matter if you alive or not to experience it." He said before dashing towards Ladybug in blinding speed, slashing his claws towards Ladybug's face.

"ARGH!" Ladybug winced in pain, feeling Chat Blanc's claws rake against his face. He backed away as his vision was compromised, suddenly he felt his weightless as the rubble behind him gave in.

Ladybug popped a mini macaron, transforming himself into Aquabug just before he hit the water. The newly formed ocean was dark and stung his eye painfully but he was at least grateful that he didn't have to worry about drowning.

As Ladybug looked about he saw the city submerged underwater, building destroyed and wherever people there once were, now turned into brittle stone. Ladybug swam down towards something he spotted and saw what appeared to be where the explosion started. He placed his hand on there the explosion started and looked up to three figures standing nearby. His eyes widened in surprise as he saw Mayura seemingly protecting Hawkmoth standing before him while he had his hands obscuring his face. His eyes then darted to the third one kneeling on the ground looked towards the source of the explosion. The hero noticed that there was no shine coming from any of the Miraculous holders, their enchanted jewels,

There was only one thing that had that kind power. Only one thing that could truly destroy not only an entire city but also a Miraculous. The water was cold, but the truth of the situation made him feel numb.

Ladybug felt his head start to hurt as he recognized himself but turned to brittle stone just like everyone else in the city. He placed his hand towards his other but the moment he made contact his other disintegrated in the water. Ladybug clutched his arms as he realized that he wasn't the only one destroyed; his Miraculous disintegrated along with him. But something caught his attention as something red floated from the dust, a familiar Ladybug printed box that looked familiar.

* * *

Chat Noir crashed against the ground as the moth had crashed into the Eiffel Tower. His body was banged up, covered in injures but he turned towards Ladybug who was far worse off, coughing harshly as he held his side as he kneeled on the ground holding his side. Ladybug spun his yo-yo, attempting to bind Sentimonster again but as he tried the sentimonster disappeared.

"Wha-" Chat Noir ears perked up but he couldn't react in time as someone grabbed him from behind. "Cataclysm!" He exclaimed activating his power but a fan was pushed in his hand, negating his power. He turned his head to see Mayura had him in her grasp while Hawkmoth stood across from his partner.

"Your plan's going to fail no matter what." Ladybug warned before he chased towards the villain. He jumped up, aiming his kicks towards the villain's head but Hawkmoth easily grabbed his leg, slamming him to the ground causing Ladybug to become stunned as he was winded against the stone ground.

"Leave him alone!" Chat Noir called out as Hawkmoth stood over Ladybug, planting a foot on his chest to keep him from standing up. "Father just stop!" Chat Noir begged as he struggled against Mayura's grasp.

"There is still a chance to save your mother." Hawkmoth said, ignoring the hero's attempts to escape. "If you truly cared about her, if you truly ever loved her then you wouldn't hesitate." Hawkmoth said as he turned his head towards him just before Chat Noir saw an Akuma flying towards him. There was no way for him to escape as the Akuma flew into his bell.

Chat Noir's head whipped back against Mayura as he heard his father's voice boom in his mind. "Chat Blanc, I gift you the infinite power of destruction! Under my control together we will awaken your mother." Hawkmoth demanded as Chat Noir's eyes widened, quickly feeling a numbness coming over his boy. "Take Ladybug's Miraculous," Hawkmoth said coldly with a sadistic smile, watching his son walk over towards his partner, now weakened over months of exertion.

Chat Blanc held his hand out forming a Mega cataclysm in his hand.

Ladybug lifted up his head coughing harshly as he held his Lucky Charm in his hand struggled to stand, only able to lift himself only his arms, looking towards his partner painfully.

It took all of Chat Blanc's will power to direct his attack towards his father, wincing at the sight of his father's disapproving expression.

"How dare you. You are my son, you will OBEY!"

"I... I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO!" Chat Blanc yelled out as he felt his will slipping from his grasp. All he could do was hold up his arm, hoping, that the blast would be consumed by himself.

First went Mayura who protected her partner.

Then went Hawkmoth who shielded himself from the blinding light of the mega cataclysm.

Then…

Chat Blanc could barely speak as his eyes laid on Ladybug who made no attempt, or couldn't, move from place. Even within this chaos, even knowing he couldn't run, Ladybug's expression softened into a smile. A smile that only he had truly seen, a sincere smile that he had only seen a few times in their time together. One that always lit up his day, reminding him how much he loved his partner.

"Adrien..it'll be alright." Ladybug said before the Cataclysm took him as well.

Chat Blanc's eyes widened as he heard his partner's final words, feeling a tear fall down his face as Paris was no more.

* * *

Chat Blanc sat on the edge of the Eiffel tower, recalling those final moments, as he heard Ladybug landing behind him, his feet landing on the rusted metal of the former monument.

"You finally understand don't you?" Chat Blanc asked already knowing the answer, he dug his claws into the metal, piercing it as he grew angrier; awaiting to be judged by the hero of Paris. He stood up, turning towards his partner, no longer feeling any emotion to a person who resembled someone he once loved. That person was already long gone.

Ladybug raised his arms in a fighting stance, his expression hardened as it was when he was facing a villain. His right eye was closed as the wound was still fresh and no doubt stung because of the saltwater he fell into. But true to his title as a hero, he wouldn't allow that to bother him.

"So, your minds' made up." Chat Blanc smirked in wry amusement as he dashed towards Ladybug first swiping in his blind spot.

Ladybug ducked his head and landed a kick on Chat Blanc's head, followed by another one by his other leg as he spun around for extra strength, then successfully pushed him back as he planted a foot on Chat Blanc's chest.

Chat Blanc slid back for a moment unphased by the attacks, almost amused by Ladybug's attempts to actually take him head-on.

"It's no use Ladybug. If Bunnyx couldn't finish me off, what makes you think you can?!"

Ladybug was silent as he dashed towards Chat Blanc again, this time jumping as he aimed a kick towards him. Chat Blanc sidestepped him, planning on grabbing his arm but as Ladybug hit the ground he ducked again, sweeping Chat Blanc's feet successfully knocking him off balance. Without wasting any time Ladybug pinned Chat Blanc to the ground.

"If I was my old self that might have worked." Chat Blanc said lamely as he turned Ladybug's weight against him.

Ladybug gasped in pain as Chat Blanc only had to hold his wrist behind his back as Chat Blanc twisted his arm, continuing to apply pressure.

"You brought this on yourself." Chat Blanc said lamely as he heard a crack then Ladybug no longer struggled against him with his new injury. With one hand as he removed his Miraculous of Creation, undoing Ladybug's transformation. He could see the mess of emotions etched on Marin's face as he turned his head towards him, eyes were laden with a spark of determination. The sight almost made him smile as he recalled how much he loved seeing that expression. Even if this wasn't his Marin, these feelings wouldn't just disappear.

Chat Blanc heard Marin try to steady his breath from beneath him. Chat Blanc's gaze lingered for a moment as he stared down at Marin. Gently, he brushed a few strands of fringer from the boy's face, revealing his bright blue eyes more clearly. "You understand why I need your Miraculous don't you?" He asked, but Marin didn't respond. He should have expected that after all he had taken his precious Miraculous from him but more importantly his beloved Kwami.

Chat Blanc recalled the last time he had done that Ladybug was incredibly annoyed with him, the same day that he had used the Ladybug Miraculous for the first time.

He was incredibly grateful to Tikki, who had given him the knowledge of how to access the Ladybug Miraculous's power.

Chat Blanc placed the Miraculous of Creation in his ears, prepared for a rush of power…

But nothing happened.

"Why...why isn't this working?!" He demanded as Tikki hadn't even materialized.

"It's not enough to just have both Miraculous." Marin gasped lifting himself up onto his feet. His body was covered in cuts and bruises from their battle, his arm was hurt badly and he had blood running down his face due to the injury he sustained earlier. But despite all of that Ladybug had a look of sadness on his face. One that made Chat Blanc grow angrier.

"You need the incantation to summon Null. It's something that only a true Guardian knows, and in this world he's already long gone."

Chat Blanc took a step back as he could feel his head spin.

"Your plan was going to fail no matter what." Marin said as he looked away for a moment as Chat Blanc chuckled, resting his head in his heads. What little spur of the moment hope he had seen when this Ladybug appeared, any hope he had to fix what he had done was gone.

"So this was all just a sick game to you?" The villain asked as he saw the Lucky Charm in Marin's hand. "You knew I would never win. The simple truth is all you really care about it yourself. So long as everything can go back to the way you want it then it's a victory. " Chat Blanc accused as he lifted his head with a smile on his face, one that was beyond desperation.

"What's the use of lingering around here if it's no use." Chat Blanc said as he raised his hand over his head. This time by his choice, this time, by his own will. "If I have to disappear, I may as well rewrite the last this happen. I MIGHT as well destroy you, ME, OUR MEMORIES... EVERYTHING!" He held his hand above his head creating the largest cataclysm he could conjure, one that would make everything go away, one that could make the hurt disappear.

But he hesitated.

He glared at Marin angrily who held his tongue no doubt, blaming him for everything that had gone wrong. Chat Blanc gripped his fists tightly. There was something that he was waiting for, to be judged for so long for everything that he had done, for he had ruined. He had destroyed the whole world, he had killed his father, he doomed his mother who he never got to see again, and...he betrayed the person he loved more than anything.

"It was hard wasn't it?" Marin asked holding his injured arm, his voice was calm, gently lulling him with each word. "Being alone in a place like this for so many years."

Chat Blanc winced as he recognized that tone. That same tone he had heard time and time again from the voice he had longed to hear at least one more time. Chat Blanc shut his eyes tightly as he lowered his arm. For a moment he felt tears well up in his eyes.

It had been so long.

Ever since the Akuma had merged with him he had lost track of time, but without Ladybug...without Marin he didn't care. He deserved it, deserved to be trapped in this prison of isolation, after all, what more perfect punishment could there be for someone like him.

But none of that mattered now.

"Someone like you could never understand what I've been through." Chat Blanc said as his fury was reignited. He walked towards Marin who stood before him with that same pitying expression. "After all you're not my Ladybug, you're just someone that Bunnyx stole to accomplish her own ends." Chat Blanc said as he flexed his claws. "Between me or Paris, it's always going to be Paris." He chuckled to himself.

Marin closed his eye, hanging his head for a moment as he took a deep. "It'll never be a question between you and Paris Chat." He said. "No matter what I'll save both you."

"What a Ladybug answer, but without your Miraculous, you're just talk." Chat Blanc remarked, walking towards him as he saw Marin clutch his shirt with his good hand. Marin stood his ground as Chat Blanc wrapped his hands around his neck. "Even when you're battered and bruised like this here you are still trying to hold on to your ideals. You saved this city so many times and how did it all end up? With your own partner betraying you."

"Chat..I will never give up. Not on you or anyone else who needs me." Marin rasped out as Chat Blanc tightened his grip.

"At least you'll die knowing that you tried." Chat Blanc said in a monotone, no longer wanting to waste any time. But suddenly Chat Blanc jumped back as he saw a flash of purple for a moment he was blinded.

Once his eyes came back into focus, he saw Marin coughing on the ground, lifting himself up once again with a look of fury etched on his face, one of resolve. Chat Blanc saw that where he had earlier touched his chest was an all too familiar Miraculous. For a moment it had looked like a pink cherry blossom flower before it shifted into it's true form.

_That Miraculous..._

Chat Blanc thought to himself as beside Marin hovered a purple Kwami. The Kwami confused at what was going on but even so looked towards Marin in concern.

"No matter what happens, no matter what it costs me, even if you lose yourself…" Marin said as the emblem on his chest transformed into that of a butterfly. "I'll always be there to bring you back!"

"You-" Chat Blanc rasped as he dashed towards Marin with blinding speed.

"Nooroo, wings rise!" Marin said as he was engulfed in a violet light.

Just as Chat Blanc made contact his former partner jumped back in a new form. One that resembled Hawkmoth but was uniquely Marin. Marin held out his hand just as Chat Blanc felt his entire body tremble, beginning to spur with an unfamiliar feeling. His entire body started to glow with a warm sensation, something that he tried to fight back at as he tried to retain his negativity.

He took a few steps back as he held his head, starting to feel the akuma inside grow restless for the first time since it merged with him.

"NO! I'M NOT GOING TO DISAPPEAR!" Chat Blanc yelled out in both his mind and aloud. "YOU'RE NOT GOING TO ERASE ME!" He reminded himself as he held onto to his anger, his hatred, his rage, his resentment, his grief, his frustration, his bitterness, his loneliness…

Chat Blanc flinched as he felt Marin's touch against his cheek, looking up he saw Marin's face before he pressed their foreheads together. Chat Blanc placed his hand on Marin's arms, for a moment fearful of this rush of new emotions.

He was afraid.

He was afraid of losing these familiar emotions.

He was afraid of losing was he had only known for over a decade.

Chat Blanc winced as he heard Marin's voice echo in his mind, a voice that was far more gentle than his father's ever was.

["I'm not going to erase you." ]

Chat Blanc relaxed his grip, focusing on Marin's touch as he closed his eyes, feeling tears fall down his face. He allowed himself to be overcome with a bittersweet feeling of nostalgia as he didn't feel the negativity leave him.

He felt it eased as he could feel it shared by someone else.

Chat Blanc replayed that day in his mind. The day everything changed. He saw Mayura protecting her master, he saw his father cowering, he saw his most beloved person smiling towards him. Then a wave of realization washed over him as his mind was clear of the haziness of the Akuma's influence.

"You knew…" Chat Blanc murmured to himself as realized the weight of the smile he could never understand. He then smiled genuinely for the first time in forever, amused that even after so many years his partner was still managing to surprise him.

* * *

Chat Noir opened his eyes as he felt lethargic. His mind was muddled with confusion as before him he saw a hero pressing his forehead against his with his brows furrowed with worry. Chat Noir's ears twitched as looked up towards the taller boy who opened up his left eye; it was bright blue with the symbol of a butterfly replacing the pupil, he was beautiful.

"Wait a sec-" Chat Noir grasped his hand, lacing their fingers together to prevent him from escaping just as the boy took a step back. "Who are you? Where am..." The words faded as he started to recall his first moments as Chat Blanc. He didn't react as the boy standing before him took something from his ears and placed them into his own pocket.

"I'm..." The boy murmured for a moment before he faced with a sincere expression, trying to pull him from the bad memories. "Chat Noir, my name is Swallowtail. I was sent to save you."

"You?" Chat Noir asked as they both turned to see a white portal behind them. At that moment Chat Noir took notice of Swallowtail's Miraculous.

"Ah, Chat Noir I can't really explain this now but-." Swallowtail rambled for a moment as he then looked towards him, grasping his hands tighter. "It'll be alright." He promised.

Chat Noir stared at the new hero standing before him who smiled to cover the pain he was holding back. This new hero who stood with a rabbit Miraculous holder by his side, in this new world where everything was destroyed. Where he had killed everyone he had ever loved.

But somehow, for some reason… Chat Noir believed him.

Chat Noir nodded at him as he flashed a wistful smile. He partially longed for Swallowtails touch as his hands felt warm in his own, just before he saw his savor disappear through a white portal.

* * *

Bunnyx watched as a unicorn toy faded from her hand just as Swallowtail stepped into the burrow. She sensed that he had already seen it but it wouldn't matter, all she had to do was wait a little longer.

Looking at the young boy, he was in bad shape overall with injures that would take weeks to heal and scars that would remain with him for a lifetime. She couldn't help but feel guilty looking at one of her best friends, at the beloved hero of Paris being broken down like this. But she didn't regret it.

"How did Hawkmoth's Miraculous get into this Lucky Charm?" Swallowtail asked as he looked down at the Lucky charm in his good hand.

Bunnyx shook her head, "No idea, up until the last moment he still had his Miraculous. There should be no way for you to have this." Bunnyx said as she tried to recall if there was ever a moment when Hawkmoth was without his Miraculous but none came to mind.

"Are you sure there was no way you saw Hawkmoth's Miraculous being taken from him?"

"I would've seen it in my burrow." Bunnyx nodded as she turned towards her portals. "But if we're going to secure your victory, we need to make it so that there's a Miraculous in that Lucky Charm."

Swallowtail looked over the Lucky Charm that was produced by the previous Ladybug. "Chat Blanc's cataclysm destroyed all of Paris, including other Miraculous..." He said thinking through.

"Can a Lucky Charm withstand a Cataclysm like that?"

"Sometimes," Swallowtail said. "But it's extremely rare. Whoever put this charm into this box it had to be after it was activated but before Hawkmoth was destroyed when creating Chat Blanc."

Bunnyx thought for a moment as she turned towards one of her portals, not letting Swallowtail see which one. "I know when. But I'm not going to be able to take it out in the open, the window is too small." She said trying to think up another plan just as Swallowtail placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I think I have an idea." Swallowtail said as he pocketed the charm. He held out his arm, his hand in a closed fist. He closed his eye and then focused on Bunnyx's uncertainty. He opened the palm of his hand revealing a butterfly the glowed with white energy. It fluttered for a moment before flying towards Bunnyx, disappearing into her Miraculous.

She could feel a connection being threaded between them, one that eased her negative emotions as made her feel at ease. Swallowtail's eyes widened as he gasped suddenly.

"Something wrong?" Bunnyx asked. Swallowtail hesitated for a moment before speaking aloud.

"Sonic Bunnyx... you've been fighting a losing battle for almost all of your life. Now after so long is the time to complete your mission; I gift you the full power of your rabbit Miraculous, the ability to travel at blinding speeds, faster than any eye can catch."

Sonic Bunnyx could feel a new power surge through her as she looked at her new form. The blue in her suit began to glow neon as she could feel time around her begin to slow down. In her mind, she felt Swallowtail's presence, but it wasn't an unwelcome one as he seemed to fill a void of loneliness she never knew was there. The hero nodded towards Swallowtail who kept his eyes closed before dashing out of her portal at blinding speed, arriving at the exact moment before Paris was destroyed.

Normally time would move forward as usual but in this situation, everything was drastically slowed down so much so that she could see Chat Blanc's mega Cataclysm slowly make its way towards its first three victims.

Bunnyx first walked past Mayura, Gabriel Agrests secretary Nathalie. The woman that was so devoted to a maniac it ultimately destroyed her. She wondered if that was how Emilie Agreste fell as well, falling in love with a man who would place ambition before anything or anyone else. She walked over towards Hawkmoth, Gabriel Agreste who allowed his partner to shield him from the blast. She frowned as she took his Miraculous easily from his jacket, noticing that he started to transform back. But he'd be gone long before anyone would ever know who he really was. The hero then walked towards Ladybug, furrowing her brow in sympathy as she kneeled before him. She lingered for a few moments, planting a kiss on his forehead as she silently said her good-byes just before placing the Butterfly Miraculous into the safety of the Lucky Charm.

"We'll be together soon, wait for me would you?" She asked with a sad smile before turning back towards the portal. She took one more look at the city, starting to notice it fade away just before she stepped into the portal, already knowing what fate had in store for her.

* * *

Swallowtail could feel a strong connection with Bunnyx's emotions the moment he had made the connection, her guilt stinging him more than anything. But more than that he could pinpoint her turmoil, her sadness, and her deception.

He could hear Sonic Bunnyx's return as she stepped through the portal.

"It's done." She said as Swallowtail released the Akuma's hold on her, watching it flutter out of her Miraculous just before it disappeared into a cloud of golden dust, it's mission complete. Swallowtail retained his frown as Bunnyx walked over to him. "Swallowtail? What's-"

"You lied to me." He said holding his injured arm that began to throb painfully, yet somehow this stung more just as his transformation time ran out. He held Nooroo in his hand, but was only focused on the Rabbit themed-hero. "About everything."

Bunnyx stood across from him with a neutral expression on her face before speaking. "I did."

Marin glared at her, feeling anger start to brew in his heart as he took a step forward to her. "Why would you do this? Risk everything, risk your own safety?! Why lie? Why didn't you just tell me everything from the start?!" He demanded.

"Because if I did that it wouldn't have changed anything." Bunnyx said as she could feel the effects of the timestream correcting itself start to spread to her. "I tried hundreds of times to explain what would happen if you fought Hawkmoth but it failed almost every time. In the time where you did actually defeat him, it didn't matter; because no matter what you would always succumb the Miraculous. You'd be too weak to be Ladybug, too weak to walk, then while you were in the hospital you'd be too weak to even go on anymore." She repeated the same words that she told all the Ladybug's before him.

Bunnyx then clutched her hand closed as she recalled the one time he actually succeeded with Chat Noir. She had visited him, held his hand, and all he did was smile like nothing was wrong, simply accepting that it was what fate had in mind for him from the start. "For some reason, every single version of you always wanted to do what was right even knowing what would come ahead." She smiled to herself as she remembered the kindness every Ladybug always had. "The Rabbit Miraculous gives the user the power of Recollection, the ability to look, and traverse through the past. You're not supposed to change anything at risk of you disappearing. But I never wanted to be the kind of hero that just let her friend sacrifice for the sake of everyone else."

"T-There had to be other ways, it's always another way!" Marin tried to reason as he usually did, but Bunnyx shook her head.

"This was the only way. The only way to save you and to save Chat Blanc-" She said as she grimaced in pain, doubling over as her entire body began to fade away. As that happened the burrow started to collapse, beginning to collapse as the timeline tried to correct itself. But while this was happening Marin ran to her side, cradling her in his arms despite everything that she had just told him. "All I had to do was wait until the window closed. The one that would ensure that what triggered my bad future wouldn't repeat, to ensure that nothing could ever change what I did."

As she said that Marin reached into his back pocket and saw that the Lucky Charm from the future disappeared in his hand."Why? Why would you go so far for someone like me?!" He asked desperately, trying not to fall apart along with the burrow around him.

She looked up towards him, smiling yet unable to prevent herself from feeling guilty as she saw Marin's helpless expression. She glanced at Nooroo who sat on Marin's shoulder, tried but his eyes still shone with sympathy. She couldn't even begin to comprehend what she had just caused, what hardships Marin would have to endure now that she had changed everything. All she could really do was hope that he would be alright and he would learn to allow himself to be loved in a way that would allow others to help ease his burdens just as he did for everyone else.

If there was only one true regret she had, it was that she- or this version of her- wouldn't be around to witness it happen. In one swift motion, she opened a portal behind Marin, taking advantage of the warped gravity of the burrow to save him. She had taken Nooroo's Miraculous from his shirt as she pushed him while leaving behind something to remind him of her.

"Don't look so sad Mar." She said just as everything started to disappear. "Go and live your life!"

"Alix!" Marin cried out as tried to reach towards the rabbit themed hero shinning against the light of her burrow. But he was helpless to do anything as she disappeared before his eyes along with Nooroo just before the burrow collapsed, erasing any trace that they were ever there.

* * *

...

...

...

Ladybug and Chat Noir crouched on top of a building overlooking Adrien's home with the sun at their back. Ladybug looked down at his yo-yo set onto phone mode seeing a tracker just on the border of leaving the city. A light tension was relieved off of his shoulders seeing that Master Fu and the Miracle box were safe from Hawkmoth's range, but that didn't take away from the heaviness of the situation.

For a moment he recalled Bunnyx's warnings, what fate had in store for not only him but the entire world. Part of him wanted to turn away. Terrified didn't cover the range of emotions he was feeling; everything was happening so fast. He didn't know what exactly how it was going to play out but he knew it wasn't going to end well. However, he couldn't turn away from this, he could run away from this problem, not something like this. All of the preparations had been made, now all they needed to do was face off against whatever future Bunnyx had been trying to prevent.

"It's a little weird staking out my own house like this." Chat Noir remarked as his baton was on scoping mode. "Are you sure about this whole basement thing?"

Ladybug nodded. "Yeah, Wayzz saw it when I sensed that negative aura. He said that we could access it from the office."

Chat Noir looked at him in disbelief. "I've been in that room hundreds of times I never saw any secret passageways..." he said as his ears started to flatten, beginning to narrow his eyes.

"What are you thinking?" Ladybug asked.

"One time I saw my dad had a secret safe behind a portrait of my mom he had a bunch of stuff along with a book about the Miraculous heroes."

"Yeah, I know."

"You know?"

Ladybug's face reddened slightly as he turned his head away, feeling his heart beat faster. "Yeah, I uh...saw Lila tossing it in the trash, so Tikki took it and I borrowed it for a little while essentially copying every page before I returned it. It was around the time I started to suspect that your dad was...you know."

Chat Noir blinked at him as he tried to recall that incident. "Wait a sec, that was around the time my dad threatened to pull me out of school...and he said that one of my classmates dropped it off." He said looking at his partner. "You could've kept that book."

"It would've been reckless if it got traced back to me." Ladybug reasoned but noticed Chat Noir's tail started to sway as a mischievous grin grew on his face.

"Also because you care about me." Chat Noir said as Ladybug's face started to run red with embarrassment, even more so as he saw his calico pupils dilate. "Oh my gosh, did you like me since then?"

Ladybug immediately started to panic internally, but couldn't avoid it as Chat Noir wrapped his arm around his shoulders.

"When did you start liking me? Since before then? After that?" Chat Noir asked with newfound eagerness.

"S-since we first meet." Ladybug mumbled under his breath as Chat Noir's ears perked up, catching the muffled words of his partner.

"You had a crush on me since the day we met?! That's so cute!" Chat Noir exclaimed happily, wrapping his partner in a hug.

"Uggghhhh- we're literally dating, what do you care about small details?!" Ladybug rasped, not wanting to think about how quickly he was losing control of the situation.

"Every detail matter to me, but still it's really sweet to think that you liked me enough to give up that book." Chat Noir remarked, rested his head against him, his tone growing softer while Ladybug frowned in annoyance.

"I didn't do it for you, I did it because it was the right thing to do, also it was to protect the Master and the Miracle box." Ladybug said reasonably, still trying to deny his more irrational feelings that made his head spin.

"Sure sure, but also because you looovvee me." Chat Noir remarked more mischievously, planting a kiss on his boyfriend's cheek.

Ladybug winced slightly at the contact, trying to keep his and aura of professionalism, but it was harder now that Chat Noir could be more openly affectionate. He pulled himself back as they glanced back at the mansion together.

"Last chance to back out of thi-" Ladybug was saying before he started coughing, more harshly than usual. He heaved for breath as he felt his chest start to tighten painfully.

"Last chance for you to ask that before I duct tape your mouth." Chat Noir responded as Ladybug frowned at him before he placed his hand over his partners. "We're in this together. It's you and me against the world."

Even though Ladybug's head started to ache his expression softened at Chat Noir's support, gripping his hand as he started to smile. "As always."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -It's a running joke that every time Marin decides to put his heart on a sleeve he gets the shortest end of any stick ever made. But really no one won. (Also this episode is partly a parallel to the Ladybug Effect but Marin's side.
> 
> -Bunnyx needed to buy time to ensure that Chat Noir's identity wouldn't be uncovered by anyone which she did by essentially kidnapping Marin and using him to save Chat Blanc, not wanting to leave him like that.
> 
> -By all intents and purposes, the Chat Blanc timeline was the true one, because Bunnyx drastically changed it now there's a new timeline which corrected itself by erasing everything that happened after The Ladybug Effect's events.
> 
> -Bunnyx goes from the true future to the present, back to the bad future, then when blanc is defeated and they're back in the burrow she travels back to the Hawkmoth battle before going to the present in the new timeline before disappearing.
> 
> \- Technically this is the Ladybug episode again but mixed together with Chat Blanc for added effect.
> 
> \- Since Hawky is evil, I figure Dark wings rise is the evil version, so Marin says the original phrase because his powers aren't based on monopolizing negativity.
> 
> \- This is technically a part one. Part two will be crowd control over everything that happened.
> 
> \- Actions have consequences. 
> 
> ( Art link for the chapter)
> 
> \- https://the-angst-lord.tumblr.com/post/622928663210541056


	72. Ladybugged out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Basically just a filler chapter

"So let's recap, right. Marin was accused of stealing the answers to the mock exam- Adrikins, are you listening?" Alya asked as Adrien and Nino sat on the staircase before her.

"Yeah...yeah." Adrien rambled with a headache. He'd lost track of Marin after he disappeared before his eyes. He thought that he had looked around everywhere, but there was no trace of him at all. In then he was forced to just go back to school and act like he wasn't losing his mind.

"Charge 1: Apparently the paper with the answers for the exam was found in Marin's schoolbag, from an anonymous tip who no one knows the origin of. Even Miss Bustier says that she found it on her desk this morning. Charge 2: A box that was from The Dupain-Cheng family bakery was found in Marin's locker, one that contained items that were missing from students. Mr. Damocles and the rest of the teachers were informed that items were going missing but no one saw anything. Until Lila thought she saw Marin taking something out of you bag Adrien."

"You think Lila has something to do with this?" Nino asked.

"It's hard to say. You've known Marin the longest, you think he'd do anything like this Nino?" Alya asked.

"No way, if you asked, Marin would be the one to actually help you look for anything that went missing. Plus we all know how much he actually studies." Nino said gently jabbing Adrien in the side with his elbow.

"I totally believe you, but the evidence is stacked against him. Did you get a chance to talk to our boy, Adrien?" Alya asked.

"Kind of, but he didn't say much before running off. Just that he didn't do it, and his mom was probably going to kill him when she found out about this." Adrien recalled, trying to push away the memory of what happened right after.

"Okay well, I tried to check for clues, but I didn't find anything. The lockers were wiped clean, that box only had Adrien's fingerprints, and the note only had Miss Bustier's fingerprints."

"Wait, you just have everyone fingerprint patterns memorized? Are we just accepting this?" Nino asked in surprise.

"No, no. There was only one set on each piece of evidence, luckily Adrien and Miss Bustier are good sports about this kinda stuff." Alya said as Adrien held up his hands now marked with black ink. "And without any leads, it's hard to say who could've done this." Alya sighed.

"...I think Lila might have done this." Adrien said boldly garnering the attention of both of his friends.

"Lila?" Alya and Nino asked in surprise.

"I thought she and Marin were on good terms, what makes you think that she did it?" Nino inquired.

"It's kind of hard to explain, but she's a bad egg." Adrien said. "All I know is she's not above lying, manipulating, and getting other people in trouble to get her way."

"That's a little harsh dude." Nino said. "She seems pretty alright to me."

"Yeah, do you have anything solid you back up what you're accusing her of?" Alya asked.

Adrien hesitated for a moment before taking out his bracelet. "Alya, you were there when we found this in the box right? Along with the rest of the stolen stuff?"

"Yeah, it's where we found my phone charm." Alya said.

" I lost this a while ago," Adrien said pulling out his charm. "which is strange because I'd never go anywhere without it. Then it just pops up all of a sudden in Marin's locker of all places?" Adrien pointed out.

"Well yeah, that and the rest of the stolen stuff," Alya said.

"But here's the thing, this good luck charm was a gift from Marin. He gave it to me months before Lila even joined the class full time."

"So what you're saying is..." Nino said as he started to put the pieces together.

"Why would Marin steal something that originally belonged to him and put it with a bunch of the other stolen items? The only one who could have taken it was Lila, back when she came over to my place to study."

"And you think just because of that Lila is the one who framed him?" Alya asked as she looked more interested as to what Adrien was saying.

"I do think that Marin and Lila had something going on. Whenever we'd hang out he always seemed uncomfortable about when she hung around or I brought her up.

Alya took a deep breath. "Adrien I hate to say it, but that's all circumstantial. We can't go to the Principal with only suspicions.

"Alya-" Adrien tried to argue back, standing up.

"First off, a culprit always leaves clues. If you're so quick to accuse Lila, you might just overlook another potential baddie, or baddies." Alya said.

"Right, but Marin only got suspended because someone clearly set him up. Whoever did this was pretty smart, all they needed to do was leave the note on Miss Bustiers desk and let everyone else arouse suspicion. It's the perfect crime." Nino observed.

"You're not actually saying we take this lying down, are you? Adrien asked, standing up before his friend.

"Of course not dude, but there's no way to tell who did this." Nino said defensively.

All of them simultaneously sighed heavily as they were getting nowhere. But Adrien's attention was caught as he spotted Marin's parents entering the school, walking up towards the principal's office.

Adrien grasped his phone in hand, walking past Alya. "I'm going to try and find Marin.

"Now?" Alya asked. "What about class? The lunch period is almost over."

"You know me, I can't sit still, ever." Adrien said, but just before he was about to walk towards the entrance of the school he turned back towards his friends."Hey, if it was me being accused, how far do you think Marin would take this?"

"Oh, I'm pretty sure he'd fight someone, maybe even yell," Nino said with an air of certainty.

"Yeah, especially if it was our precious Adrikins."

"What do you mean "especially"?" Adrien asked as he started to feel a little embarrassed.

"Dude. Nino said with a knowing expression. "He spoils you to heck. Like, he spoils everyone, but you take it to a whole new level."

"He does not..." Adrien was about to argue, but realized how futile it was too. Now realizing how much he actually relied on his best friend. But then snapped back to reality as he saw both Nino and Alya smiling at him mischievously, clearly up to no good. "Okay bye." Adrien ran up the stairs, intercepting

"Hell Mrs. Cheung."

"Hello Adiren, how are you?" She asked with a smile, holding her hand before her.

"Uh, fine." He said, lying. "I was just wondering if maybe you've seen Marin?" He asked and hoped that his friend wasn't going to be mad at him as he saw Marin's mother's expression turn more fearful.

"Not since this morning, is something wrong?" She asked.

"Well...uh, you see-"

Your song who was almost akumatized disappeared and I have no idea where he is or even if he's alright.

But before he could come up with a legitimate explanation he saw her phone was ringing.

"One-moment dear," Sabine said turning away for a moment. Her conversation was brief but she nodded a few times before speaking.

["Where are you?"]

Adrien overheard Sabine saying, feeling a little guilty that he was eavesdropping. He noticed her narrowing her eyes before taking a deep breath.

[ "Alright dear be home soon, I love you."] She said before turning back towards him with a smile on her face.

"That was just him, poor dear seems like he's gotten himself into a little trouble." She said resting her head on her hand sadly.

"I-is he alright?" Adrien asked, trying not to sound too eager for news.

"I'm sure he is. Don't worry dear, he's just fine, thank you for worrying about him." Sabine said gratefully before entering the principal's office.

Adrien stood there for a moment, replaying that conversation in his head. It sounded like Marin was alright, like he had nothing to worry about, but something still wasn't sitting right with him. He then quickly found an empty classroom and then opened up his shirt so Plagg could play out. His Kwami then hovered before him, not even saying a word as he pouted. His expression softened as he could sense his Kwamis worry. "Don't look at me like that."

" What were you thinking?! Your identity could've been found out!" Plagg yelled at his partner who rubbed the back of his head sheepishly

"That's the thing, I wasn't, Plagg." Adrien said as he clutched his shirt. "But this is weird isn't it? You saw it too didn't you?" Adrien asked almost desperately.

"Sure but you know that kid, always disappearing here and there." Plagg tried to play off but Adrien was still unsettled.

"Marin didn't go home Plagg, and I checked that bridge probably a dozen times, there was no trace of him.

"His mom literally just said that he was fine. Ask him yourself once you see him again, you're just being a worrywart about this. Then after you make sure he's fine buy me some of that Camembert bread for the stress you put on me." He demanded as he crossed his arms.

My best friend disappeared just after he got expelled for something he didn't do, yes I'm worried about him!

Is what he wanted to say, but he knew Plagg was right. Adrien just chuckled to himself, scratching behind Plagg's ear as he watched his Kwami purr at the affection.

* * *

Marin sat in the doctor's office by himself. His injured eye was covered with a large cotton cloth and his arm was in a cast, being held up by a sling. All he really could do was hand his head as he looked down to a pocket watch that he hadn't realized he was holding the entire time.

No thought went through his mind as his eye's dulled, he wasn't even that sure he was actually sitting in a doctors office right now; though that was probably due to the shock from earlier. Marin didn't even lift his head as the door opened. Any words said didn't stick and he just followed the person who grasped his hand, guiding him out of the office.

* * *

Adrien looked out of the window as he was being driven towards his photoshoot. His best friend hadn't left his mind all day. Even though he was reassured over and over again there was still something that just didn't stick with him. " Thank you." He said to Nathalie as he opened the door and walked toward the riverfront.

"Oh, Adriano!" Vincent, the photographer greeted as he walked towards him. "How are you?"

"I'm good. Thanks, Giuseppe." His eyes widened as he recognized the other person sitting in a chair next to his. "Lila?

"Do you know each other? Oh my, your papa's new muse is incredible! She's been all around the world, she knows all the celebrities, and she's Italian, just like me!"

Adrien stared at him for a moment, trying to process what he had just said as they walked towards her. Lila smiled as she turned towards him.

"Hi, Adrien. You're gonna have to give me tons of tips, because I'm not as experienced as you are." She said with a smile, which Adrien returned as there were people around them.

He sat down right next to her. "Would you mind leaving us alone for a second?" Adrien asked to the make-up artists who gave them space just as Adrien's smile fell.

"I warned you once already, Lila, but you didn't listen." Adrien said coldly as Lila turned towards him in surprise at his tone. "You got my friend Kagami akumatized and you framed my best friend, and that's not okay."

"Me? Adrien, I didn't-"

Adrien didn't give her a chance to explain herself as he was already tense. "I don't know how to prove you lied Lila. So you'll just have to come up with another lie, just as convincing. Only this time it's gonna prove Marin's innocent."

Lila glared at him as she turned her head away. "And why would I do that, Adrien?"

"Because we're friends, aren't we?" Adrien asked as he noticed Lila waver at his words.

* * *

"...Master Fu, why did we stop here?" Marin asked aloud as he looked down at the ice cream cone in his hand, both of them were sitting just outside an ice cream parlor. One that Marin recognized as he often visited with Tikki. In his hand, he held a cone of what looked to be pistachio and cream while Master Fu sat next to him with a cup of pistachio for Wayzz.

"For ice cream of course." He responded simply as he looked fondly at Wayzz licking the iced cream in his cup.

"That Master always has his own reasons for doing what he does." Wayzz informed his face covered in ice cream as concern started growing in his eyes. "More importantly, how are you doing?"

"I'm fine." Marin said instinctively. However, he didn't feel like those words would have traction considering the way Wayzz looked up towards him." I just had a bad day that's all." Marin tried to insist but couldn't bring himself to smile as he recalled those cold icy blue eyes staring back at him with no kindness in them. "I'm just tired, and I had an accident, and all I really need is just a good nap to get over it.

Wayzz wasn't phased by Marins' words. "You aren't wearing you-" He was about to say but was then shushed as he glanced up at his partner.

"Don't trouble him Wayzz." Master Fu said, holding his composure. "Go on, try it Marinus." He prompted.

"Isn't there anything you want to ask me?"

Master Fu never wavered as he continued to look down at this Kwami. "You'll tell me when you're ready." He said. "How is the ice cream?" Master Fu asked as he held a cup of pistachio for Wayzz, who was eating it with the small spoon.

Marin bit the bottom of his tongue, ignoring his cut lip before taking a tentative lick of his ice cream. Master Fu hasn't asked any questions ever since he'd asked him to pick him, not even when he drove him to the hospital and he was treated. They just played it off like he was his grandma, which wasn't unusual, but it always felt odd when he referred to his master with little formality.

He wondered what his Master was thinking when he first saw him with a broken arm, an injured eye, a badly bruised neck, and the rest of his body covered in smaller cuts and bruises. His mom already knew about him so that anxiety was relieved, at least until he went home.

As he licked the ice cream Marin couldn't detect the flavor, all he could feel was the cold as he licked his lips. He turned towards his master with a small smile on his face, despite the hollowness he felt in his chest.

"It tastes really good."

* * *

Adrien waited outside of the principals office with his back to the door. He saw Lila walk in there earlier, he tried not garnering any attention but flinched as he heard someone behind him.

"What are you doing?" Chloe asked as stood nearby, crossing her arms.

"Ah-Chloe!" Adrien greeted as he tried to catch his breath. He noticed that Sabrina was nowhere in sight, oddly enough. "What are you doing here?" Adrien asked in surprise, quickly trying to divert the conversation from himself, but she frowned at him.

"It's none of your business Adrikins, I was just going to walk in before I saw you standing here." She said. "What are you waiting for exactly."

Adrien darted his eyes away for a moment, it probably wouldn't hurt to tell her. "Lila had something to do with Marin getting framed, so I asked her to fix it."

" Well obviously." Chloe said as-a-matter-of-fact-like.

Adrien stared at her for a second in disbelief."Why didn't you say anything?!"

"Why didn't you?!" Chloe retorted as the two grew annoyed at each other. She huffed in exasperation before placing a hand on her hip. "Obviously she's bad news, and clearly she's been a nuisance ever since she popped up. She just wants attention, yours specifically."

Adrien felt a pang of guilt. "This is a little strange. Marin's my friend, why would you want to help him out?"

Chloe looked at him in annoyance, crossing her arms and turning her head away. "It's none of your business, I just owe him one that's all. I'm only doing this so we'll be even! "

Adrien looked at her in surprise. The Chloe he knew wouldn't go so far for someone she didn't like, debt aside, but before he could ask a follow-up question both of them heard the door open. They saw Lila leaving the principal's office with her head held high and Mr. Damocles wiping away his tears.

"I did my part." She said simply as she walked past Adrien, fully ignoring Chloe.

"Mr. Damocles!" Adrien called out as he walked up towards the door. " About Marin-" He was about to say but the principal interrupted.

"Lila told me everything, about her rare disease and how she gets confused sometimes. I shall be calling Mr. Dupain-Cheung's parents today to set everything straight and he'll of course be allowed back in the school tomorrow." He said before blowing his nose and closing the door behind him.

Adrien thought for a moment about what the principal said about the rare disease Lila had but pushed those thoughts aside. This was a victory, albeit a messy one, but one nonetheless.

* * *

The next morning, Marin opened his eyes, still wearing his school clothes from yesterday, still clutching the pocket watch in his hand. The night was rough as the pain set sending waves throughout his body. It would take around 3 months for his arm to fully heal; But with his luck it would probably be double that.

He really didn't want to wake up, but he knew all too well once he was up he was up. Climbing down from his bed was more of a challenge as he could only use one arm, even stumbling as he hit his chair. Taking a moment to steady himself he walked over towards the sink, realizing that with his right arm broken he was now deprived of almost all of his daily functions. Brushing his teeth became harder, washing his face was more of a hassle as he tried to avoid his face injuries; however, some soap still managed to sting the cuts on his hands. In the mirror he saw how pale he looked, and even more troubling he saw the bruises around his neck that had now darkened, looking ugly against his pale skin and white shirt. With one hand he buttoned up his shirt all the way to the top, effectively covering up most of the injury but as an extra precaution, he placed his cat hoodie over his head, tying the sleeves around his shoulders so they wouldn't drag by his side.

As he walked downstairs he saw that his parents were at the table- which was extremely offputting as they had never been late opening up the bakery a day in his life. "Why aren't you guys downstairs?" Marin asked looking between them.

"Sit down son, we need to talk." His father said as Marin noticed that his eyes were red and puffy.

"You are no longer expelled from your school." His mother said as Marin sat before them.

He furrowed his brow for a moment, trying to recall what happened yesterday and eventually remembered that he was expelled for apparently stealing. He hadn't even thought about it since he left school.

'However, we both feel it's appropriate to pull you out until further notice.

"Until further notice?" Marin echoed looking between them.

"We've noticed that school has been tiring you out a lot lately, what with all your class assignments and extra-"

"It's fine." Marin said simply, not needed to hear her reasoning justified. " May I be excused?" He asked.

"Of course sweetie." His mother said while they both started to stare at his father starting to weep in his hands. Sabine gestured that he could leave as she started to comfort her husband while Marin snatched the cookie jar, going back up to this room. He closed the hatch behind him, standing alone in his room. Marin wondered to himself, about why he just accepted his mother words. Why he didn't try to argue with her. Had she made this decision a few hours earlier he'd be fighting tooth and nail against her. But now...he was just tired.

His eyes then widened as he looked at himself in the mirror, realizing that he wasn't wearing his Miraculous. He patted down his pockets...nothing. Marin then reached for his blazer lingering for a moment as he saw dried blood on the lapel, it was minimal and only noticeable if you were looking for it. He found the earring in the pocket of the jacket but then realized he couldn't place them in his ears with just one hand available.

Marin closed his eyes, gently grasping the Miraculous in his hands as he sat down at his desk, content with being truly alone for just a little while longer before he had feel the weight of the world on his shoulders once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -This was just a follow up from the previous episode, so the characters can breathe a little.
> 
> -The akuma attack didn't happen because Chat Noir's identity wasn't placed under suspicion.
> 
> -Marin is right-handed, so having his arm broken is going to suck.
> 
> -Basically Adrien saw his friend, disappear after a car drove by, just as Mar was taken by bunnyx so it just looked like he disappeared.
> 
> -This a new timeline but more on that later
> 
> -Ya'll heard of slow burns, get ready for a slow burn of Marin eventually breaking down...and hopefully season 4 will air before then because the season 3 finale for this will be a thing, and I need to know where to end it proper


	73. The Night Before Chrismaster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marin babysits even with a broken arm, nothing wrong with that at all.

"Come on, look at all the nice plushies, don't you want to play with them?" Marin offered as he held his stuff toys before Noel. He'd offered to babysit for Nino so his friends could go to the movies, but soon realized that he was probably out of his element. Usually, Nino was with him to help quell his little brother's more boisterous side, but today he was on his own.

" I hate dolls. I hate toys. They're for babies!" Noel snapped as he kicked his backpack, scattering all of them on the ground.

Marin sighed, "I'm sorry Noel but your mom said no video games."

"I'm not scared of monsters like you. I'm a big boy!" Noel pouted angrily, crossing his arms and turning his head away from Marin.

Silently, Marin promised himself no more watching scary movies at his friends' house. He'd just have to sit alone at home in the dark if he wanted to overcome his newfound fear of possessed ventriloquist puppets. He flinched slightly as he looked down into the chest, seeing a familiar locked box that he had put in there earlier.

"Hey, what's that?"

Marin flinched as he quickly shut the chest, sitting on top of it trying to act casual. "What's what?"

Noel looked up at him in annoyance. "Hey no fair, come on what's that in the box?" His eyes then widened in excitement. "Is it a present for me?!"

"What? No, it's not not a present.." Marin said nervously, his eyes darted around, laying on one of Noel's fallen toys. "Hey, why don't we play with your snow globe?" He tried to offer but saw that it wasn't working on the kid.

"Tell me what's in the box!" Noel demanded.

Marin averted his gaze as he could feel the presence of the white bod in the chest he was sitting on. Even thinking about it made him tremble, almost making him cry if he didn't force himself not to cry in front of a child. Nino's little brother no less.

"I can't tell you, it's a super-secret," Marin said, but that only seemed to prod Noel further. "You wouldn't be interested in these, because gifts are for babies, right? And you're a big kid aren't you?" He said, trying to quell Noel's interest.

"Yeah, so I can keep secrets!" Noel insisted as he stood before Marin eagerly. "Tell me, I promise I won't tell anyone!"

"I can't tell you this secret Noel." Marin said, trying his best to be sincere, but quickly realized that it fell on deaf ears. He wasn't getting out of this unless he gave Noel something to chew on. He looked down at the globe in his hands, tapping the glass with his nail before he got an idea. "Alright. You've found me out, I'm actually one of Santa Claus's secret elves on a secret mission, to keep gifts away from little children like you."

Marin grimaced wondering when did lying become his go-to for simple solutions.

"Hmm," Noel inquired as he stared at Marin in disbelief. "Are you lying? You don't look like an elf. They're supposed to be short and funny looking."

"...That's because those elves live in the north pole, they're Santa's helpers. I'm a special elf, one that looks like a person so no one suspects anything. But I can't say anything else, otherwise, I'll lose my elf license." He lightly teased, hoping that was enough for Noel to stop asking questions.

"Hey wait, that means you can give me my Christmas present early!" Noel said as his eyes lit up much to Marin's chagrin. " I asked for a Grobotech Ultimate Destructor! It's easy, it's gotta be the biggest one in the box!" Noel said as he tried to open the chest but found no luck.

"Now wait a minute, I thought toys were for babies."

"Christmas isn't for babies, Chrismas presents are for everyone!" Noel grunted as he continued to try an open the trunk. "Can't I please have my toy Marin?" Noel asked now changing his tune. He widened his eyes, looking up at him sweetly. But Marin knew the intent behind that fake smile, Manon had trained him well for these kinds of moments.

"Sorry Noel, but Christmas rules are very strict. You don't open gifts early. Santa gives them at Christmas, not at Easter or Halloween. Otherwise, you'd might as well have a bunny or a witch delivering your presents."

Noel pouted, crossing his arms, but looked up to Marin with a little hope. "But, since you know him, you could ask him if I could have my toy? Can't just you call him on the phone or send him an email?"

Marin shook his head. " I can't do that. He's extremely busy all year round, that why he has to hire special elves. Besides, your present isn't here anyway. We elves don't watch over gifts for kids we know, one of the elves must have it. Santa's the only one who would know where to find it because he knows who's getting what. He has a list of good children."

Noel sat down on the ground in a silent tantrum, clearly not liking the answer he received.

"Hey, why don't we go for the park?" Marin suggested kneeling before Noel. "Your big brother's coming by to pick you up soon. Why won't we meet him at the park and I'll get you some nice cotton candy while we wait."

Noel didn't say anything, sitting still as Marin picked up his toys and putting them back into his bag a significantly harder task when using one arm.

* * *

Marin stood awkwardly as he held Noel's hand while they waited in line at the snack vendor. He hadn't said a thing since they left his house, now Noel was pouting and uncharacteristically quiet.

"Next."

Marin turned towards his head towards the vendor and was taken aback as he saw Master Fu wearing a fake mustache and clearly standing on top of a crate behind his stand. Over the past few weeks Master Fu had been jumping from job to job to support his new lifestyle.

"What'll it be sonny?" Master Fu asked in-character, speaking a different accent, he wasn't sure what kind but it had to be an accent of something.

"...One cotton candy please, sir." Marin asked as he watched Master Fu spin cotton candy before him. It was kind of surreal finding Master Fu pop up in random places across town, but oddly enough this wasn't the weirdest place that Marin had come across him.

"What a handsome young lad. Is he your brother sonny?" Master Fu asked playfully, but Noel didn't respond.

"I'm actually watching him for a little while." Marin said to keep up appearances.

"Why the long face young man?" Master Fu asked looking down at Noel who started scrunching up his face in frustration.

"Santa isn't going to give me my present until Christmas!" Noel suddenly yelled out, crossing his arms as a new tantrum was triggered.

"Ha, we've had a day." Marin chuckled nervously as he quickly handed Noel the cotton candy then gently pushed towards him towards a nearby bench. "Why don't you sit while I pay?" Marin suggested, gently pushing Noel towards a nearby bench. Marin forced himself to smile as he watched Noel walk away begrudgingly for a moment before his smile dropped.

"Is it a coincidence that you're here at the park Master Fu?" Marin asked.

"You act as though I need an excuse to check on my favorite student." He said with a carefree smile on his face.

Marin's expression softened as Master Fu rolled more cotton candy. "Thank you, but I'm alright. It's been hard trying to adjust, even more so since I won't be going back to school on Monday..." He said to himself as he recalled that he hadn't told anyone of his friends yet, giving him more anxiety. "But it'll be fine. I can hold my own Master." Marin said, though he was grateful that no Akuma had popped up as of late.

"You do not have to keep doing this to yourself you know." Master Fu remarked, keeping his focus on the cotton candy before him.

"Hm?"

"Pushing yourself as Ladybug always made you stronger, but pushing yourself as Marinus as well will drain you." Master Fu said aloud.

Marin averted his gaze as he clutched the sleeve of his jacket, now loosely hanging over his shoulders so long as his arm was still broken. "I'll tell you about everything when I'm ready Master." He promised, wanting desperately to confide everything he experienced with his master. "I'm just not ready to, not yet."

Master Fu nodded thoughtfully. "I trust in your judgment Marinus, even being the Guardian takes its toll on me. Just know, there is no problem to need to face alone." He said, holding up the saturated, giant cotton candy treat before his student.

Marin was about to take it before he remembered. " Oh right." He said about to take out his wallet out of his messenger bag.

"It's on the house." Master Fu remarked, handing the treat over to him.

Marin nodded his thanks as he walked away from Master Fu, though he felt a little guilty accepting it. In the past few days, he had already lost his appetite. He wasn't even sure what to do with this, but the pit in stomach grew as he saw Noel just sitting on the bench looking at his cotton candy, untouched. Marin took a deep breath as he sat down next to Noel. "You know, there is one exception to the Christmas rule."

Noel lit up as he clutched the snow globe in his hand. "Really? What is it, what is it?"

Internally, Marin screamed at himself not so say anything further, but he couldn't bear to see Noel looking sad. "Santa is allowed to make one exception but only for the best-behaved kid in the whole world."

Noel's eyes widened in anticipation. "Who's the best-behaved kid in the whole world?"

Marin hummed for a moment, keeping the child in suspense as he tried to think of a reasonable answer." Hm, maybe Ladybug?" He said even though he was sure that was far from the truth. Ladybug saved so many people, but it was Swallowtail who saved the person who mattered most to him.

Noel nodded, seeming to concede as he slumped back down on the bench. "Well, seeing as he saved Paris a gazillion times, that makes sense." He said as he took the cotton candy from Marin, taking a bite of the fluffy sweet.

"Marin!" Nino called as he walked over to them. "Did you guys have fun?" Nino asked as he tried to get his brother's attention, but was receiving the silent treatment.

"How was the movie?" Marin asked handing Nino his brother's bag.

"Awesome. Sorry for pushing my little bro on you Marin." Nino said, as Marin noticed him looking at his broken arm.

" Don't worry about it." Marin said with a smile as Nino then looked down at his little brother.

Hm, what's up little dude?" Nino asked crouching before him, then all of a sudden his little brother began to cry out.

"I want it to be Christmas right now!" Noel whined breaking his silence with another tantrum.

Marin exchanged a surprised look with his friends before chuckling nervously. "Ah-ha...we had some rough patches," Marin admitted as Nino picked up Noel in his arms after shouldering his bag. Just as he was about to turn away, he hesitated for a moment before turning back to one of his best friends.

"So hey, can we talk about...this?" Nino asked, gesturing to all of him.

"Ah," Marin chuckled sheepishly, "I got really messed up the other day. That's what I get for forgetting to wear a helmet while biking." He said, lying through his teeth. It was the same lie he told to his parents, something so simple it could happen to anyone. However, if he was ever put up to explaining the ugly bruises on his neck...he'd be in trouble.

"Oh man that sucks dude." Nino said, sighing heavily. "But I'm glad you're alright, everyone was worried about you during that whole expulsion thing. I'm pretty sure that everyone's gonna freak out when they see you again at school." Nino chuckled in amusement, thinking about his friend's reactions.

"...about that." Marin said nervously.

* * *

Adrien thanked his bodyguard as he walked towards the school building with a smile on his face. Despite Marin not going to see the movie with himself, Nino and Alya he was in high spirits, hoping that everything would quickly go back to normal.

Good Morning Nino." Adrien greeted as he walked up to his friend sitting at the staircase, with his face in his hands. He flinches back as he saw Adrien standing over him now curious.

"What's up, forget to study again?"

Adrien chuckled as he sat down next to him.

Nino mirrored his laughter, but more somberly ahis laughter quickly faded. He then sighed heavily, adjusting his baseball cap.

"I'm going to be real here with you for a second here dude." Nino said seriously, surprising Adrien as he had never heard his friend speak in that tone before.

"Okay? Should I sit down?" Adrien joked, but could see how distressed his friend was. "Or ask Marin to get those cookies you love?'

"So...here's the thing about that..." Nino said aloud, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "He's not coming back."

Thre was a brief respite of silence between them.

"...I'm sorry?" Adrien asked while Nino sighed heavily once more.

"Marin's not coming back. Apparently he got into some biking accident or something, and now his parents aren't allowing him to go back to school."

"Wh-what do you mean some accident?" Adrien asked growing more distressed.

"Dude, he's alright he broke his arm and half his face got messed up but other than that he's good." Nino said trying to reassure him. "His parents don't want to take any risks so he's going to be homeschooled until his injuries heal up."

Adrien was at a loss for words.

"Oh, but he did ask you to clean out his locker for him, also to wish you a happy fifth name day, or something," Nino informed patting Adrien's shoulder as he walked into the building.

* * *

Marin's eyes shot open as he gripped his shirt tightly. His entire body was covered in a cold sweat as he sat up, resting his head in his hand as he tried to calm his breath. Somehow he had fallen asleep at his desk as he was using his textbook as a pillow. He only calmed down as he saw his Miraculous Box nearby, placed carefully inside Tikki's yarn basket. But even with that relief, his head hurt all the time, and being stuck in one room was making him more anxious than anything. Looking up towards his skylight he saw that there was still light out despite it growing cloudy. He walked over to his sink, carefully splashing water on his face so as to not irritate his injury. His eye lingering on his ears void of his Miraculous. He hadn't summoned her since that day, partially because earings were hard to put on with one hand. But it would be cruel of him to keep her sealed away like that, not knowing why her partner hadn't summoned her.

But then something caught his eye as Marin thought he saw something white fall from the sky outside his window. "Huh?" He questioned as he climbed up to his deck, lifting up the skylight he saw snow falling from the sky along with flying catfish breathing fire. Marin then looked over the edge of the railing spotting a troop of life-sized plastic army soldiers patrolling the streets. He had been doing this long enough to know where this was going, and his suspicions were only confirmed as he saw a T-Rex running down the street barking orders to a Teddy bear about finding Santa Claus.

Marin took a deep breath as he opened up his Miraculous box, seeing a red ball of light materialize before him, transforming into his previous Kwami. Tikki yawned, as she then stared at her partner for a moment before tearfully hugging him. No words needed to be shared between them for Marin to know what Tikki was thinking as he petted her.

"It wasn't your fault sugarcube." He tried to reassure. "It was just a bad situation." He said, wondering how much she was privy to after his Miraculous was removed. She didn't respond immediately as Marin pulled her back, allowing her to sit on the palm of his hand.

" Tikki, spots on!"

* * *

Ladybug took precautions as he lept through Paris, stopping for a moment before a jumbotron and Nadja looking worried while she reported the news. He stared in disbelief at this entire situation; Paris had turned into a winter wonderland- of sorts-, toys were running amok on the streets, and for some reason, they were looking for Santa Claus.

"Nadja Chamack here, don't be bemused it's just the news. Paris has been literally invaded by giant toys looking for Santa Claus-"

"Major Teddiski here, Santa Claus. All your toys belong to us. If you don't give yourself up real quick, this little city of Paris will go kaboom, lickety-split! Under the order of Christmaster!" A familiar teddy bear announced.

Ladybug narrowed his eyes as he too a moment to look down at his injured arm. As Ladybug his cast had disappeared, he could feel the use of his arm was limiting. said as he was taken off guard by deer flying away from what appeared to be some kind of wreckage...of a giant sleigh. He looked down into an alleyway, seeing a large sleigh

"Yo, you'll never guess what I just found." Chat Noir said though his device, sounding excited. "You there?" He asked, following up as Ladybug didn't respond almost immediately.

"Yeah, just send me location." Ladybug responded promptly before hanging up. He placed his good hand over his heart, feeling it race as soon as he heard Chat Noir's voice. It was too similar to...

"No, they're not the same." Ladybug tried to reason, taking a deep breath before checking Chat Noir's location.

"I smell a wood fire and cinnamon cookies. Santa Claus must be nearby! Soldiers, get in line!"

Ladybug overheard as he peeked out, seeing plastic toys assembling in militaristic groups.

" Follow me this way! Searching for Santa Claus far and wide! Searching for Santa—" The toy soldiers chanted in unison as they made their way towards him.

Ladybug's eyes widened for a moment, looking back at the

* * *

Chat Noir crossed his arms as he stood at the ice rink, looking at the rink over fawn over Santa Claus of all people. His tears twitched as he heard a series of footsteps on the roof, smiling as he recognized the sound. A few seconds later ha saw his partner jumping through the window and towards them.

"You can you believe this? It's Santa!" Chat Noir whispered in excitement as he pulled his partner aside.

Ladybug stared at him for a moment before looking back at Sata Slaus and then returned to staring at his partner, his mind clearly racing.

"What are you thinking?" Chat Noir asked.

"...It's nothing." Ladybug said taking a step back. "We have to move this guy soon. The toys outside already have his scent."

"I'm not surprised." Chat Noir commented as he noticed that Santa smalled like the epitome of Christmas.

" I'm so glad you're alright, we need to get you to safety." Ladybug commented as Santa Claus stood up.

"I have no what happened, one moment I was busy supervising the production of toys for next Christmas with my elves when all of a sudden, bang! I woke up in my sleigh in the Paris sky. Flying catfishes destroyed my sleigh. My reindeer were able to get away, but if it hadn't been for Cat Noir, they would have captured me."

"Isn't this the part where you say, 'Don't you think this whole thing is kind of strange?'" Chat Noir teased, crossing his arms.

"Not really." The hero remarked. "All of this is pretty much par for the course."

Then, there was a sudden blast as the toys from before blasted through the wall.

" My sense of smell has sniffed you out, Santa! Follow me and do not show resistance!" The toy dog demanded.

"Stay back, Santa!" Chat Noir said extending his staff.

"Christmaster demands his gift!"

Christmaster, huh?

Ladybug thought to himself as he narrowed his eyes as he took out his yo-yo, holding it behind his back.

"Christmas gifts must be deserved, and they're only given at Christmas. If you think I'm going to bend the rules, you're barking up the wrong tree." Santa scolded at the toys threatening him, but then the rink owner skated between the two opposing sides.

"Now hold on a minute, there's no use in fighting, that's not the Christmas spirit, now is it?" He offered, piquing the interest of the dog toy. "Would it be such a big deal if you gave the presents early, just this once?"

" Listen to the smart man." The toy said.

" And while we're at it, I asked for Super Blades and I could really use them for my upcoming competition." The rink owner added hopefully.

"I kinda like this idea. I asked for-OW!" Chat Noir quipped as Ladybug flicked his head.

"That's not the way it works."

"Aw, why not?" Bot h Chat Noir and Philippe asked, sincerely disappointed.

"What do you mean why not?" Ladybug quipped, growing more annoyed at this ridiculous situation. "Are you guys children?"

"...I am." Chat Noir said raising his hand causing Ladybug to slap his forehead.

" Christmas rules are very strict. You don't open gifts early. I give them at Christmas, not Easter or Halloween. Otherwise, you might as well have a bunny or a witch delivering your presents."

"But couldn't you…" the Rink owner asked.

"…make an exception?" Chat Noir finished but then grew embarrassed as Ladybug pulled him back, frowning at him as Chat Noir smiled sheepishly.

"Tradition is a tradition if we stop respecting it, then it's the end of Christmas!" Santa lectured as everyone who was eager was

Santa Claus pondered for a moment, as though he were recollecting a thought. "Well, there is one case in which I could make an exception for the best-behaved kid in the whole world.

"The one at the top of your list of good children?" Ladybug asked having a sneaking suspicion.

"Bravo, Ladybug. At last someone who knows the rules of Christmas. But I doubt your Christmaster is the best-behaved kid in the whole world." Santa praised.

" In that case, soldiers, attack!" The toy dog ordered as a barrage of plastic soldiers entered the rink.

Just as Chat Noir was about to step forward he felt himself being pulled back, off of the rink, and towards the sidelines where Santa nad Ladybug were standing.

"What are you-" Chat Noir was about to ask until he saw the enemies all sliding on the ice, unable to keep their footing.

"Ladybug, Cat Noir, protect Santa, I can take care of these toys!" The rink owner said, holding his own as the rest of them ran towards the exit.

* * *

On the streets, Ladybug looked around until he spotted what he was looking for.

"This way." He signaled, turning into an alleyway and he was followed by Santa and Chat Noir.

"Is this where Christmaster is?" Chat Noir half-joked, until he saw the dumpster and instinctively his ears flattened. "Please don't tell me..."

"May I Santa?" Ladybug said as Santa handed over his hat. "Sorry about this sir, but we're going to have to get rid of your smell." He said, tapping the dumpster. However, Santa shook his head in understanding.

"It's smelly work, but if it'll help you two out." He said before lifting himself into the dumpster.

Ladybug then placed Santa's hat on Chat Noir's head, adjusting it slightly so it rested on his head. The plan clicked his mind almost immediately as the cat-themed hero smiled cheekily.

"I assume I'm the star of your plan my lady?"

"The toys already have Santa's scent, I'll need you to draw them away while I get Santa somewhere where Chrismaster would never suspect to look."

"And where's that?" Chat Noir inquired as Santa jumped out of the dumpster, immediately the hero pinched his nose, repulsed by the scent.

"I assume that means the camouflage is working." Ladybug commented, already being aware of Chat Noir's heightened senses.

"This way! I smell Santa Claus's scent!" They overheard Ladybug quickly took Chat Noir's staff off of his belt. He removing the tracking device, placing one on himself and then placing one of the trackers from his yo-yo onto Chat Noir's hat.

"We'll catch up later." Ladybug said as Chat Noir nodded, jumping onto a nearby fire escape before jumping onto the roof.

"There he is! I can smell him. He is not far. Follow me!"

Ladybug signaled Santa not to move behind him as they saw the soldiers rushing by, assumingly going to chase down Chat Noir. He then took out his yo-yo, intending to swing his wag across the city, but then froze for a moment. He flexed the fingers on his injured hand, wincing in pain. Being Ladybug didn't take away from the fact that his arm was still broken. Even so, he looked back towards Santa after hooking his yo-yo onto a rooftop.

"I hope you're not afraid of heights sir." Ladybug said, noticing Santa Claus scoff.

"If I were afraid heights I wouldn't be able to do my job very well now would I?" He responded.

Ladybug started him at a for a moment in confusion before he remembered who he was talking to.

* * *

The two landed before a house nearby, Ladybug saw Nino yelling out onto the streets looking frantic and that fear didn't waver when spotted Ladybug.

"Ladybug! My little bro Noel, he was in his bedroom and then he disappeared! Uh, Santa Claus?" Nino then rasped as he noticed the old man.

" Ho ho, hello, Nino!" Santa Claus greeted with a smile while Nino looked at Ladybug for any kind of explanation.

Ladybug placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Calm down Mr. Lahiffe, I think your brother has been akumatized. Did you notice anything different about his room maybe some toys missing?"

Nino fixed his glasses as he nodded. "Yeah, a bunch of his favorite ones."

Ladybug averted his gaze for a moment as he thought for a moment before glancing at Nino again, "Do you by chance have a pen, paper, wrapping paper, a huge box, and an envelope?"

Nino's eyes darted through Ladybug's requests, reviewing if he actually had that stuff before nodding. "Yeah."

"Great, can you go grab those for me?" Ladybug asked. "I promise it'll help."

Nino nodded with determination as he ran back into his house, returning only a few minutes later with all the items in a large box.

"I never really get where you going with this kinda stuff." Nino remarked as Ladybug took out the pen and paper, using Nino's back as a desk as he quickly scribbled something, then proceeded to place the note in the envelope.

"I hear you can send these year 'round." Ladybug said, handing over the envelope which Santa accepted. "Could have my Christmas present right now, Mr. Claus? Please?"

Santa Claus clicked this tongue. "You know that I can't do that Ladybug"

"Except…" Ladybug prompted as Santa took the hint, taking out his list and scrolling to the top of the list, his eyes then lit up as he laughed heartily.

"Unbelievable! Ladybug, you are the best-behaved kid in the whole world."

"Well, seeing as she saved Paris a gazillion times, it totally makes sense." Nino said proudly, nudging Ladybug's side with his elbow.

Santa Claus opened up the letter, reading it aloud. "Dear Santa, I want the same gift as Chris Lahiffe, whatever it is. Are you sure about this? You know that this is the only gift you'll get this whole year from me."

Ladybug shook his head. "That kind of stuff doesn't matter to me, all I care about is getting Noel home."

"Aww-Dude!" Ladybug then tensed up as Nino hugged him.

"Ah, you really do deserve to be at the top of my list. Merry Christmas, Ladybug." Santa Claus said, handing over a red box with a black ribbon from his bag.

"Thank you Santa, now get to safety. Mr. Lahiffe, I'm going to need you help now." Ladybug said, turning towards him.

* * *

"Mission accomplished Christmaster. We have captured Santa Claus.!" The dog announced as Chat Noir looked towards the small child before them as he was tied up and hanging from a rope within a catfish's mouth.

" He tried to trick us by dressing up as Cat Noir. But he couldn't fool us." One of the soldiers added as Chat Noir chuckled nervously.

" You were tricked! That's Chat Noir dressed up as Santa Claus, not the other way around! You're such babies!" Chrismaster snapped, throwing a building block at the soldier. " Keep searching!" He ordered as the catfish remained.

Chat Noir struggled against the bindings, but they were too tight for him to move, let alone use his claws or cataclysm to free himself. He become more concerned as Chrismaster eyed him mischievously.

"Give your paw, cat, Hawk Moth says he wants your ring. It's a stupid dumb-dumb Christmas gift, but that's his price." He said, but just before he eas about to take the ring, both of then turned to see a large wrapped box behind dropped before them, one that was wrapped in green and yellow wrapping paper.

"A present for you Chrismaster, one from Santa himself." A toy soldier said and almost immediately Chrismaster's eyes lit up.

"It's huge!" He said with a large smile, and in a second he forgot all about Chat Noir, who sighed in relief. He took notice of the snowglobe in Chrismaster's hand, seeing that no matter how excited he was, he wasn't letting go of the toy. Chrismaster shredded the wrapping paper as he opened up the tall box, then his smile faded as he was suddenly grabbed by Ladybug who had jumped out of the gift.

"NO NO!" Chrismaster shouted in frustration as he struggled in the hero's arms.

"The snowglobe!" Chat Noir yelled out just as Chrismaster touched it, his previous frustration quickly turning into a victorious grin as the sky above them opened up, releasing two action figures of Ladybug and Chat Noir that grew in size due to Chrismaster's power.

" Have fun being destroyed dumb-dumbs!" Chrismaster laughed before Ladybug shoved him in the box before evading one of the toy Chat Noir's attacks.

"Ah, a little help please!" Chat Noir yelled out as the toy Ladybug approached him. Ladybug heard his call and threw his yo-yo towards him, cutting him loose of the rope just as Toy Ladybug was about to attack.

"Lucky charm!" Toy Ladybug said robotically as it threw up its faux yo-yo, receiving a spiked mace before attacking Chat Noir. The cat-themed hero dodged its attacks and attacked it back using his staff to disarm his opponent.

"Cataclysm!" Toy Chat Noir exclaimed as it tried to destroy Ladybug. The hero kept jumping back until he felt his back against the wall, and then forced Toy Chat Noir to use his cataclysm on the present behind him.

However, as the two toys were disarmed, they both activated their powers again, this time Toy Ladybug summoned a morning star while Toy Chat Noir reactivated his Cataclysm.

"Playtime never ends for these two." Chat Noir commented as he and Ladybug stood back to back with their enemies slowly closing in. "If I could probably take these two out if I time my cataclysm right."

"Better not." Ladybug said as they both sprinted to avoid Toy Ladybug's attacks. "Chrismaster would probably just summon more to replace them.

" Hahaha my toys are going to destroy you. You guys are such babies!" Chrismaster cheered as he laughed at the two heroes being chased by giant toys.

"I think I might have an idea." Ladybug said as he threw up his yo-yo while they ducked for cover. "Lucky Charm!" he said and from it received a roll of ribbon.

"So hey, what was that earlier?" Chat Noir asked as they ran.

"What was what?"

"Come on, you know, kinda being a killjoy about presents." Chat Noir pointed out.

"You're the one who was being a little kid about it."

"Uh, yeah! It's Santa!"

"So what?"

"SO WHAT?! We got to meet THE Santa Claus, how are you so calm about that?"

"You actually believe in Santa Claus?"

"WHA-We just saw Santa!" Chat Noir pointed out as "What do you mean believe?" Chat Noir then narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

Ladybug wondered if he should remind his partner that everything created from Hawkmoth's Akuma was just a manifestation of the possessed victim's desires. The Santa they interacted with earlier was the same one he made up for Noel's sake, nothing about him was real except for the how everyone believed he was Santa.

They both then split up as the present behind them was destroyed and each toy pursed their namesake respectively.

"Come on partner, don't you remember that feeling when you'd write to him for that one present you really wanted, or you'd wait up for Santa to catch him putting presents under the tree?!" Chat Noir asked as he evaded Toy Chat Noir's swipes.

"Of course not!" Ladybug called back, "I got presents from my parents! Who would write to someone for a gift?!"

"It's the thought that counts! Santa's basically a superhero himself, he and his elves spend all year making gifs and writing lists then one day of the year every kid in the world wakes up happy. What's better than that?"

"I don't know, maybe the idea that someone would just give a gift to someone they hardly know?" Ladybug reasoned.

"You only give gifts to people you really care about, because you want to see them happy!" Chat Noir shot back as he narrowly evaded a cataclysm, kicking back Toy Chat Noir towards Toy Ladybug. The impact sent theme to the ground as Ladybug acted quickly, binding their hands together with his Lucky Charm as best as he could with his injured hand.

"That's not going to hold them for long!" Ladybug called out.

"Do you mean to tell me that you don't believe in Santa?" Chat Noir walked as they both ran towards Chrismaster's throne.

"Ah! No fair, my toys!" Chrismaster cried out as both heroes approached him.

"Playtime's over kid." Chat Noir said as he held his staff in hand.

"No!" Chrismaster snapped but just as he was about to

"Hm, you know someone told me that you didn't even like your globe. I'll make you a deal, how about you trade your snowglobe for one of my toys?" Ladybug asked noticing that Chrismaster was taking notice.

"NO, this is my snowglobe!" Chrismaster shouted as he pressed his snowglobe, activating his power again. Chat Noir nodded towards Ladybug before running interference against the new toy soldiers.

"Nah, you're right, that's Chrismaster's snowglobe, but I talked to your friend Marin, and you what he told me? He said that his friend Noel was a good boy who'd share his toys with anyone." Ladybug said as Chat Noir turned his head towards him. in surprise.

For a moment, Christmaster looked conflicted as he clutched his snowglobe. "He did?"

"Yup," Ladybug nodded as he knelt down before him, "He also told me about that toy you wanted.

"...I wasn't a good friend to him, was I?"

"Probably not, but if you won't mind, would you want to trade this for that snow globe of yours? I promise I'll give it right back."

Christmaster looked between his globe and the box before he trading it for the toy he desperately wanted. Christmaster immediately fell to his knees in excitement, ripping the rest of the paper off and taking out his new robot happily.

Just as Chat Noir was about to smash the globe and release the Akuma but was stopped as Ladybug placed a hand on his shoulder. Ladybug then tilted his head towards Chrismaster who was still playing with his new toy happily.

"Let's give him a few minutes." He requested but then felt embarrassed as Chat Noir smiled at him smugly.

"...What?" Ladybug asked as Chat Noir smiled down at him with a cheeky grin.

"Nothing."

* * *

"Thanks again for looking after the little dude, Marin." Nino said gratefully as they stood in Marin's room. "Are you sure that you can handle him?"

Marin chuckled nervously as he held Noel with his good arm, "It's no problem, at all. Say, uh-"

"I TOLD EVERYONE ABOUT HOW YOU BROKE YOUR ARM." Nino said abruptly,

"What?"

"I'm sorry! I couldn't help it!"

Marin placed Noel on the ground as he walked over to his messenger bag to turn on his phone. As he turned it on his phone started blowing up with notifications.

"Ah..."

"Don't worry about it dude." Marin sighed as he turned his phone back off. "...how did they react?"

"Well, I mean they were all kind of freaked out when I said, but I think they're chill about it now." Nino said, though Marin didn't really belive him.

"When did you tell them?"

"Yesterday."

"..."

Marin stared at his friend, but then sighed heavily as he placed his hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry about it dude. Did anyone clean out my locker yet?"

"No, I don't think so, why?" Nino asked.

"...no reason, I just had something I had to give to Adrien that's all." Marin quickly clarified as Nino then left. The moment the door close, Marin knelt down towards Noel, who was pouting. "Noel, I owe you an apology, I shouldn't have told you that I was one of Santa's elves. But you were acting—"

"Lika a baby, I know." Noel said finished off Marin's sentence then looked up at him apologetically. "My mommy says lying is wrong. So from now on, we'll always tell each other the truth, okay?" He asked holding out his pinky towards him.

Marin was stunned for a moment but then smiled as he returned the gesture. "Alright. As long as you stop trying to act all grown up." He said ruffling his hair.

"Psh." Noel scoffed. "You act all grown up too." He pointed out. "You lied just so I wouldn't find out what was in the chest."

Marin stared at him for a moment before getting embarrassed at how right this kid was. He groaned into his hands, before facing Noel again. "You're right, Noel. I should be honest with you about what's in there." He took a deep breath as he walked over to the chest, taking a deep breath as he opened it. Noel looked on in excitement as Marin took out the white box he had hidden inside.

As he opened it up Chat Noir's words from earlier ringing in his mind.

_You only give gifts to people you really care about, because you want to see them happy_

He recalled as he unlocked the box, revealing a silver pocket watch. As he held it in his hand, he recalled the moment when he came to his senses back at the riverside, with the silver pocket watch in his hand as he turned his head towards it with his back to the ground.

"That's it, just a silly watch?" Noel asked in disappointment, pulling Marin out of his thoughts as he chuckled.

"Yeah...that's all it really was, just a silly watch."He said aloud, sitting with his back to the chest as Noel sat down next to him.

"Ugh, I don't get big kid stuff, can I draw on your cast now?"

Marin chuckled as he ruffled Noel's hair. "Sure bud, it's all yours."

* * *

Adrien slumped down on the bench, chugged down water as just as he was exhausted from an all-day practice. He was so tired he hadn't even bothered changing out of his fencing gear yet, taking a break on a nearby bench. He heard a buzz from his phone, as he took it out he saw a new message from Marin on it. His eyes widened in surprise, no one had heard from him all weekend except for Nino. For a moment his eyes went to the worst possible place, that maybe his best friend would be mad at him, that he would be in worse shape than Nino first told him, or probably something far worse than anything he was thinking of.

He was then snapped out of his thoughts as he saw Kagami standing before him, already having changed out of her uniform. "My mother is waiting outside, do you want a ride back?" Kagami asked holding her fencing bag in hand.

"I...have something to do, I'll catch up to you in a bit." Adrien said with a smile.

Kagami nodded, walking out the door, and as soon as she was gone Adrien opened up the message, feeling his heart face from anticipation

[Marin: Sorry to trouble you. I know you're at school right now. I got some stuff in my locker I needed to give to you so you can just get if now if you want.]

Adrien frowned. He wasn't sure why, but he got an uneasy feeling in his stomach. He looked up at his friend's locker before walking over to it. It was already hard to believe that he wasn't going to see his friend that often anymore. He entered the combination, but just as he opened the door his phone buzzed again.

[Marin: ALSO PLEASE THROW AWAY WHAT'S IN THE WHITE BOX, THEY'RE PROBABLY GONE .]

Inside, Adrien saw two boxes, one large one and one small one, the rest of the locker was empty as Marin always carried his books everywhere with him.

He picked up the smaller box first as Plagg popped out of his gym bag sniffing the air, then dawned a cheeky grin. "I smell something tasty!" He exclaimed flying towards the box which Adrien tried to keep away from him.

"Now Plagg, Marin asked me to toss these away." He said.

"He's not gonna care what happens to it!" Plagg reasoned, successfully knocking the box out of his partner's hands and revealing a box of macaroons. "HA HA!" Plagg laughed triumphantly as he went to town on the cookies. Adrien then sighed heavily as he picked up the other box. As he opened it up he saw a red bomber jacket with ladybug printed spots on it.

Adrien looked over it for a moment as he recognized it as the same one Marin offered to make him months ago.

"PLEGH!"

Adrien heard Plagg grimacing and sighed. "I told you not to eat them."

"It's not that, it's mint and orange! Gross! The baker boy clearly has no taste." Plagg remarked as he flew back into Adrien's gym bag, searching for his precious camembert.

[Dear Adrien,

Happy fifth name day, I didn't wait to give you this jacket on a special day, that would be ridiculous.

Marin]

Adrien laughed at the card as he turned towards the box of macaroons. Looking down at them despite how crummy he felt about being bad friend. he couldn't help but feel extremely fortunate as he popped one of the stale cookies in his mouth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -I was a little sad that the original Nino/Ladybug interaction was overwritten
> 
> -Marin's keeping the cast on for a while so it'll be consistent for a few chapters
> 
> \- Mar doesn't believe in Santa necessarily, he's just very pragmatic. He pretty much just asked for soft toys and DIY equipment for Christmas.
> 
> \- Adrien on the other hand would stay up with his mom but ended up always falling asleep before midnight waiting for him.
> 
> \- Master Fu is a good gramps.
> 
> \- That pocket watch is going to come back, and it's going to be extremely painful when it does
> 
> -So much continuity is going to be happening for the next few chapters.


	74. Ikari Gozen Champloo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marin has to adjust to living his life with more trauma and a broken arm and only half of his vision. Which is especially difficult when he enters a scavenger hunt with Kagami of all people.

Marin sighed heavily, leaning back in his chair as he looked at the pile of schoolwork he had finished all stacked in a pile of papers and textbooks. He then looked at his phone and saw that it was only 6 in the evening."Ughhhhhh." He groaned, spinning in his chair. He was done with being stuck indoors, he was done trying to train himself to be ambidextrous. His arms hurt, his head hurt, all he wanted was his life to return to its normalcy...well, relative normalcy.

"What's wrong?" Tikki asked from her yarn basket with a sandwich cookie in her hands.

"I think I finished everything for the next month." He said turning towards his Kwami. "But now there's nothing else to do."

"Well sure, you're working all day and night. You need to take a break." Tikki pointed out, hovering over his stack of school work.

"How am I supposed to do that?" Marin complained as his dominant arm was broken, severely limiting the number of things he could do besides training his other hand, which always ended up hurting at the end of the day. He couldn't even relax properly relax as every time he tried he would just grow anxious from unrest. 

"You should get out of your room, when was the last time you were outside?" Tikki asked, but before Marin could answer she corrected herself. "That wasn't the result of you going to fight an Akuma or doing chores."She clarified. 

Marin was silenced as he tried to think, but couldn't come up with a proper answer to her question.

"Come on, trust me here, you need to go out and get some exercise. What are you going to do just sitting around here, review your flashcards for the hundredth time?" The Kwami said as Marin rested his head on his desk, looking at the almost illegible paper cards. For a moment he thought about talking to his friends, it had been a few weeks since had done so, but he felt no motivation. For some reason, the thought of talking to them, being near them, scared him.

His mind then flashed to his the akumatized version of the person he loved most, the end of his friend who gave her life to save them, causing tears to well up in his eyes.

_Don't think about it, don't think about it!_

He willed as he pushed away those terrible thoughts. His breathing became hitched as his grief was now replaced with anger towards himself, getting angry at the fact that his own body was turning against him.

"Being stuck in here really is going to make me go crazy." He muttered to himself as Tikki flew over, nuzzling his face to try and comfort her partner. As his Kwami nuzzled him, he checked his phone, seeing that there were many messages from his friends that he didn't have the courage to look at. However, there was also a notification about something called friendships day, which was tomorrow.

Marin read over the message multiple times trying to place where he had heard about it before, and then recalled that he a few of his other friends signed up for it. "Yeesh, that was months ago," Marin said aloud, garnering Tikki's attention.

"Friendship day, a day where best buddies are made through a series of challenges. Enter for a chance to make a bud for life and a fabulous prize." Tikki read aloud as her eyes started to sparkle. "You should go to this! This is the perfect chance for you!" She exclaimed in excitement.

"Chance?" Marin asked, now slightly nervous as to where she was going with this.

"You said that you weren't feeling up to talking to your friends, but how about you go out and socialize with other people?" Tikki suggested. "What's the harm in meeting a stranger, playing a game, and then probably never meeting them again?"

"Probably a few things, a few social things..." Marin said trying to talk his way out of it. "What if I run into my friends during these challenges, it would be so awkward." He said feeling guilty about avoiding them.

"You went through alot. They're your friends, I'm sure they'll understand." Tikki tried to console him, but it didn't work as he clutched his shirt.

"They'll understand the lies I told them?" He said bitterly. "What kind of friend does that make me? Someone that has to cover up an entire other life and still can only pass for only barely function? A friend that apparently couldn't do his only job well enough in another timeline that everyone died in while his best friend suffered?!"

Tikki looked on sadly as Marin turned his head away from her, his tone then turning guilty as he held back his tears, resting his head on his good hand.

"I'm sorry Tikki, I didn't mean to put that all on you."

However, his Kwami hovered before his face, placing herself directly in his sights. "The first step is always the hardest. But you're not going to have to be alone when you decide to take it."

Marin's expression softened as he held Tikki in his hands, resting their foreheads against each other.

* * *

Adrien sat a good distance away from the camera crew setting up for the friendship day even he was part of. He had quickly become a little obsessed with checking his phone, silently hoping that maybe his best friend would text him. However, ever since Nino told them about his accident, Marin had reminded silent with all of them even Alya. She tried to reassure him, saying that Marin probably needed time to process what happened, as he was no longer in school and now had injuries. It was reasonable enough, but it never shook away the feeling of desperately wanting to talk to him. He never realized how much he actually missed talking to his best friend until he was cut off.

"Feeling lonely loverboy?" Plagg teased lightly as he ate a slice of camembert in his pocket. "Why don't you just go visit him?"

Adrien sighed heavily. "I already tried, you know what my schedules like." He had become more busy than usual in preparation for the event, which was a good distraction from his phone, but didn't remove the concern he had. Suddenly as he was scrolling through his messages he saw that there was an incoming message. His heart raced for a moment, hoping, but then the excitement quickly faded as he saw that it was from Kagami.

"Whossat?" Plagg said with a mouth full of cheese, seeing Adrien messing with his device.

"Just Kagami, she says that she's convinced her mother and she'll be participating in the games today." Adrien said as a smile drew on his face, happy for his friend.

"Ehhh, you sure about that? We've met her mom, somehow she's even worse than your dad." Plagg remarked.

"Plagg." Adrien scolded.

"What it's true!" Plagg retorted back.

"Still, you shouldn't say mean things like that."

_Even if he is right._

Adrien thought to himself as he responded to her text, telling her that he hoped that she would have fun with whomever she was paired with.

"Adrien! We're ready to go live!" A producer said as he caught the model's attention.

"Coming!"

* * *

You can participate in the event but make sure to take your medication before leaving and always leave your phone on so we can call you.

Marin's parents had said when he told them about wanting to go outside. Part of him hoped that they would say no and justify his now growing desire to go back to his new den of a room and simply hide from everyone's sight.

But this was fine, this was the push he needed to re-grow his confidence. Walking outside with a broken arm in a sling, a medical eye-patch, a suit with the jacket resting over his shoulders, and shaggy hair. He could only dress himself so much, not even having the ability to place his hairpins on. He was at least grateful that the bruises around his neck had faded, he did not want to explain how he got those to anyone.

Marin took a deep breath as he could smell the salt in the air. "With one turn of a handle, I can raise the level. Which leads me here of all places." Marin re-read aloud as he stood before the location with a frown, hoping that his bad luck wasn't following him around again.

"Canal Saint-Martin?" Tikki asked peaking out of his jacket pocket.

"Yes, my almost namesake, the place where my parents first came across the magic ice cream man." Marin muttered in embarrassment."Hopefully, this isn't a sign-" He said, but then laid his eyes on a familiar face standing before him, looking around. "Uh oh."

"What is it? A supervillain?" Tikki asked as she spotted the same person that Marin did. "Isn't that Kagami?"

"Okay, time to go home." Marin said promptly, clapping his hands together as he turned the other direction.

"Marin!" Tikki called out, "You can't just leave her."

"I can if you let me walk away far enough." He reasoned before then feeling his Kwami pinch him in the side. "Ow!"

"Marin, this isn't fair to Kagami. If you won't be her friend, she won't be able to play."

"It's just a game." Marin pointed out, but Tikki frowned at him in disappointment.

"What's wrong? Don't you want to be friends with her?" Tikki asked.

"Tikki I'm pretty sure she can't stand me, also you don't sprain the wrist of someone who you'd consider to be a possible future friend. Not only that, she's close with Adrien, one of the many last people I'd like to see right now. Anything dumb I do today is going to go right to his ears and then to the entire class."

"Even so, shouldn't you at least try? Maybe she'll surprise you." Tikki suggested as Marin sighed heavily, wondering how he ended up with the sweetest, most right Kwami of the bunch. "Don't worry, I'll be with you the entire time.

"Why are you always so reasonable?" He asked, grinning a little as he felt her peck a kiss on his hand as he petted her head.

Marin took a deep breath, slapping his face with his good hand a few times to shake off the nerves. "Okay, I can do this." Marin said to himself as he walked towards the bridge. He saw Kagami already waiting for him as she appeared to be glaring at him. But knowing her, that could just be how she normally looked. For a moment he wondered if she was surprised by how different he looked, but if she did he couldn't tell.

"Hi Kagami." Marin greeted unconsciously gripping his wrist, but then snapped out of his nerves as he touched his cast. "What were the odds of you and I being paired up? One in ten million at least. Right? So awesome..." He said trying to faux optimism.

"You didn't look too happy about being my secret friend, though. I saw you turn around and walk away just now." She said bluntly as Marin could feel a cold chill go up his spine.

"I-I actually thought I'd, um, gotten the place wrong. I totally hadn't seen you yet." He said forcing a smile as he lied once more through his teeth. Making him all the more grateful as both of them received a notification on their phone.

"Congratulations! You've just located your game partner. And who knows? Maybe even a new friend for life. You've just received the second riddle." The app said and then popped a text.

"To get closer to your goal, you must explore further and deeper. This is ridiculous." He sighed, placing his phone in his back pocket, already walking off the canal, closely followed by Kagami.

"You already figured it out?" She questioned.

"Yeah." Marin said. "Each riddle is customized to the area each pair is stationed in. Meaning that as we have to do is to go further down the banks of the Seine, which is deeper than this canal, meaning the next clue is close by." Marin reasoned.

"That is quite insightful of you." Kagami said, "it's surprising to hear someone like you talk like that."

Marin held back for a moment, as he was put-off by her tone. He didn't know Kagami that well, not even knowing if Adrien talked about him at all to her. But even so, he couldn't shake the feeling that she was being a little condescending to him, but then again she was someone who was extremely hard to get a read on. That part of her kinda reminded him of Luka in a sense.

As the approached the end of the canal Marin heard his phone beep, unlocking the screen to see that Alya had sent him a video message. He looked down at the notification, almost about to press it, but then decided against it as he then jogged to catch up with Kagami who was already at the second challenge location. She was fiddling with something in her hands, squatting down next to a box. Next thing he knew Kagami held the fishing rod towards him.

"...um." Marin was a little taken aback as he saw her eyes dart towards his sling.

"Right." She said, hesitating a little as she tried to cast out, however, the line didn't extend even after multiple attempts.

"You need to pull the latch back to release the line." Marin said, pointing out the latch to her.

"...right." Kagami said as she did as he said, casting out into the river. He then showed her how to real in her catch as she didn't pick up on the lure starting to bob in the water. As she reeled it in, Marin saw she had caught a rusted whistle, which he tossed in a nearby marked box as Kagami cast out again. He had to assumed that the clue had to be marked rather than just be a piece of litter in the river.

"Do you prefer to be called by your whole name, or a nickname?" Kagami asked as while Marin was tossing aside the rubbish she had pulled out her phone for a second.

"Marin is a nickname." He informed. "It's short for Marinus."

"Marinus...like the river?"

"...Yeah, kind of." He sighed as he wondered why there was a rusted pan in the river.

"Thank you... Marin. Uh– Your hair is… very shiny." Kagami said, and then flashed her teeth at him.

Marin wondered what exactly she was trying to imply. His hair was a mess, looking more like a bedhead as his cowlicks weren't pinned down.

_I really need to get a haircut._

He thought to himself as he blew a few strands away from his face. "Thanks, your hair is nice as well."

While Kagami caught another rusted piece of trash, while his back was turned he once again heard a beeping sound and saw her place her phone back into her pocket as he turned towards her.

"What is your blood type?" She said flashing her teeth at him again.

"...Why?" He asked, now growing more anxious. "Is that something you usually ask people?"

Kagami shook her head. "No not at all. Everyone in Japan knows their blood type, it tells you who you are. Mine is O, which means that I'm independent, optimistic, strong-willed and intuitive."

"...Alright-"

"What's your favorite season?" She followed up.

"I don't know all of them?" Marin said instinctively as he started to wonder if he was being interrogated for some nefarious reason. "They all have value."

Kagami nodded as if that was the answer she expected. "You're indecisive, scatterbrained, irresponsible, you have a split personality: typical AB."

For a moment he wondered if he should have defended himself, but he really couldn't disagree with those traits.

"Let's say you found out about some special chocolate ice cream; you really want to try it, but someone else gets there first. Do you, A, steal it from them? B, get another type of chocolate ice cream, even if it's not as good? Or, C, never eat chocolate ice cream ever again?"

"I don't really like ice cream that much." Marin said bitterly. But as he spoke about ice cream, he felt like he was forgetting something. However, he couldn't recall what it was just as Kagami pulled out something shiny from the river. "Is that a rice cooker?" He asked as she opened it, revealing a clue inside.

"Oh, cool now we can move on from this strangely polluted river." Marin said as Kagami quickly looked over the clue.

"Would you like to get some orange juice with me?" She asked as she was seemingly done reading it.

"...Now?"

"After we win." She clarified, but then stood there for a moment. Before he could ask Kagami raised her arm, looking like she was forcing herself to be more chummy against her will. "You've...done a great job with...fishing." She said patting his good shoulder as she flashed her teeth at him again. She then turned away from him abruptly walking in the direction of the next clue.

Marin stood there for a moment, exchanging a glance with Tikki who popped her head out of his bag. "...You thought that was weird too, right?"

"A little bit, yes."

* * *

Adrien took a break from standing as a wax figure off to the side while everyone was preparing for the winner to arrive. He had already wished his friends good-luck as almost all of them were playing. He then saw that he had a text from Kagami, his eyes widening in surprise as he saw what she had to say.

[Kagami: How do I speak to your friend Marin?]

[Adrien: What? What are you talking about? Why?]

[Kagami: We have been paired together for the scavenger hunt. I have been using the app like you suggested, however...I do not seem to be making any progress.]

Adrien had to gather his composure, unable to really comprehend Kagami and Marin having normal interactions together. He cared for both of his friends, but he didn't really see how they would get along as Kagami could tend to come off as passive-aggressive and Marin was more...passive most of the time.

[Adrien: How is he doing? Does he look alright?]

[Kagami: He appears to be injured. But other than that, he has a pale complexion, messy hair and clothes, and his posture could use some improvement.]

[Adrien: ...]

[Adrien: That's how he normally looks.]

[Kagami:...oh.]

Adrien chuckled to himself as he wrote his response.

[Adrien: Marin responds to sincerity if you're yourself around him then he'll probably open himself up more to you. But if that doesn't work just talk about baking, he has literally gone on for hours about the ideal oven you need to properly bake bread in.]

[Kagami: A wood-burning brick oven, obviously.]

Adrien held his tongue as he recalled how offended his best friend had become when he suggested using a cookie sheet and an electric oven to bake sourdough bread. Marin told him that it wasn't a bad thing to ask, but Adrien could recall the disappointment in his tone as he then lectured him on the intricacies of how to properly bake the perfect sourdough bread roll. If he had ever questioned why they were friends, that moment was the peak moment.

* * *

Marin caught his breath as he crashed on the bench. He was more exhausted than usual while they basically ran across almost the entire city looking for clues.

"Trust challenge. Exchange unlocked phones. Separate and take a selfie in front of different monuments using each other's phones. Then regroup and take a selfie together like the true friends you've become. Once we've received the selfies, we'll send you a final text revealing where Adrien Agreste is hiding."

Marin's eyes widened nervously as he hoped he had heard Kagami wrong.

"...Say again?"

"Trust challenge. Exchange unlocked phones-"

"No no, that last part."

"We'll send you a final text revealing where Adrien Agreste is hiding."

Marin gripped the fabric of his pants. "Um...why exactly is Adrien part of his challenge?"

"This game has a major celebrity as the goal every year, this year it's him. I really hope we win."Kagami as she smiled a little, handing him her phone. However, Kagami's patience quickly ran out as Marin was sitting there, stunned. "You really are an indecisive boy. We'll meet back here; we're going away." She said as she switched their phones and ran in the opposite direction.

Marin snapped to attention just as she ran off. "Hold on-aaaand she's gone." Marin grimaced to himself, wondering how he got in this situation to begin with. "Bad things happen when I step outside my room, I understand that now." He said as Tikki popped her head out of his bag.

"What do you want to do?" Tikki asked.

"Isn't this the part where you say that I should be a good friend and go through with the challenge, see Adrien and reconcile after avoiding him and the rest of my friends for weeks?"

"Nope. I said that you doing this challenge was the first step, you've done it now you can decide what you want to do next." Tikki said.

"A-are you sure? What about Kagami?" Marin asked.

"Marin, if you are not comfortable with finishing this and seeing your friend, then it doesn't matter what Kagami thinks." Tikki said sternly. "You should be proud of yourself for everything you've accomplished today. Isn't it great that you went outside and walked around and talked with someone else?"

"Well...yeah," Marin said, feeling a little overwhelmed at Tikki's optimism. He looked down at Kagami's phone and felt a newfound determination. "We've come this far, I don't want to finish this halfway!" He said as Tikki smiled at his proudly.

"Then let's go!"

* * *

In front of the Obélisque de Louxor Kagami took multiple photos of herself, unsatisfied with every other due to the way she was smiling. She had noticed earlier that Marin looked weirded out by her smile, so now she worried that there was no way she would be able to produce a perfect photo. However, as she pressed the button to take the photo she accidentally pressed an accept call as the screen popped up. She didn't have a chance to see who was calling before the call was picked up.

Hesitantly, Kagami held the phone to her ear and heard a woman speaking Mandarin on the other end, uncertain of how to respond she said the first thing to come to mind.

"...This is Marinus Dupain-Cheung's phone, I apologize but I am not fluent in Mandarin."

There was a brief silence before the woman spoke up again.

"This is Marin's mother, are you one of his friends?"

"We are not friends, we are partners for the scavenger hunt. My name is Kagami Tsurugi ma'am." Kagami said bluntly. "I borrowed his phone and he borrowed mine to take photos for the final challenge."

"Oh my, that's nice." She said. "Tell me, how is my son doing if you wouldn't mind? Is he having fun?" She asked sounding extremely concerned for her child.

Kagami wasn't sure how to answer that question. "I am...uncertain. I do not believe that I have been a very attentive partner thus far, however we are working together quite well."

"Don't worry, I'm sure you two are getting along well. If you wouldn't mind, please look after my son, he gets so caught up in what he's going that he forgets to look after his own health sometimes." Kagami recalled when she first saw Marin, with a broken arm and injured face. She didn't say anything because she was certain that he had to be fine, otherwise why else would he be out here. She quickly realized that she had never once asked him how he felt or if he needed any assistance, he just kept up with her pace for the entire day. Adrien once mentioned that Marin wasn't very athletic so it must have been extremely hard for him running around the city.

"I shall, you have my word," Kagami said with new resolve as the call ended. She took a deep breath trying to smile more sincerely, trying to think about if she, Marin, and Adrien became friends. She wondered what they would do together, perhaps watch movies or practice fight. She then silently promised herself from that point, even if she couldn't be a friend, she would at least be a good partner.

* * *

"Ugghh, I'm not built for this kind of thing."Marin groaned, resting his back against a tree after getting his photo.

"Are you alright?" Tikki asked looking up at him in worry.

"I'm alright sugarcube, I just need to do this one more thing, and then I can win the bed."

"Bet."

"Hm?"

"Bet. You said bed."

"Ah." Marin said as she smiled sheepishly, "guess I'm more tired than I thought." He closed his eyes for a moment, taking in the sounds of the park and the wind until suddenly Kagami's phone ran. "WAh!" Marin snapped, accidentally pressing the answer button as he scrambled not to let the device fall.

"Kagami, where are you? You were supposed to wait for me at home!"

Marin immediately panicked hearing Kagami's mother on the other end. "Uhh– Hello ma'am, I'm not Kagami, actually-"

"Who are you?! Where's my daughter?!" Tomoe demanded.

"I'm uh- I'm a friend of Kagami's-"

"Kagami doesn't have any friends. Why do you have her phone?!"

Marin tried not to let his voice crack but Tomoe was incredibly frightening when she was mad. "Because she took my phone in this game we're both playing, I can assure you that she's-"

"A game?!"

"A game? Did I say game? Oh no, I meant a grab… to grab–"

"Stop fooling around, young man, and put my daughter through. I can assure you she will not ugh-"

Marin grew worried as he heard Tomoe abruptly stop talking. "Ma'am? Hello?" He stood up, using the tree to help steady himself. His eyes widened as heard the elder woman's dulled voice.

"-With pleasure, Hawkmoth."

Marin immediately shut off the call, staring at the phone for a moment. "This is fine." He said as Tikki popped her head out of his messenger bag.

"You need to save Kagami's mom!" She said.

"I know I know, but I need to make sure Kagami's safe first." Marin said. He furiously paced back and forth, trying to think and then lifted his head in realization, running in a random direction and dialing at the same time.

"Marin?" Kagami asked on the other end of the line, taking on his phone.

"Kagami!" Marin said in relief as she sounded okay. "Does your mother have a tracker on your phone?"

"Wha- yeah probably, why?"

"Because your mom has been Akumatized and she's after you but if there's a tracker on your phone, chances are that she's going to come after me first. So sorry in advance if anything bad happens to your phone!" Marin said as fast as he could before cutting off the call.

"What's your plan?" Tikki asked.

"Run away, as fast as I-" Marin said but then tripped as he felt the ground shake from under him. He tripped over his own feet for a moment writhing in pain as he fell on his broken arm. As he tried to pick himself up, he looked back to see a giant red pointy centaur furiously rushing toward him yelling aloud Kagami's name.

"Marin!"

He turned his head to see Kagami was standing a few yards away tensing up to run towards him.

"Kagami! Run!" He immediately yelled back. He saw her hesitate for a moment, but then saw her hide as he was grabbed by her mother, now akumatized.

"Where is my daughter?!" She demanded screaming in fury as he tried not to struggle, already in a lot of pain. However, he glared back at her.

"You'll never find her without her tracker, she's hidden too well!" He shouted, hoping that she had heard however that only made the villain angrier. However, she was then hit by a flash of black, breaking her grip on him.

"Chat Noir!" Marin exclaimed in surprise as his partner jumped far from the Akumatized villain, placing him down behind some trees.

"I see you've made a new friend today, my prince-" Chat Noir was about to joke, but then immediately became concerned as he saw his best friend grasping his arm in pain.

"Fine, fine. Just- really not a fan of having a broken arm." Marin said, trying to smile as his breathing became hitched.

For once, Chat Noir felt helpless as he could see the condition his friend was in but snapped out of it as his ears flicked, hearing someone approaching. He grabbed his staff in hand but lowered his guard as he saw Kagami sprinted towards them, now kneeling by Marin's side.

"Kagami are you-" Marin was about to asked just as Kagami hugged him, much to his and Chat Noir's surprise.

"I'll take care of him, you focus on taking out my mother." Kagami said.

"Your mother?!" Chat Noir exclaimed.

Kagami nodded. "I didn't ask her permission to come out here today, and now it's my fault she's akumatized and you were harmed," Kagami said looking at Marin apologetically.

"That's not on you Kagami." Marin said trying to reassure her, but their moment was interrupted as the ground started to shake again.

"Okay okay, this is a very touching moment but you two need to get out of here fast. I'll hold her off." Chat Noir ordered before running onto the battlefield.

"Come on." Kagami said as she took his hand. The two ran towards the main street where Kagami tried to flag down a taxi. However, both of them stumbled as the ground started to shake once more. Both of them grasped each other to steady themselves as the akumatized villain landed near them.

"You'll never defeat me. I'm Ikari Gozen. As elusive as the wind, as powerful as the flood, and as swift as lightning!" She proclaimed as she reached down to grab her daughter.

"Kaga-" Marin cried out just as she pushed him away just as her mother grabbed her, imprisoning her by swallowing her.

Marin's heart started to race in terror as the image of the rabbit themed hero flashed in his mind, mouthing the words he couldn't recall, no matter how much he tried. He clutched his shirt, trying to steady his heart, but it wasn't that easy. However, he forced himself to stand, no matter how much his body was screaming at him to curl up an cry.

He didn't have that option, to waste time feeling sorry for himself, he had to push forward.

* * *

Marin was gasping for air as he limped into the movie theatre, "Pop...corn..." He wheezed, holding a ticket for a movie in his hand as half of his body was lying on the snack counter.

"Excellent choice, Marinus, would you like butter on that?" Master Fu asked as he poped up behind it. 

"N-one sec." Marin said, lifting himself up and then jumped over the counter. "No thank you. No time for pleasantries, I need to help out a friend, fast."

Master Fu nodded, taking the Miraculous box out of a cooler and opening it before him. "Marinus Dupain-Cheng. Pick an ally you can trust right alongside you on this mission. Choose wisely; such powers are meant to serve the greater good."

Marin narrowed his eyes as his hand hovered before the Miraculous Box. For a moment he shut his eyes as he instinctively picked up the Dragon Miraculous.

"The Dragon Miraculous, one of the most powerful. Do you believe you have found an ally disciplined enough to control its power?"

"I do Master." Marin said placing the Miraculous into his messenger bag. "But now we don't have a moment to waste, Tikki spots on!"

* * *

Chat Noir was thrown into the air as Ikari Gozen destroyed the fountain he was standing on, landing on the road behind him as the debris flew in the air. "As elusive as the wind, as powerful as the flood, as swift as lightning; sound's like you're just describing me and my lovely partner." He mocked as Ikari Gozen grew angrier. As Chat Noir prepared for another one of her attacks, about to use his power, he felt something wrap around his waist, pulling him forward while Ikari Gozen past him.

The next thing he knew, he had fallen into his partner's arms as they hid behind the wall of a nearby staircase within the plaza.

"You okay?" Ladybug asked he placed Chat Noir down.

"Of course, I can handle an akumatized villain on my own once in a while." Chat Noir said, praising himself but then turned more serious. "That thing has Kagami in her stomach, how should I take out Ikari Gozen?" Chat Noir asked as he flexed his claws.

"The akuma is in her weapon, but getting too close to it without weakening her won't end well for either of us." Ladybug explained as he threw up his yo-yo. "Lucky Charm!" He exclaimed and in his hand fell a box.

"Bath bombs?" Chat Noir asked as Ladybug opened the box. "Are we going to relax her out of submission with a spa day?" He joked as he saw the gears turning in his partner's head.

"Not us per say." Ladybug hinted. "How's your aim while swinging held up?"

"Still as accurate as you need it to be my Lady." Chat Noir remarked, holding his staff like a bat. The two split up, Chat Noir acting as a distraction while Ladybug gathered what he needed. Taking apart the travel crate off the back of a motorcycle and placing his lucky charm inside. For a moment he hesitated putting the little dragon Kwami in this situation so abruptly, however, he took a deep breath allowing his fears and concerns to melt away, at least for the time being. He kissed the box for luck, the same charm his mother taught him as he placed the Miraculous within the crate.

"Chat Noir! Batter up!" Ladybug warned as he saw Chat Noir's ears twitch.

"Ready!" He called out just as Ikari Gozen sent him flying. Ladybug still threw the box, watching as Chat Noir hit it while still in the air, striking it directly into Ikari Gozen's mouth and into her stomach. "YES!" Chat Noir cheered as he landed on his feet a few yards away from his partner. However, Ikari Gozen wasn't as happy as the cat-themed hero, so much so that her attacks started to become more frequent, more unhinged.

The two heroes could only evade the villains' attacks, ending up hiding together behind a van, catching their breath.

"So...when exactly is your plan going to work?" Chat Noir asked, noticing that Ladybug had a look of worry on his face, an expression he had seen before. "...You didn't. My Lady please do not tell me you have the Miraculous to the girl who has mother issues and a temper."

Ladybug's face reddened as knew the tone that Chat Noir was giving."I didn't really have a choice!"

"Bugaboo. Light of my life, wind in my sails, please tell me you did not give a Miraculous to-" Chat Noir was about to say as the van they were hiding behind was sliced in twain. However, just as the villain was prepared to strike them again, steam was released from her, materializing into a new superhero who stood atop the fountain ready for battle.

"See mother?! I can be as elusive as the wind!"

Ladybug could feel Chat Noir's quips as his partner glared at him. The new hero jumped before them as she blocked another one of her mother's attacks. "Thank you for the Miraculous, Ladybug. Nice to meet you, Cat Noir. I am Ryuko."

"What are you doing? This wasn't the plan!" Ladybug exclaimed, now frazzled.

"What plan?" Ryuko asked, which was the last thing he wanted to hear as the new hero disappeared again while Chat Noir tackled his partner, avoiding another attack.

"...So this may be a problem-" Ladybug said aloud, averting his gaze while Chat Noir looked at him, dumbfounded.

"Ya' think?!"

Just as Ikari Gozen attacked them again. Ryuko disappeared in an instant, deflecting her mother's attack while protecting them. But it was very clear what her intentions were as she furiously slashed at the villain.

"Kagami! You've disobeyed me yet again! And this time with the complicity of these so-called heroes. You are all going to pay!" Ikari Gozen remarked as she attacked her daughter without rest.

"Cover me!" Ladybug said as Chat Noir took on Ikari Gozen, evading her attacked with some aid with his heightened swiftness while Ladybug pulled Ryuko aside.

"Ryuko, did Long not have time to tell you about the plan?" Ladybug asked, grasping her arm, however, she pulled it away stubbornly.

"No. Just stay behind with Chat Noir. This is a personal matter between a mother and a daughter." She said, but as she was about to step back into battle Ladybug stood in her way.

"Kagami, this doesn't just involve you-"

"Yes, it does!"

"Ah, a little help here?!" Both of them turned to see Chat Noir being swallowed by the villain after his staff was knocked aside.

Ladybug eyed his staff but then saw how disheartened Ryuko looked and pulled her out of sight from Ikari Gozen, buying them a few seconds.

"Kagami, talk to me." Ladybug asked as he placed both of his hands on her shoulders. "Why are you so insistent on fighting your mother alone?"

Kagami turned her head away as tears started to well up in her eyes. "Because...I behaved hastily. I disobeyed my mother to play a game just for my own enjoyment, and I broke my promise to my partner's mother that I would look out for him. But because of my earlier actions, I got him and now Chat Noir in trouble. I just can't do anything right!" She said, her voice breaking as she started to cry.

Ladybug's expression softened with sympathy as he lifted her head, garnering her attention. "Kagami, it's okay. We all make mistakes, it's natural, the only time a mistake truly weaken us is when we allow it to control every part of ourselves. I chose you because I know that you have the drive to do what is right. But we must work together as a team. Can you trust me on this?"

Ryuko nodded, wiping away her tears as her expression was more determined.

* * *

Chat Noir struggled against the seat belts that bound him to the car seat, and kept him from using his cataclysm.

"I thought these things were supposed to save lives!" He yelled in frustration, just as someone else fell next to him. Ryuko was also bound by the seatbelts as she fell into the stomach of Ikari Gozen, looking at him with an expression of firm resolve.

"Good evening. How are you?" Chat Noir asked, making small talk.

"Hold your breath, then aim for her weapon," Ryuko informed, immediately shifting to her form to that of water, filling up the stomach of the villain. As she did so, the bath bombs were activated, expanding and bubblings quickly, causing Ikari Gozen to start gagging due to the added pressure, spitting him out. Chat Noir acted quickly, swiping his claws against the villain's weapon, effectively destroying it with a kick as the akuma was released.

"No more mischief from you little Akuma. Time to purify!" He said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion. Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. "Bye-bye, little butterfly. Miraculous Ladybug!" Ladybug said throwing up his lucky charm, returning everything back to normal.

Tomoe turned back to normal as she reached around for her walking cane. "What's happened to me? Where is Kagami?" She asked as Ryuko helped her to her feet.

"Your daughter is safe ma'am. She'll be here soon." The hero said, guiding her off the street, and then turned back towards the two heroes who were waiting for her. Ryuko smiled as all three of them bumped fists just as Ladybug's miraculous started to beep.

"That's our cue, come on." Ladybug said, tapping her on the shoulder while waving his good-bye to Chat Noir while smiled at his partner fondly.

* * *

"Longg, open sky!" Kagami said as she detranformed. Ladybug caught the dragon Kwami in his hands, smiling reassuringly at her as she then disappeared when Kagami removed her Miraculous.

"I need to tell you that I won't be able to give you this Miraculous again." Ladybug said as he pocketed the Miraculous into his yo-yo. Kagami was dishearted but bowed her head respectfully to him.

"I know, I failed you." However, Ladybug grasped her hands as he shook his head.

"It's just the opposite. You learned fast, you're disciplined, and your skill with a weapon is almost unmatchable. However, now that Hawkmoth knows who you are your friends and family will be placed in fanger."

Kagami averted her gaze. "I don't really have any friends..."

"It's not important to have lots of friends. What matters is that the ones you keep close are true to you." Ladybug advised as he used his yo-yo to jump away, leaving Kagami with a genuine smile on her face.

* * *

Nearby the park, Kagami had her arms placed before her as she face her mother who sat in their car. "I'm sorry I wasn't truthful with you, mother. But, I really wanted to try and make a friend." She said sincerely, waiting for her mother to reprimand her.

"You already have Adrien." Her mother said.

"It's not the same." Kagami said. "I hardly get to see him and whenever we are together, we do the same things I do every day. I want to befriend someone who isn't like me, someone who I can learn new things from than someone who can simply help me train." Her grip tightened as she saw her mother sigh.

" I understand that you want to make friends, but friendships can prove disappointing sometimes." Tomoe said sincerely, but also could feel how much her daughter wanted this."Be home in time for dinner."

Kagami bowed her head out of respect for her mother, waiting until she had driven off to lift her head. A new feeling sparked within her, excitement as she texted Marin and sprinted off to meet him.

* * *

"So. This is where we're supposed to win." Marin said to himself, as he walked within the wax museum, feeling creeped out by all of the eerily realistic statues that surrounded him.

"There's so lifelike," Tikki commented as she peeked out of his messenger bag. They were supposed to meet Kagami here to finish off the challenges but then Marin was startled as he ran into something while looking down at the phone in his hands.

"Sorry-" He said reflexively but then froze for a moment as he saw Adrien.

Or...something that looked exactly like him.

He tried to calm his racing heart, looking up and down at the wax figure before him. "Huh, this is scarily similar to..."

"Marin."

"WAH!" Marin flinched back, unintentionally, knocking into the statue and making it fall over. Both he and Kagami stared at the statue of their shared friend, now partially broken as his arm was cleanly broken off. "...I broke Adrien." He said, looking down at the broken wax figure and trying not to panic as he had no idea what exactly this was going to cost him. He was uncertain of what to do, so instead Kagami stepped up, picking up the arm.

"No one would know it was you if we just leave now."

"Wha- isn't' that dishonest? Also, if we leave right now then you won't win." He said, recalling how happy she was when she mentioned him earlier.

"Yes." Kagami nodded. "However, I can see that a friend is in trouble, so I'm lending you my aid."

"And your solution is to run away?"

"Yes." Kagami nodded. "If you want to, that is. We could just stay and explain how this broke, or we could run and get orange juice together." She offered, holding up the arm.

Marin didn't hesitate as he overheard the sounds of people nearby. "Let's go."

Kagami grabbed his hand as they raced out of the museum, unable to hold back her laughter as her face turned extremely red with shame, as now they were partners-in-crime. 

* * *

For the rest of the day, they walked around together, chatting until they ended up at a nearby cafe.

"I was wrong about you, Marin. I'm glad this game randomly put us together. Now I understand why Adrien considers you a good friend." Kagami said as she gripped the glass of orange juice.

Marin felt a pang of guilt as he avoided talking to his friends once more. "...I'm not, as good a friend as you may think. The truth is, I didn't even want to come out today because I thought I would run into someone I knew, and the thought of having to explain myself, explain why I haven't been responding to their messages when they've always looked out for me...I don't know, make me feel like I'm a crummy person."

"I wouldn't know anything about that." Kagami said bluntly. "I've never had friends. However, you're feeling that guilty over how your friends are feeling, then it just means you care about them, and if they really care about you then they probably won't ask you what happened they'll just want to see you."

Marin looked at her in surprise. "That's actually really comforting to hear, thanks, no wonder you and Adrien get along so well."

"Indeed, however- I am not a fan of how he always smells like Camembert," Kagami admitted while Marin couldn't help but laugh.

"What? But Camembert smells and tastes really nice."

"Then you're just as loopy as he is." Kagami chuckled as the two spent the entire rest of the evening simply talking and enjoying themselves.

* * *

Marin fell against his bed, laying on his back as he could feel the day's exhaustion course through his entire body. Despite the akuma, he had today, the most fun he had in a long time. As he was laying down, gathering his thoughts, he reached for his phone, sitting up from his bed and resting his back against the wall. While he felt the illusion of confidence, he picked up his phone, feeling some hesitation but tapped his messages. He was then immediately flooded with over a hundred texts and missed calls.

A part of him could help but feel a little happy at the attention, trying to ignore his previous less than-chummy behavior with them. As he read over all of the messages one by one, he then recalled what he was trying to remember earlier.

"Oh crap, I forgot about Luka!" Marin said to himself as he remembered the promise they made that day to get ice cream after...

He clutched his phone in hand, remembering that he was planning to confess that day. It was hard to comprehend that there was a time where he was so confident, not as Ladybug, but as himself. With the way he was now, he was in no shape to share his feelings with anyone, much less having to accept the terrifying thought of an answer. However, as much as he wanted to put his phone away and go to sleep, he instead, reflexively pressed the call button.

He didn't want to take a step back, he didn't want to continue feeling sorry for himself, all he wanted was to go back to the way things used to be. Marin took a deep breath as he held his phone to his ear, hearing the ringtone of the other end, waiting for a voice on the other end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tikki is a good Kwami


	75. Startrain to The Cosmos

"Calm your mind, breath in and out focusing only on your breath." Master Fu instructed, sitting before him. The two were meditating together in the early hours of the morning after having trained together.

Marin followed his direction, feeling him mind calm. His mind was clear of any tension or anxiety that had accumulated in the past few weeks after his...incident. His arm no longer had to be in a sling and he was healing up well, physically. However, his mind often wandered back to that day, so many times it was torture to even fall asleep. But these sessions with his Master had been helping him feel better, even if he couldn't properly talk about what happened to him yet.

Marin opened his eyes as he heard the sound of Master Fu gently hitting his gong, signaling the end of their session.

"Sor-"

Master Fu tsked his tongue at his student.

"I mean- Thank you, for your help Master." Marin said, bowing his head respectfully. Though he still felt a pang of guilt, averting his gaze as Master Fu poured him tea while Wayzz and Tikki sat near the Miracle box.

"Marin, don't forget to mention the school field trip." Tikki reminded.

Marin shushed his Kwami. "Tikki!- It's not like I'll be able to go anyway."

"What field trip?" Master Fu asked causing Marin to sigh heavily.

"It's nothing Master." He saving waving his hands trying to avoid the topic. "My class is taking the train to London tomorrow to see Big Ben. I already paid the fee months ago so I'm still allowed to go since I'm still technically part of the class..." Marin said averting gaze as he nuzzled Tikki's face with his finger. "But if Hawkmoth creates a supervillain while I'm away, Chat Noir won't be able to capture the Akuma on his own, which means I have to stay. It's alright though, I'm too exhausted to go anyway."

Master Fu stroked his beard a few times before standing up. "The Horse Miraculous can be used to teleport back to Paris in the event of an Akuma situation."

"Kaalki ?" Marin asked as his master handed him the Miraculous box along with a letter. "What's this?"

"There is a favor I must ask of you Please deliver this to Miss Lenoir in London, if you have the time of course." Master Fu requested.

"...I'll certainly try, but what is this exactly Master? If you don't mind me asking that is." Marin asked as he noticed that there were no addresses or stamps on the letter.

"It is a simple letter to my dear friend-"

"A love letter?" Marin then asked, his face lighting up as both Tikki and Wayzz shared his glee, while Master Fu grimaced at them.

"It is nothing like that-" Master Fu tried to say but then he was interrupted by the two Kwami's hovering before him.

"Master do you have a crush?" Tikki asked already knowing the answer.

"We'll support you!" Wayzz as all three of them then laughed seeing their Master's expression.

Fu took a deep breath, regaining his composure as he sat before Marin, holding a tea cup in his hand. "It is simply a letter that I would like you to give to Marianne. I will send you the address over your phone and I ask that you personally hand it to her."

"Alright, is everything okay?" Marin asked, taking note of Master Fu's serious aura surrounding him. His master nodded, taking a sip of tea. "There is nothing to worry about it's.

"Ladybug definitely deserves a bit of fun, just like all young people his age."

"Thank you Master. I'll bring you and Wayzz back a souvenir!" Marin said with a smile on his face as he left.

* * *

"See you tonight!" Adrien said, waving towards his bodyguard driving away. As soon as he was out of sight Adrien sprinted off towards the train station. "Hawkmoth already struck last night, so there's no chance there'll be another Akumatization today.

"A day of vacation, finally! Far from Paris and those annoying Akumas. Good idea, Adrien." Plagg said poking his head out of Adiren's bag.

He had been planning around his particular day for a while now, everything was set, all he had to do was reach the Startrain and he'd be home free. The last thing he packed was the Ladybug jacket that Marin has gifted him just before he zipped it up for good luck. He doubted that he would need it but felt like taking it along. Then Adrien took his phone out of his back pocket and scrolled through his texts spotting the name 'Félix' and then clicking on the icon.

[Adrien: The plan is going well so far, let's meet up at Big Ben around lunch, that's when my class is going to be there.]

He texted but then frowned as he saw that Félix saw the message but didn't respond.

[Adrien: Hope you and Auntie are doing alright, see you soon.]

Adrien added before clicking out of the messaging app. His father had prevented him from going to his uncle's funeral, but there was no possible way he could prevent him from seeing Félix now. Just before he put his phone away he hesitated for a moment. He glanced at the bakery across the street then towards the upper floors where Marin's room was. He wondered if his friend was coming on the trip as well. He hoped so, he missed talking to his best friend face to face.

Marin had text him a few times the past few days, but they couldn't get a conversation going. So instead, Adrien sent a text just before he walked down into the train station.

[Adrikins: Found a loophole to get on the class trip today, here's hoping that we can sit next to each other.]

As Adrien typed out his text, his heart swelled with giddiness at the anticipation of the trip. Sure he'd have to sneak away to meet up with Félix, but at least they'd have the train there and back together. But then he frowned again seeing that Marin wasn't responding as usual. The day was turning out to be a little strange with the lack of communication, but perhaps that was all just a coincidence.

* * *

After getting off from his stop, Adrien ran the rest of the way to the train station with a smile on his face. He spotted Nino first, who was stepping off of the bus.

"Adrien, whoa! What are you doing here?" He asked with a happy smile on his face.

" I'm tired of my father keeping me from going on school field trips...so I may have snuck away." He said with a mischievous glint in his eye as Nino wrapped an arm around his shoulder.

"You're disobeying him?"

"Not really, because as far as he knows, I'm with my class today. Which I technically am." Adrien said as Nino ruffled his hair affectionately.

"That's my guy- a true criminal in the making." Nino laughed in amusement as they walked to the train station together.

Adrien's eyes darted at Nino, wondering if he would know. "...Oh hey- Is Marin coming on the trip with us?"

"I don't know." Nino said shrugging his shoulders.

"...Does anyone know?" Adrien asked.

"Well, maybe Miss Bustier."

"There isn't a high chance that he'll be on this trip." Max said, cutting into the conversation with Alya as the two carpooled together.

"So there's no chance he'll be able to make it?" Adrien asked as he stood in the aisle next to Alya's seat with Max sitting right behind her.

"Sorry Adrikins, I didn't get any reply from him that he would be coming with us." Alya said apologetically as Adrien grew sullen.

"There's a 99.9999% chance that Marin won't make an appearance on this trip." Max said adjusting his glasses, but then looked taken aback as Alya, Nino, and Adrien all stared at him in dumbfounded expressions. "You asked if there's no chance, I'm saying that there's a 0.0001% chance that he may show up."

Alya sighed at her classmate's explanation while they all stepped onto the train together.

"He's right though. If Mrs. Cheung won't let him come then there's no chance of escape." Nino said.

"Is she that strict?" Alya inquired curiously. She and Max hung around Adrien and Nino's seats as the two sat down.

"Well, you can't really blame her wanting to keep her only kid safe, he got pretty messed up after all." Nino said. "But it looks way worse than it actually is, and he seemed alright the last time I saw him."

"I'm a kid, and my dad is super overprotective." Adrien pointed out.

"Sure, but Marin's parents actually have a reason for wanting to keep him at home. Marin even said that he was sure his parents would homeschool him first chance they got and look what happened." Nino pointed out.

Adrien almost shuddered at the thought of his father actually listening to reason once in a while. Sure it happened, but he never actually expected it to happen. After all, it was always easier to ask for forgiveness than ask permission. "I've been homeschooled for almost all my life, trust me; it can get to you after a while."

"Yeah, but it has to help when you've got the best room in the world." Nino chided playfully as he rested his arm on Adrien's shoulder who rolled his eyes in amusement at his best friend.

"Please take your seats, the train will be departing soon." The announcer said over the speakers. Adrien sat down next to Nino as the train started to leave the station, placing his under the seat in front of them. He then pulled out his frown, feeling a little down as he didn't receive any new messages.

Adrien looked down at his phone again, hoping that he would receive at least one message, either from his cousin or his best friend, but there was nothing.

"Nah, but you know him, he's probably dead asleep by now." Ninos said taking out a deck of cards. "Uno?" He asked.

Adrien stared at his phone for a moment, noticing that Marin read the message but even after a few hours still hadn't texted him back. He had already seen how ill his not-friend could get, he just hoped that it wasn't anything that serious. He texted a message first before turning to Nino with a smile on his face, "Sure."

* * *

Marin kept chanting 'I am so screwed', in his head over and over again as he sprinted for his life. He had overslept, his parents made him carry too much food for his own good, his bike chain fell off, his train was delayed, and he had just remembered that he was terrible with new directions as had gotten lost in the Startrain station 3 times before finally finding his ride.

" Safe!" Tikki exclaimed as Marin entered the train just before the doors closed behind them, he was ready to collapse on his face. However, he did not have that option as an announcement came over the speaker.

"Please take your seats, the train will be departing soon."

"You ready Tikki?" Marin asked looking into the inner pocket of his jacket.

"Yes! Let's eat lots of tasty food!" She requested happily as Marin chuckled. Just before he stepped into the next car where his class was, he felt a rush of nervousness, wondering how they would react to seeing him, now wearing a cast and an eye patch. He really did not want to have to explain himself. But the first step was taken from him as the door opened automatically.

The next thing he knew he was staring at Adrien who was in the same boat. Two stared at each other for a moment that felt like an eternity...until Alya pushed past him to hug him.

"MY PRECIOUS BOY!" She exclaimed, leaping onto her toes to properly hug him. Marin broke out into a smile as he returned the gesture as best he could with a cast all along his forearm. "UGGHHH- I missed you so much!" She said, squeezing him. She then dragged him out into the car where the rest of the class greeted him happily, not once mentioning his injuries, except for Kim.

"What do you mean your cast is already filled up?!" He asked, heartbroken as Marin showed him a mess of squiggles and the name, Noel.

"Sorry Kim, Noel had first dibs." Marin chuckled as Kim scowled, slouching down in his seat as he pouted.

He checked in with the teacher first before sitting down next to Alya in the window seat. She desired to exploit his time as much as possible, informing him of everything he missed out on while he was no longer present at school. He appreciated her update, and told her about everything that was going on with him as well, including his new routine of physical therapy, taking medicine, and being bored out of his mind.

"Well if you get too lonely, just stay over, my sisters keep asking when "Big brother" Mari is going to bring them bakery treats again."

"Oh right-" Marin said as he took 2 boxes out of his bag. He felt happy seeing Alya's face light up seeing his family's logo on both of the boxes. "My parents insisted on me bringing an icebreaker." He said sheepishly, revealing freshly baked chocolate chip cookies and croissants."

"Free snacks!" Alya called out as the rest of the class cheered. Marin sat back in his seat, looking out of the window, smiling as he felt genuine happiness.

* * *

"Dude- go talk to him." Nino prompted.

"I-I can't just stand up and walk over!" Adrien said.

"It literally is the easiest thing in the world, just stand up and-"

"Hello boys."

Both Nino and Adrien turned to Alya who was smiling slyly. "Would you mind swapping seats, Adrien? I wanna chat with Nino."

"Sure?" Adrien agreed, trading seats with her, but then remembered that Alya was sitting next to Marin. His face flushed red as he sat down next to his best friend. But just as he built up the confidence to talk to him, he felt a weight on his shoulder, turning his head to see that Marin had fall asleep with his arms crossed.

He blushed seeing Alya take a picture of them along with the rest of the class giggling at the sight. They all knew Marin had a weird habit of falling asleep in the most miscellaneous of places, he was just another one of them.

"What do you think has him all tired?" Alya asked playfully, holding up the nicely framed shot, showing it to him as she squatted down next to him.

Adrien shook his head, not sure what to answer. Then, Lila approached them, causing Adrien to instinctively become defensive. Alya on the other hand didn't seem to pick up on it as she stood up, pocketing her phone

"Alya, do you mind sending me the photos you take on the trip? I once worked as a photographer's assistant for a summer so I'd like to practice editing."

Before Adrien could say anything Alya agreed promptly.

"Sure. I'll put them on the class folder. Oh, except for this one, this one is mine."

"If you say so." Lila said with a smile on her face. "Adrien, would you mind asking Marin if he has anything for motion sickness? He usually carries around those kinds of things right?"

Adrien frowned at her, wanting to say something stern, but knew that wouldn't work on her. "There's no way anyone of us are going to wake up Marin mid nap."

"Yeah, remember that one time he fell asleep in a locker?" Alix said, popping her head over the seat behind.

"What? When did that happen?" Nino asked, now interested in the conversation.

"The art club plays hide and seek when the school empties out. Rose holds the record for finding the most people, and Marin is-for some reason- really good at disappearing."

"How come you never invited me?! I'm the best at hide and seek!" Kim remarked, popping up his head.

"Because you always go to your swim lessons Kimmy boy." Aliz reminded.

" Ladies and gentlemen, Startrain will be under the sea via the Channel Tunnel in just a few moments!" The intercom announced briefly before shutting off.

"...Speaking of." He said, quickly taking his backpack and running to the next car over, much to his friend's confusion.

" I can help you Lila! I have just what you need in my suitcase!" Sabrina said, turning towards Lila.

"Thanks a million, Sabrina! You're so sweet." Lila said, stepping aside so Sabrina could walk to the next car.

As everyone else returned to their seats, Adrien sighed heavily as he saw Lila grip her fist in frustration. He really did not want any of his friends or himself to be involved with her. He took another look at Marin who was sleeping soundly, taking note of how pretty his eyelashes were, before snapping to attention, scolding himself for being rude. Even if his best friend was asleep it was rude, and weird, to stare.

He simply placed his earbuds on and played one of his Mandarin lessons, closing his eyes as he allowed himself to drift off.

* * *

Marin's eyes shot open as he felt his heart racing. While deep in slumber, he felt a familiar feeling, the presence of negativity, the presence of an akuma! However, when he woke up and looked around, he saw that he had fallen asleep and instead of Alya, Adrien was sitting next to him.

"I'm not dreaming am I?" He asked himself, his mind still hazy, and then he saw him walking by in his swimming gear, which didn't help his mental state at the moment. Even so, he trusted his instincts. But first- Marin took a blanket out of his backpack, placing it on Adrien who was sleeping, and then walked towards the car behind theirs.

"Max-" He said, placing a hand on his classmates' shoulder. "I'm just going to the restroom if Miss Bustier asks."

" 'Kay." He said, playing a video game with Markov.

"Do you sense that as well Tikki?" Marin asked, but then his question was answered for him as the entire train turned black and red. "Ladies and gentlemen, I am Startrain! You all get to live my dream with me! Shoot off the rails, and fly off in a rocket to explore not just the moon, but the entire universe!"

Both of them looked up at the speaker.

"Well...count that question answered," Tikki remarked as Marin pushed his hair back, revealing his Miraculous. " Tikki, Spots on!"

* * *

"Ladies and gentlemen, I am Startrain! You all get to live my dream with me! Shoot off the rails, and fly off in a rocket to explore not just the moon, but the entire universe!" Adrien snapped awake as he heard the announcement booming through the train. He looked around for a moment in a daze, realizing that Marin wasn't here, but for some reason, he had a blanket covering him.

It wasn't hard for him to put two and two together. He stood up, looking around for his friend while also noticing that Nino and Alya were missing as well.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I am Startrain! You all get to live my dream with me! Shoot off the rails, and fly off in a rocket to explore not just the moon, but the entire universe! Fasten your seatbelts! We have liftoff!"

"Mom!?" Max exclaimed in shock just as everyone on the train went airborne for a few seconds, and then...weightless. Adrien looked out through the window, seeing that it was night. If nighttime had the view of the entire earth of course. If this was such a precarious situation then he would have probably have been amazed.

"See, I was right to change into my swimming trunks!" Kim exclaimed in excitement as he placed his goggles on.

"I don't think Ladybug and Chat Noir are gonna make it up here to save us up here." Alya said as she and Nino floated back from the car before theirs, the two looking worried.

"Have you two seen Marin?" Adrien asked, but the two shook his head.

"Oh- he said something earlier." Max said as their eyes were now on him. Max thought for a moment and then recalled. "I don't remember what he said."

They looked at him with a dumbfounded expression until Marov cut in.

"He said that he was going to the restroom."

"Must have gotten shaken up with the rest of the train." Nino commented.

_Even so, I have to get out of here._

"I'll go look for him-" Adrien said, planing on transforming where no one could see, however, someone placed a hand on his shoulder just as he reached the door. The next thing he knew, he was face to face with Ladybug, unable to take his eyes of the brilliant blue of his partner's eyes.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Ladybug said with a serious expression in his eyes.

"Ladybug!" Alya exclaimed in excitement, quickly snapping a photo much to Adrien's surprise as he was caught off guard. "Have you been on the train with us the whole time?! How do you plan on taking down the super-villain? Where exactly is Chat Noir?!"

"Easy girl." Nino said, pulling his girlfriend back, nodding his head in apology to the superhero.

Ladybug ignored most of Alya's questions as he commanded the attention of the entire cabin. "Listen up, everyone needs to head to return to your seats for your own safety, please buckle up and wait for everything to go back to normal!" He asked.

"You heard him, class!" Miss Bustier said clapping her hands. Everyone hovered back to their seats however Adriend noticed Ladybug then placing a hand on Max's shoulder.

"Not you, I'm going to need your help."

"Huh?"

While the hero was distracted Adrien pushed himself towards the back of the car, turning into the restroom as he Plagg flew out of his jacket. "Some vacation huh?" The Kwami asked as Adrien nodded in amusement.

"Yup, best one so far. Plagg, claws out!"

* * *

"Mom!" Maz exclaimed through the communication device between cars, trying to contact his mother at Ladybug's request, the two of them hovering nearby along with Markov who was unlocking the doors.

"Max! You see this!? I'm Startrain!"

"Mom, you have to take us back down to Earth. You can go into space once you pass the exam!" Max said trying to be reasonable.

" Why? Now I have a hundred percent chance of traveling the universe! And I get to take you with me, too! Isn't this fantastic?" She replied.

"I don't think I can convince her." Max said apologetically.

"We must get to the operator's cabin to take control of the train, and drive it back home. Do you know how the train functions?"

"Of course, my mom told me everything," Max said. Ladybug led them as the door opened up to the next cabin.

"Hang back for a bit, I don't want you to get hurt. Ladybug said, wrapping his yo-yo around Max's waist. He used the seats to move quickly through the cabin, followed by Markov right beside him and Max a few seats behind them. Ladybug supported Markov as he began unlocking the door, however they were quickly interrupted.

"Oh, where do you think you're going? Don't you wanna sit back and relax! I don't want anyone to get hurt! So stay in your seats and enjoy the view!"

"What the-" Ladybug didn't have time to finish his thought, taking notice of the security camera nearby as he was blasted back by hot air.

"You better give up if you don't wanna fly too close to the sun!" Startrain cackled in amusement.

With nothing to grab onto he was thrown back, but instead of hitting the car's doors he felt himself behind caught in someone's arms.

"Chat Noir?!" He exclaimed in surprise as his partner winked at him flirtatiously.

"My Lady, falling for me already I see." He said.

"How did you get here?" Ladybug asked in disbelief.

"I... was already on the train! Lucky, huh? Just like what they say about black cats?" Chat Noir said, laughing to himself.

Ladybug stared at him for a moment, before nodded. "Well however it happened, I'm glad you're here. Come on, we have to help Mr. Kanté."

Chat Noir felt his cheeks heat up, trying to control himself from straight-up embracing his partner. There was always time later after all. The two saw Max had made his way to the front of the car and was assisting Markov while burning hot air pumped through the vents.

"Aim for the camera." Ladybug directed as he and Chat Noir used his staff to quickly travel through the car towards the front.

"He overheated, but I handled it!" Max informed just as Markov finished hacking and the door opened. Once they passed through, Chat Noir sighed in relief while Ladyubg checked on Max, seeing that his skin was partially burned.

"I think we should classify this as a code red situation!" Markov said in concern for his best friend.

"You did excellently. Don't worry, once this mission is done I'll be able to heal you." Ladybug said as he grasped Max's hands, trying to comfort him, while his classmate trembled, though he kept a brave face.

Max nodded. "Don't worry, something like this isn't going to stop me from saving my mom and friends."

"Pace yourself." Ladybug advised as he looked into the other car.

"You two make an awesome pair, too. Just like me and my lady." Chat Noir complimented, smiling at Max and Markov who appreciated his words.

Ladybug's eyes widened as he saw the next room freeze over, the glass now icing up due to the sub-zero temperatures. "Markov! Check the oxygen level in the next car." Ladybug requested as the little robot scanned the next room.

"It's decreasing quickly!" He warned.

Ladybug narrowed his eyes as he realized what Startrain's plan was. "She's trying to create a void to trap us in. Max wouldn't have a chance to stand against that."

"We're not going to leave my bud behind!" Markov exclaimed, hovering near his best friend. Ladybug's expression softened as he patted the small robot.

"Don't worry, we're not going to leave him behind.

Ladybug then opened his yo-yo, and took out a Miraculous box much to Chat Noir's surprise.

"Where did you get that?" Chat Noir asked as both Max and Markov looked confused.

"It's how I got on the train." Ladybug said as he presented the box before him. "Max Kanté, here's the Miraculous of the Horse, which grants the power of Teleportation. You will use it for the greater good. Once we defeat the supervillain, you will return the Miraculous to me. Can I trust you?"

Max nodded as he took the box. "You can count on me one hundred percent, Ladybug. I'll do everything I can to save my friends, and my mom!" As he opened the box a grey ball of light materialized into a horse-looking Kwami.

" Oh, to whom do I have the pleasure of speaking?" Kaalki said with an unimpressed expression on her face.

"Uh, hello! My name's Max." He said eagerly as he observed the Kwami before him.

"Are you glorious and famous?"

" Kaalki! We don't have time for that!" Ladybug scolded causing Chat Noir to chuckle to himself. "Mr. Kanté is perfect for the job, trust me."

The kwami scoffed. "Perhaps I could be persuaded if I were properly compensated-"

"Kaalki." Ladybug said more sternly as the Kwami sighed. "We're going to the last car, to the door leading to the driver's cab, that's where Startrain is. To get through this, we're going to have to be fast, but careful. Once we're in the next car I'll take care of Markov while you two try and handle anything Startain tries to throw at us. Mr. Kanté, once we defeat Startrain you'll be the one to get us home. You'll have to think of a very specific place you want to travel to, somewhere safe otherwise who knows where we'll end up."

Max nodded.

"Lucky Charm!" Ladybug exclaimed, throwing up his yo-yo and then caught what looked to be Tupperware. He clasped it to his belt as Max removed his glasses.

"All you need to transform is to say is: 'Kaalki, full gallop!'" The Kwami explained.

"Kaalki, full gallop!" Max said, transforming into a superhero.

Ladybug placed a hand on the door handle, nodding towards his teammates who returned the gesture. All of them held their breath as they entered the car. Chat Noir used his staff to push them all towards the end, breaking the camera and then prepared for a fight as he held a staff in his hand while Max took out his horseshoe.

"I was expecting you - my dear, super passengers. You can't stop me from living out my galactic dream, I shall conquer the universe! My little drones! Attack!" Startrain exclaimed. All three of them exchanged a confused expression as the drink drones from earlier started shooting lasers. Chat Noir hovered before his teammates, deflecting the shots with his staff, while Max adjusted his aim, taking them all out using his yo-yo. However, more flew out to replace them.

"I'm... getting... cold...!" Markov warned as the ice began to freeze him. Ladybug looked around, eyeing some hand warmers hovering around, taking his stars, as he used his teeth to activate them and then shoving them around to Markov within the Tupperware. A few seconds later, Chat Noir's staff was knocked out of his hands as he was shot in the shoulder, leaving Ladybug to use his yo-yo to deflect the shots. However, they wouldn't last long with more robots approaching them and with Ladybug's hands starting to grow cold from the temperature. But then Max took out most of the robots threatening them using his horseshoe again, buying them more time.

"Door open!" Markov called out.

Chat Noir wrapped his arm around Ladybug's waist as his partner kept their shield up until the door closed before him.

Not bad, Pegasus." Chat Noir remarked, floating past him, activating his power as Ladybug pushed him ahead. "Cataclysm!" Chat Noir called out while Ladybug kept Startrain in place by binding his with his yo-yo.

"Now!" Ladybug signaled as Pegasus activated his power, opening a portal before them as the train turned back to normal. But since they weren't wearing seatbelts, all of them crashed in the cockpit while Ladybug spotted that they were right next to Big Ben. Both he and Chat Noir stared at Pegasus who laughed sheepishly.

"Ah-ha, I'm sorry, it looks like I kinda got the spatial coordinates wrong."

"Well, I've heard of clock-nundrums but this is ridiculous!" Chat Noir remarked lamely but felt some validation as Ladybug was trying to hold back his laughter with little success.

"Miraculous Ladybug!" Ladybug said, activating his charm as everything turned back to normal.

* * *

The next time Ladybug opened up his eyes they were all were standing on the skylight of the train station just overlooking the Startrain. All four of them bumped fists just as Max transformed back.

"You did well today." Ladybug said as he took back the Horse Miraculous. "I hope you and your class had a good field trip."

"Thanks! It was so awesome working with you both!" Max said, thanking them as he and Markov left.

"So..." Chat Noir said, placing his hands on hips, digging his feet in the gravel below his feet, "Do you-" He was about to ask just as both of their Miraculous began to beep.

Ladybug smiled at him, placing a hand on his partner's shoulder "I'll talk you later Kitty cat." He said jumping off the roof.

"Ah..." Chat Noir was at a loss for words as he pushed his hair back, realizing just how bad he had it.

* * *

Back on the Startrain platform, Miss Bustier called out to her students. "Children! Please, all aboard! Back to London!"

Just as Adrien was about to board the train with Nino. He looked down at his phone, hoping; but then he saw that it was just a notification from his Nathalie. He spotted them a few yards away, waiting.

Adrien's smile quickly faded as Nino stood beside his friend. "I'm gettin' the feeling that was your first, and last, field trip." Nino said sympathetically.

"That's okay. At least, I got to see Big Ben, right?" He said trying to see a silver lining.

"Sure did! No one's seen it as close up as we did! Too bad we got separated at the end."

"We'll go back there together someday. See ya." He said, hugging his friend as he walked back towards,

"Uh, hey-" Marin said, his face flushed red, reminding Adrien how he used to talk when early when they first met.

"Hey." Adrien said, breaking out into a smile, he wasn't sure why, but something about Marin always made him smile.

"So- uh, you're in a hurry, but-thanks." He stammered out.

"Thanks?" Adrien asked, confused.

"Just- you know." Marin said, taking a deep breath, placing his hands together. "Thank you for being a good friend, I know- stuff happened. But- I wanted to tell you that. Sincerely."

Adrien wasn't sure how to respond, but he didn't get a chance to respond as Alya called to her best friend.

"Coming!" Marin called back, taking one last look at Adrien. "I'll, text you, for real this time." He chuckled to himself with a sheepish smile as he got back on the train, not realizing he had left Adrien trying to cover his red face as he smiling happily.

* * *

Side Story:

Félix walked through the city on his own, dressed like someone in his situation ought to have dressed, from head to toe in black. He held his hands behind him as he walked through the street. Once in awhile the personal belongings of others easily feel into his hands, a wallet there, and occasional phone here, but nothing really of substance that he didn't simply toss aside due to its low value.

"WAH!"

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw someone getting splashed by a wave of water caused by a speeding car and a previously heavily rained evening leaving large puddles everywhere. He was amused seeing someone who was clearly a tourist having to be humiliated before his peers who all laughed around him. However, the more he looked on the more he noticed that they were laughing alongside him, even offering to help him dry off and trade jackets.

The sight left an ugly feeling within him, something that he didn't want around. So to rectify the situation, he decided to tease this bloke from across the channel.

* * *

Félix followed them for a while until that one boy wandered off, saying good-bye to his friends as he wandered on his own looking at a map on his phone. That device would probably be out of the question, however, this target had a messenger bag as well, perhaps for the picking if he was quick enough. Félix walked the opposite way around the block after seeing what direction that boy was walking towards, easily bumping into him as they both approached a corner. He smiled as he snaked his arm around the taller boy's waist, preventing him from falling while also reaching into his pocket.

"So sorry." Félix said, taking a moment to smirk in amusement. Whoever this person was, they had terrible fashion sense. It was a shame really since it covered up his more appealing features. He took a step back, nodding respectfully towards him, but then smiling in twisted amusement as he left the student confused and probably in a conundrum later on.

Oh well, it wasn't his problem.

Whoever this guy was, he had a weird choice in aesthetic as the wallet was baby pink with white spots. For fun, he wanted to take a look inside but then felt his arm grabbed as he was pulled into an alleyway.

"Hey! You stole my wallet!" The Asian boy exclaimed in annoyance, gripping Félix's arm, much to his surprise as the student gave off more passive mannerisms earlier. Who knew he had some fire in him. Even so-

Félix scoffed at him."I'm sorry, didn't realize the reject Renn fair was still going on." Félix remarked pulling away from him while keeping his composure.

"Is that a real this- No no. You're not getting off that easily, just give me my wallet back." The Asian boy demanded holding out his injured hand. "Come on, I don't have time for this! My ticket is in there, plus I have to go somewhere else!"

"And if I don't?" Félix shrugged putting his hands in his pockets, prepared to be as much of an annoyance as possible.

"Then I won't give yours back." He said seriously, holding up a black leather one with Félix's family crest on it.

Part of him was almost impressed he had managed to do it with a hurt arm; unless it was a prop of some sort along with the eye patch. "I have many like that one, what makes you think I'd want to give yours back?"

The Asian boy scowled at him, sighed heavily. "Listen, you're clearly going through...something- so could you just save us both time and just give me back my wallet?"

Félix frowned at him, folding his hands behind his back. "What makes you say that?" He inquired, genuinely wanting to know.

"I don't know," The Asian boy sighed heavily. " You just remind me of one of my friends for some reason, whenever he talks about his late mother he makes the same face you have right now. But everything about you two is definitely different." He added, placing a hand on his hip.

Félix frowned but even so handed back his wallet. "Take it." He said as the boy returned his own. As Félix stood there for a moment, wondering how this random person saw through his stoic expression, one that always fooled everyone around him...well, almost everyone.

"Well, so long Renn fair, it's been fun." He said, lying as he walked away, never wanting to interact with that boy again, but was met with another issue as he felt his jacket being tugged at again.

"Hey- uh, do you know where this place is?" The Asian boy asked, seemingly now growing more desperate to the point where he was now asking for help from the person who just pickpocketed him. Even so, Félix sighed as he looked at the address on his phone, widening his eyes in disbelief.

"...That's on the other side of the city."

"What?!" The Asian boy rasped out, hanging his head.

For some reason, Félix cracked a smile, at the situation this person had found himself in. "Come on, I'll at least show you the quickest way to get there."

"Huh? Why?" The Asian boy asked, now walking beside him down the street.

Félix shrugged his shoulders. "It's been a while since I laughed at something funny. That's worth at least acknowledging."

"...Thanks." The Asian boy seemed to pick up the subtext to this double-edged compliment, as he frowned at him. "What's your name by the way?"

"...Félix." He said simply.

"I'm Marin."

"Well then, Marin why exactly do you want to visit the retirement village of the city?" Félix asked, making small talk.

"No real reason, just dropping off something for a friend."

"Hm." Félix hummed. "What a kind person you are then, to go so out of your way like that."

"Not really." Marin commented. "I don't mind that much."

"Even so, to think someone would place their trust in someone who clearly gets lost so easily, in a new city less. They must have quite a lot of faith in you."

"...Well, thanks, that's nice to hear." Marin said, smiling while Félix couldn't bring himself to justify what was intended to be a childing remark.

* * *

In the end, Félix ended up escorting Marin back to the train station after they had visited an elderly woman. She captured them for an afternoon tea, but released them as Marin said that there was a train he needed to catch. She left them each with a tin of buttered biscuits and a face full of kisses, as elderly women did. However, she handed Marin something that he couldn't make out, but he didn't particularity care as he was just glad to get out of there.

Félix was repulsed by the entire evening, unsure how Marin was able to tolerate such dullness. However, he found himself not unenjoying Marin's company. As they arrived at the Startrain station Marin turned towards him.

"Thanks for helping me out- I probably would have still been lost if you hadn't helped me."

"Well- you would have taken my personal belonging had I not." Félix lightly teased as Marin frowned at him.

"Hey! Cutie come on!"

The two turned to see Marin's classmates waving him down.

"You're quite popular," Félix commented as Marin blushed sheepishly.

"They just like to tease me. Anyhow- you seem alright, original interaction aside." Marin said, trying to end on a positive note.

"You as well." Félix said as he returned Marin's phone, who patted down his pockets and then scowled at Félix in annoyance as he snatched his device back much to Félix's amusement.

"You're really..." Marin sighed heavily, unable to finish his sentence, however, he still smiled. "I guess I'll see you around Félix." He said, waving a good-bye as he wan towards the train while Félix returned the gesture.

As Félix saw the train depart, he held up a necklace in hand. One that had an odd red-looking jewel attached along with a small key. "Perhaps we shall." He mused to himself as he turned to return home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Man Adrien's really starved for some time with his bestie,
> 
> -Idk- I wanted to add some fun Félix times, I think he came off as more like Lila. He has bastard energy and I'm just going with it. 
> 
> -If ya'll need some fluff for these kids, write it now because the next chapter is going to hit harder than chat blanc hit the moon...probably- actually if it hits that hard please let me know.


	76. Let's Do The Timetagger Again

"Sorry Noel, I just need to find my picnic blanket!" Marin apologized and the younger boy groaned down the stairs awaiting his babysitter. He opened the trunk within his bedroom, silently relieved, but as he picked it up something fell down on the ground. He froze in place as he looked down at a silver pocket watch, one that was identical to Alix's in every way possible.

"Marin let's go!" Noel cried out in frustration on the verge of a tantrum as popped his head through the hatch leading to his room. He then frowned further as Marin didn't respond at first, believing that he was being ignored. "Fine! I'll just go on by myself!"

"Oh- Noel! You're not allowed to cross the street by yourself!" Marin called out, snapping out of his daze as he heard the threats from his friend's little brother. Reflexively, he grabbed the pocket watch, shoving it into his bag, and then raced after Noel who was already at the front door. "Dad! We're going to the park!" He called out into the bakery, not waiting for an answer as he grabbed Noel's hand just as the younger boy looked at him in annoyance for his tardiness.

* * *

The two met up with Alya and her sisters. The kids played soccer while Marin sat next to Alya who was showing him a new app that she downloaded.

"Alya's on the line, I rise and shine, When I pick up the mic like this game is mine. Fake MC's can't catch my flow, 'cause I whip up the beat with each word I throw!" She then handed her phone to Marin who immediately started panicking.

" Eh– The name's Marinus, I bake chouquettes, I love drawing and play games, and I like- uh..." He couldn't think of a follow-up phrase and the app beeped, then began laughing at him.

"You flow so low, you need a shovel to dig it!"

"...I am not good at this." Marin said, not appreciating a piece of technology laughing at him while Alya laughed. He then was surprised as Noel sat down next to him with a pout while Alya's sister continued to play with the ball.

"What's up? You don't want to play with my sisters anymore?" Alya asked.

"I don't want to play baby games anymore, can I play Freestyle Clash II with you?" He asked looking up at Marin who patted the younger boy's head with an understanding smile. He too wasn't that great at sports, especially compared to Alya's two bundles of pure energy.

"Sure, you'll probably end up being better than I am..." Marin said handing the phone over but his words trailed off as he sensed the faint presence of an Akuma. Looking around he saw a large group of pigeons flying in the sky. He grimaced as he recognized the very specific powers of a very specific person who was becoming more Akumatized recently.

"Al, I would you mind watching the kids for a bit, I'll be back in a while." He said, with a hint of embarrassment, feeling bad about leaving her to babysit alone again.

"You feeling okay?" Alya asked, now growing concerned.

"Yeah, yeah- It's just some stomach issues. Sorry, I'll-"

"No need to explain, cutie pie." Alya said with a smirk. "I know how ya get."

Marin's expression softened as he smiled gratefully at his friend. Thanking her as he ran off, but then turned into an alleyway. As soon as he was out of sight he sighed heavily as Tikki flew out of his messenger bag.

"What is with this guy? It's like the fifth time he's gotten Akumatized!"

"Look on the bright side." Tikki said with a smile. "Because of you and Chat Noir it looks like Hawkmoth is having a harder time akumatizing people."

"...Huh, I never thought of that." Marin said, realizing that what his Kwami said rang true. "Alright, guess we'll have to keep up the good work. Tikki, spots on!"

* * *

Chat Noir grimaced as he stood outside of the Louvre, looking up at Mr. Pigeon a good distance away to avoid having his allergies triggered.

" Ladybug, Chat Noir, if you don't give me your Miraculous, this pigeon-iron will crash down on the Louvre pyramid and give all the tourists inside it perfectly flat socks! Pigeons have a right to culture, too!" exclaimed as the pigeons formed a giant fist hovering before the museum.

" Isn't that animal abuse?! I thought you liked Pigeons!" Chat Noir yelled out as he was growing tired of seeing the villain so often. "This guy uses pigeons for his own gain!"

"Wha- I do not! These birds are my friends!"

"Yeah! Because you control them with your powers!" Chat Noir shot back as the two started bickering back and forth until Mr. Pigeon had enough.

"Ugh- Enough of this! My friends, take them out-" Mr Pigeon was about to say but then his Akumatized item was broken, transforming him back to normal. Just before he fell a familiar yo-yo wrapped around his waist, securing his safety as Ladybug arrived on the scene.

Chat Noir caught the adult man in his arms, placing him safely on the ground.

"My Lady." Chat Noir greeted, feeling butterflies flutter in his stomach as he saw Ladybug walked up to them, retracting his yo-yo and releasing the newly purified Akuma without even needed to use his powers. These days neither of them needed to use their powers to take out the enemy even negating the use of Ladybug's lucky charm due to their efficiency.

Mr. Ramier looked between the two in confusion. "Huh? Huh? Please don't tell me it happened again." He asked, looking downtrodden.

"It's okay, Mr. Ramier, we'll always be here to bring you back to the good side." Ladybug said reassuringly to the older man.

"Still, I'm sorry I've been causing you both so much trouble." Mr. Ramier said, and then his eyes lit up as he saw a nearby food stand. "I know, how about I buy you both ice cream to make up for it?"

"You don't have to-" Ladybug started to say before he was interrupted.

"Please, I insist!" The older man said as the two heroes exchanged a look between them.

Chat Noir shrugged his shoulders. "Why not, it's not like we have anywhere else to be."

Ladybug eventually conceded as the three ended up on a bench within Jardin des Tuileries.

"I'm really sorry, I just can't help it. Whenever something happens to my beloved pigeons it breaks my heart and—"

"Hawkmoth akumatises you." Chat Noir said, uninterested as he bit into his ice cream cone.

"If you feel so passionately about this then maybe it would help if you talked to someone about this." Ladybug recommended to the older man. "Are your pigeon friends the only one you talk to?"

"Yes, I find that they're very good listeners."

"Maybe it's time to start talking to someone who can actually listen to what you have to say." Ladybug said as the older man nodded in understanding.

* * *

Hawkmoth closed his eyes as he felt his Akuma being purified. Clutching his staff he began to feel the desperation creep in.

With each passing week, the number of people who gave into their negative emotions lessened greatly, so much so that he was resorting to Akumatizing the same person over and over again. He had many plans already set in place to help ensure future victories, however, none that could be used when he needed a strong villain to weaken the two heroes.

The villain gritted his teeth in frustration, turning around to go back to work, "Nooroo, dark wings-" He was about to say before he then felt a powerful energy. Lifting his head up he could feel the presence of an Akuma. Obviously, it wasn't one of his own, but even he couldn't deny that it was a powerful force that he had never encountered before.

* * *

The two heroes waved to Mr. Raimer as they walked away, having to leave. But even so Chat Noir sighed heavily, placing his hands on his hips as the two stood before the museum. "How many more times are we going to have to deal with this?" Chat Noir sighed as he looked back at the former Akumatized villain talking to a pigeon. However, he was surprised as Ladybug spoke up with a sincere tone.

"It's the duty for Heroes to protect the peace, to help out anyone who needs it. Despite how...often, it's been happening, the people aren't to blame when they're being taken advantage of like this." Ladybug said sincerely.

Chat Noir stared at his partner, probably for too long without speaking, and then ruffled his hair trying to remove the feeling of giddiness from his chest that he always got just from standing next to Ladybug. "Ugh, it almost grosses me out how much sense you make. For once, could you maybe just be irresponsible or something?" Chat Noir joked with a twinkle in his eye and a bemused grin.

Ladybug returned his smile, raising his fist for his partner to bump but before Chat Noir could return the gesture he noticed Ladybug's eyes widened as then he covered his mouth looking like he was going to be sick. Immediately Chat Noir ears perked up as he steadied his partner who looked like he was about to fall over. "Are you okay?"

"Ugh-" Ladybug rasped out as looked nauseous. "Something..." Before he could finish his words before them appeared a portal and someone jumping out of it.

"Yo-yo! I'm Timetagger from the future, man! I criss-cross time with a spraypaint like your time's up at last, 'cause I'm gonna send you way back to the past!" The new villain announced first using his gun to spraypaint the ground beneath his feet and then shooting Mr. Ramier into a portal, replacing the man with a giant statue of himself.

"What the-" Chat Noir said as Ladybug grasped his arm, his face turning paler.

"He's got an akuma in him!" Ladybug warned as Timetagger pointed the gun at them. Chat Noir reacted quickly, picking up his partner and then jumping out of the way of the blast. He ducked for cover behind the statue, placing his partner down while Timetagger started shooting at civilians.

Chat Noir turned his head towards the inscription on the statue, reading it aloud. "Lord Ramier Featherbottom, knight of the king? Founder of the order of The Great Pigeon?" He looked at Ladybug who was still holding his head. "Talk to me, what's going on?" Chat Noir prompted.

"I don't know." Ladybug admitted. "I can sense the akuma, but at the same time...it feels different. It feels..." His words trailed off as he shook his head, unable to explain the sensation of overwhelming emotion he was feeling. "Ugh- I think I'm adjusting, just give me a second." Ladybug said but Chat Noir was inclined to disagree as he saw Timetagger was tagging the whole area. But then he saw the villain blinking out of sight.

"Baby-bug seems to be out of the fight, time for Kitty Noir to follow his plight!" Timetagger remarked as he appeared next before them out of nowhere.

Chat Noir immediately tried to wack him away using his staff but Timetagger disappeared again, appearing further away as he taunted them more.

"Only one person gets to call me kitty!" Chat Noir shot back in annoyance.

" Baby-bug and Kitty Noir, now you're stuck. If you wanna catch me, then, ha, good luck!" The villain taunted as he disappeared again.

"...So this is happening." Chat Noir remarked as he lifted his partner to his feet, who was more steady.

"This guy keeps disappearing and reappearing, he's making my head spin." Ladybug said as he tried to focus on where Timetagger may pop up next.

Chat Noir scoffed. "Doesn't he know that's my job?"

"...what?" Ladybug aksed not hearing what his partner said.

"NOTHING!" Chat Noir said, as his face turned red, once again grateful that most of his face was covered up by a mask.

"...Right." Ladybug nodded as was hit with another bout of dizziness, just before Chat Noir disappeared, then reappeared as he was thrown against the Louvre, then landing face-first on the ground, thrown across space by Timetagger.

" All I have to do is go back in time to escape with a laugh and a rap and a rhyme!" Timetagger spit out as he disappeared again.

"I could be wrong here." Chat Noir said rubbing his nose as Ladybug helped his partner. "But I think he may be a teleporter."

Ladybug narrowed his eyes as his eyes darted to the villain continuing to tag the area. "He's traveling through time!"

"How can you be so sure?" Chat Noir asked.

"Context clues. C'mon." Ladybug said as he pulled his partner into the Louvre for cover.

"Hahaha! Superhero babies need a little rest? Well, take your time. I have eternity ahead of me!" Timetagger called out laughing victorious as he continued to tag the area.

* * *

As they ran down the stairs of the museum Chat Noir looked at his partner with a confused expression. "Is this part of your plan? Because I really want to wack that dude as soon as possible."

"It's part of it." Ladybug said, "The first part is getting as far from him as possible so I can think straight."

"So are you doing to tell me how you can tell he's a time traveler or-" Chat Noir prompted.

"When he first appeared that guy was sending off negativity in waves. His akuma is way too powerful and due its nature to distort time it messes up my senses and makes me nauseated whenever he pops up. If we have any hope of beating him we have to-" He said as they turned the corner, but then were knocked down again Ladybug looked up at a familiar face that had crashed into him.

"Crazy! So the message was for real!" The young said with an excited look on her face as Chat Noir pulled her to her feet.

"What are you doing here Alix?" Chat Noir asked.

"I used my dad's key to sneak in. I just had to come here today!" She said looking like she was about to erupt with joy as she looked between the two heroes.

"Message? What message?" Ladybug asked, but then felt a terrible sense of foreboding as she took out her pocket watch from her back pocket.

"This watch has been in my family since forever. It's never chimed, until today! And there was a message for you, Ladybug."

The hero was hesitant to take the watch at first, but eventually did. As he opened it up, a blue mist arose from the watch face materializing into a blue hologram of a woman holding a clock.

"Nice work, Minibug, you're right on time. Now, dig as deep as you can into the past and you will find the rabbit's burrow." Ladybug could feel a wave of nausea overtake him as he recognized the voice.

"Dig deep into the past? What, like the Egyptian collection on display?" Chat Noir asked, noticing his partner's reaction.

"Of course! My old man says some of it dates back more than five thousand years!" Alix said eagerly, taking her watch back and leading the way towards the exhibits followed by the two heroes.

* * *

"It's this one." Ladybug said as he pointed out the only obelisk in the display that had the hieroglyphics of the rabbit Miraculous on it. He then stepped aside as Chat Noir activated his power.

"Cataclysm!" He exclaimed pressing his hand to the statue. As it was destroyed and the dust cleared up, all three saw a hero standing before them in a white rabbit suit. She yawned and then stretched her arms over her head before jumping off of the stand and grinning at them victoriously.

"Minibug, Kitty, I knew you'd solve my riddle. But first things first, nature calls." She said, running off to the restroom while the three were stunned for a moment. Alix and Chat Noir exchanged an excited expression as they had just come across an adult Miraculous holder. Alix rolled off after the hero, but while Chat Noir was about to do the same, he noticed that Ladybug was still standing in the same spot gripping his arm, his entire body trembling with an unreadable expression on his face.

Chat Noir's eyes widened as he felt worry start to bubble up, however as he tried to place a hand on his partner's shoulder to grab his attention his hand was slapped away on reflex.

The two heroes stood there stunned for a second as Chat Noir could see Ladybug's eyes began to register what he just did and immediately the black-spotted hero averted his gaze, gripping his arm tighter.

"Sorry." He said briefly, unable to meet his partner's eyes.

Chat Noir didn't care about that, instead, as he reached for his partner again, but he hesitated to make contact with his partner. "You okay?" He asked as Ladybug took a deep breath.

"Yeah, it's nothing to worry about." Ladybug said, walking past his partner while Chat Noir's ears flattened, not believing his friend's words.

* * *

Hawkmoth narrowed his eyes as experienced the same emotions that this, Timetagger, was and how he was a far more powerful force than any of the Miraculous holders of the present could handle.

"Greetings Hawk-dude of the past." Timetagger said from the other side. It was of the rare times that one of his villains had taken advantage of the power, meaning that whoever this villain was; he already had a brief understanding of the Butterfly Miraculous. "I come from the future, a future 10 years from now when both Ladybug and Chat Noir are adults."

_The future?_

* * *

"My name's Bunnyx. And in the future, I'm a member of Ladybug and Chat Noir's team of superheroes. Well, the Ladybug and Chat Noir you're going to become." Bunnyx explained as she walked out of the restroom. Chat Noir and Alix stood before her while Ladybug was leaned against the wall adjacent to them with his arms crossed.

"Within the team, I am the hero of the last chance. I'm called upon when everyone else has failed, that includes you two."

Ladybug gripped his arm tighter at her words, at the implication it held but Chat Noir didn't seem phased at all.

"Failed? Psh- no way that could happen if my Lady and I were on the scene." Chat Noir remarked with some confidence, to which Bunnyx chuckled at sheepishly.

"Actually, it was more your fault than anything." Bunnyx said as Chat Noir's ears flattened in disbelief for a moment.

"What?! No way!"

"It's true. You stole my Miraculous from Ladybug behind his back, and when we were fighting Timetagger you slipped up and accidentally damaged my Miraculous, allowing Timetagger to send me to the past with no means of returning to the future."

"...Ah. Sorry about that." Chat Noir apologized, scratching the back of his head sheepishly but then realized. "Wait a sec! I would never steal a Miraculous from my partner!"

Bunnyx shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know the whole story, but future you only told me that future Ladybug was fully against giving me my Miraculous for the fight, but justified that since he was your better half then he had the final say on the matter." Bunnyx said, as Chat Noir refused to even look at Ladybug, internally yelling at his future self for being so cocky.

"Anyhow, my mission is to bring Timetagger back to the future, so he can be defeated by your future counterparts. It's simple enough, but with things as they are right now, I might need your help. " Bunnyx said with a confident smile, none of them noticing Ladybug's growing negativity.

"...So is that good or-" Chat Noir asked but could see that he wasn't going to get a proper answer since Bunnyx was unclear of the details herself.

"One thing I remember for sure is Alix has to be there when I defeat Timetagger. If she's still in my memory, she must play a vital role."

"Good! I wasn't planning on sitting on the bench this time!" Alix cheered.

"Just leave the fighting to me." Bunnyx said reassuringly.

"Just one more thing." Chat Noir said, taking a step closer to Bunnyx just as his Miraculous began to beep. "Give it to me straight, are Ladybug and I..." He prompted shyly at first before shaping his hands into a heart, obscured from the view of his partner.

Bunnyx laughed. "That's a loaded question. You two are definitely like..." She waved her hands around ending up in an explosion gesture.

Chat Noir sighed heavily. "Alright, just tell us what to do-" Chat Noir was about to say, but then was cut off as he heard his partner speak up.

"No." Ladybug said sternly not moving from his place. "This isn't our fight anymore."

Chat Noir's eyes widened as his ears twitched, hearing a tone from Ladybug that he had never heard before, one that made him feel nervous. "What are you talking about? There's an Akuma flying around, and when there's an Akuma it's our job to help." Chat Noir pointed out.

"The Akuma isn't the issue. It's her." Ladybug said now facing them but still retaining his distance. "We can't trust her or anything she says.

Chat Noir looked between his partner and the hero from the future as he and Alix were effectively between a rock and a hard place. He noticed that Bunnyx was looking at the hero in surprise as well but it was broken as she spoke up again.

"I think there's been some confusion." Bunnyx tried to explain. "I'm-"

"I know who you are Alix." Ladybug said sternly with a dark expression on his face, clutching his fist as he glared at the hero from the future.

"WOAH! You're me from the future?!" Alix asked, getting confirmation as Bunnyx nodded, however, she drew a confused expression on her face.

"Wait but how? You shouldn't know-"

"You've told us your story, but that doesn't mean that you're trustworthy." Ladybug said not backing down.

"Hold on now-" Chat Noir said, trying to get ahead of a situation. "If she's Alix from the future then we can trust her, Alix is our friend."

"That doesn't matter. Even if she is Alix, she's one from ten years in the future, she could say anything, would say anything so long as it would collaborate with her own goals, and none of us would be the wiser. For all we know she could be working alongside Timetagger herself to get our Miraculous."

"That's ridiculous! I would never- Your future self was the one who gave me this Miraculous in the first place! Even if Chat Noir who gave me my Miraculous this time around that doesn't change the fact that both of you still trusted me with one of the most power Miraculous." Bunnyx pointed out but Ladybug was deterred.

"That doesn't matter. Miraculous have been stolen before, and there's already a decade of time separating us. Plus, we don't even know if we're the same Ladybug and Chat Noir from your future." Ladybug said. "Even if you could tell us, your Miraculous if the one of Recollection you could learn anything you needed to in order to make your case."

Chat Noir looked between the two again but then groaned in annoyance as his Miraculous beeped for the final time. He quickly ran into the restroom to feed Plagg but he didn't feel secure straying from his partner's side.

Just as he closed the door behind him he detransformed, catching Plagg in his hands and then feeding him a piece of cheese, much to the small Kwami's delight.

"Plagg, do you konw what's going on?" Adrien asked as he watched Plagg consume his snack.

"Best not to try and follow anything involving the rabbit Miraculous, you'll get a headache just trying to follow." Plagg advised, but it was something that Adrien couldn't follow.

"I can't do that, you saw how Ladybug acted back there..." Adrien said, his voice drifting away as he couldn't shake the image of his partner's expression out of his head.

"You're Chat Noir aren't you?" Plagg asked as he stuffed the rest of his cheese in his mouth, now hovering before Adrien. "Just ask him, and listen if he feels like talking."

Adiren sighed heavily, taking a moment to find some comfort as he petted Plagg, who began to purr at the contact. "You make it sound so easy."

* * *

"What was your first mission?" Ladybug asked as he tied to keep his voice calm. If Bunnyx, this Bunnyx, was telling the truth then she wasn't the same one he knew. She was from a different future, a future that didn't end in Paris's destruction, or in Chat Blanc.

"Huh? You should know, you were there, I helped you save the past me from my past akumatized self." Bunnyx said, noticing that Ladybug narrowed his eyes, deep in thought.

Bunnyx then sighed heavily, not sure as to why the younger version of her friend was being a pain but knew him well enough to know what he would respond to.

"Alix would you mind giving me our watch?" The hero asked holding out her hand.

"Our watch?" Alix asked in confusion.

"It's a Miraculous that was hidden away in camouflage mode." Ladybug explained as Alix handed over her family's relic.

"Fluff, counterclockwise," Bunnyx said, undoing her transformation and releasing the rabbit Kwami.

"Ladybug!" Fluff exclaimed as she hugged the face of the younger Ladybug, who softened up as he saw the Kwami. But that only lasted for a second as his expression hardened again as Bunnyx spoke up.

"Just ask Fluff if you don't believe me." Future Alix prompted but then took some offense as Ladybug stared at her in disbelief, as though she said something really dumb.

"...How long have you had your Miraculous?" He asked, as the rabbit Kwami continued to cuddle him.

"A few missions. I'm only called on when there is no other option." She reminded. "Fluff would you mind explaining to him-"

"OOOOH- a person!" Fluff exclaimed in excitement as she darted towards Alix who looked at the Kwami in amazement. But it was only for a few seconds as Fluff then began darting around the room wanting to observe everything in the room.

"Fluff!" Future Alix called out, garnering her Kwami's attention for a second. "Could you please explain to Ladybug what our mission was before we were sent back please?"

"What mission?" Fluss asked.

"Wha- the one to track down Timetagger!" Future Alix explained, but Fluff's attention span was drawn towards a treat that Ladybug had placed in the palm of his hand.

"OOOH!" Fluff exclaimed once again, accepting the offering and happily eating the cookie in Ladybug's hand.

"You should already know, or have had it explained that Fluff especially has no sense of time or presence. It's all muddled for her." He explained as the rabbit Kwami continued to eat happily.

"Okay, I'm back what did I-" Chat Noir said as he returned was then cut off again.

"If you really say who you say you are then it shouldn't matter if I believe you or not. One way or another Timetagger has to be dealt with. This is your mission then complete it and go back to where you belong." Ladybug said, lowering his hand as Fluff finished her snack and hovered before them. He then walked away without another word, leaving the three along to ponder what just happened.

"What's his deal?" Younger Alix asked.

"I'll talk to him." Chat Noir said as he ran to catch up with his partner.

* * *

"What exactly was up with that back there?" Chat Noir asked as he walked closer to his partner the two of them standing in the main hall of the Louvre. He tilted his head towards his partner, trying to get a better look at this face but saw an expression that resonated with him. Despite wearing a mask that hid his true identity and feeling there were some times when his more powerful emotions slipped through the cracks. Ans the expression on Ladybug's face reminded him of the same expression his father had once his mother...

"I don't trust her. So I'm not going to get involved with her." Ladybug said firmly with his back to his partner.

"That's not what I meant, what's with the hostility to Bunnyx? She just wants to help."

"I told you, I don't trust her." Ladybug repeated. "How can you believe anything she says so easily? You don't even know her."

"Maybe I'm just a good judge of character." Chat Noir said, trying to crack a joke, but could see that Ladybug was not in the mood the laugh. He then turned more serious. "What happened to; It's the duty for Heroes to protect the peace, to help out anyone who needs it?" Chat Noir asked as Ladybug eyes flashed with mixed emotion having his words thrown back at him. "No matter where the Akuma comes from it's our job to make sure that it becomes purified. So we have to help Bunnyx on this, even if it's just making sure Timetagger gets sent back to the future."

"Don't her words bother you?!" Ladybug asked as his voice started to break and his entire body began trembling. "If what she's saying is try then it means that Hawkmoth, or someone else using the Butterfly Miraculous is still going to be around over a decade from now. They're going to be Akumatizing people just like Hawkmoth is doing right now. It means that Paris is still in danger ten years from now, it means that even if it's not our Hawkmoth someone else is using the Butterfly Miraculous for evil, it means..." Ladybug's voice broke as he started to become overwhelmed with emotion.

"So? The future isn't set in stone. There's no telling what could happen." He said wanting to say that they could save Nooroo before then, but then immediately regretted saying it even if it slipped out, as he saw his partner trembling with anger. He had never been on the receiving end of Ladybug's anger, but with the way his partner was looking at him, he may as well have been. He started to panic for a moment, thinking that his partner was about to yell him, but then he froze in place as he saw tears falling down Ladybug's face.

Chat Noir immediately was out of his element as even Ladybug looked surprised at his reaction. The black-spotted hero didn't bother wiping them away as he glared at his partner angrily.

"It means Nooroo will still be under someone else's control for ten more years. Are you telling me you want to keep fighting for ten years just to get nowhere?!"

"Ah-" Was all Chat Noir could muster out before Ladybug immediately became defensive, turning away and taking out his yo-yo.

"Do what you want Jerk Noir!" Ladybug exclaimed angrily as he used his yo-yo to leave out of the skylight.

Chat Noir wanted to call out but ended up watching his partner leave, unable to find the will to chase after him after made the person he loved more than anyone cry. Instead, he knelt down in defeat, grasping his head, wanting to stay in place, wishing that a random meteor could destroy his mistakes.

* * *

"It was the future Hawkmoth's slick idea to send me to the past to help you out a bit." Timetagger said and Hawkmoth listened intently, all the while distrusting the villain from the future.

He couldn't help but feel offended by the idea that a possible future version of himself would have become incompetent enough to send a villain to aid him in the past, implying that he would have to wait many years for even the chance to possibly complete his righteous mission. But he could not allow fantasy to cloud his judgment, not when an obvious truth was staring him in the face.

"And tell me. Who is the Hawmoth that Akumatized you 10 years in the future?" He asked, holding back on using his powers to force him to speak.

"Heh, clever as they said." Timetagger remarked. "It's true, my mission is to take the Miraculous of the present Ladybug and Chat Noir for my Hawkmoth, not you." He admitted. "However, the future H-moth also sends a gift."

"A gift?" Hawkmoth questioned suspiciously.

"Soon enough you're going to take a huge step into bringing your plans to fruition. But to do that, there needed to a way to take out one of your two biggest hurdles. See, there's some intel that you're not privy to yet, that is going to help you out in the future, and while I'm not allowed to explain it exactly- I'm supposed to only tell you this." Timetagger said.

"You already know that the most effective way to Akumatize someone is when their negative emotions outweigh reason. But there's another way as well, a way that you've already used before, a way to force someone to become Akumatized without trying to persuade them..."

* * *

Chat Noir mentally kicked himself for being so stupid as he sat down with his back to the wall of the main hall. If it were anyone else, trying to lighten the situation might have helped. But he was stupid enough to try and make light of that plight of a Kwami. He of all people knew better than anyone how much Ladybug loved and cared for all the Kwami's. But it wasn't just that, Ladybug had been upset and acted differently ever since Bunnyx showed up, and here he was not being sensitive to his partners' feelings.

"What happened? Where's Ladybug?" Bunnyx said as she walked up to him with Alix rolling up from behind.

Chat Noir didn't really want to answer her question. "We're uh...going through some technical difficulties."

Bunnyx and Alix exchanged a confused glance but then all of their attention was grabbed by the portraits around them changing one by one.

"Well, that can't be good." Alix commented as a few familiar faces popped up within the portraits.

"He's trying to destroy the present by rewriting the past." Bunnyx said sternly, but then noticed Chat Noir's sullen expression, placing a hand on his shoulder. "What's wrong?"

"...Are...are Ladybug and I really that great of a duo in the future?" Chat Noir asked, feeling the exact opposite was true right now.

Bunnyx's expression softened. "Great is an understatement. No matter what happened you two always stuck together by each other through thick and thin. Whatever you two are going through, I'm sure you'll work it out."

Chat Noir gave her a wry smile, not sure how much weight her words held. But even so, he chose to believe in her. He then staggered a bit as she ruffled his hair affectionately.

"Just don't mess up my Miraculous again." She said with a cheeky grin that he returned, feeling some ease among the guilt and bittersweetness feelings he held.

* * *

All of them ran outside of the Louvre outside to see the square is covered in graffiti.

"We've taken too long, he's had enough time to weave a giant time-web around us." Bunnyx said, taking out her umbrella.

"Does that mean he can attack from anywhere?" Chat Noir asked as he looked towards the elder hero, who smirked as Timetagger appeared before them.

"Gimme your Miraculous, don't make me ask. It's pretty clear you're not up to the task! When I bring them to Hawkmoth's door, Ladybug and Chat Noir will be no more..." His words trailed off as he looked around. "Hey! Where's the bug?!"

Chat Noir took a step forward, spinning his staff in hand by Bunnyx pulled him back pushing him behind her. "Stay where you are. I'll deal with him and take him back to the future you and Ladybug. It means nothing must happen to you in the meantime."

"But he can appear from anywhere right?" Chat Noir asked, looking at her in concern. "How can you fight that?"

"More like: from any time, but so can I." She remarked, winking at him before grabbing her past self and placing her next to the ice cream stand.

Chat Noir saw her say something to her before then activating her power. A white glowing portal appeared before her and then promptly disappeared as she jumped through. A second later she appeared next to Timetagger trying to hit him with her umbrella but he was just as fast.

"Missed me!" The villain mocked before teleporting again.

Chat Noir watched in amazement as the two forces clashed, both using their time travel powers to teleport to try and gain the upper hand on their enemy. However, it appeared the two were at a stalemate as they were equals in terms of ability.

Every part of him told him to jump into the fight and take out the Akuma, gripping his staff tighter but his instincts were making it more difficult by the second.

As the fight went on Bunnyx threw her umbrella into the air, jumping off of Timetagger and into one of her portals, appearing a second later to hook his leg on her umbrella, trying to trip him into one of her portals. But Timetagger teleported away just at the last second, then appearing a few yards away.

"Bunnyx, you're lame, you don't get the now you have to start all over a-" Timetagger was cut off as Chat Noir tried to attack him with his staff, unable to hold back any longer.

"What are you doing?!" Bunnyx exclaimed as Chat Noir stayed on his toes, blocking Timetaggers attacks.

"I can't stand watching you two playing cat and mouse like this!" He responded back as his ears perked up. "He can only teleport with these tags around right? Then all we have to do is get rid of them!" Chat Noir said as he raised his arm over his head, activating his power. "Cataclysm!"

"Chat Noir, no!" Bunnyx called out, gripping his arms just before he could touch the ground.

"What?!" He asked, looked back at her in confusion.

"That's exactly how you destroyed my Miraculous in the first place, the shockwave of messing up with time portals isn't something to be messed with!" Bunnyx exclaimed but then was opened her umbrella as Timetagger was about to attack her again, pushing him into one of her portals. "I knew it! I knew you'd do that. Who's the best now, huh?"

Chat Noir stood in place with his power still activated, feeling that this was a little anti-climatic.

"Thanks for your involuntary help, my young friends, now I have to go home and finish off what we started."

Just as Bunnyx walked through the portal she paused for a moment as she recalled one of her childhood memories. One where she saw the future version of herself talking to Ladybug just before she left. Immediately she was on guard as she looked around. "Wait a second, this isn't right-" She said as Chat Noir and Alix looked at her in surprise. Then in a split second later her eyes widened as she saw Timetagger appear behind Chat Noir grabbing him from behind and then disappeared.

"What-" She said in disbelief as Chat Noir was thrown at her, his power disrupting her Miraculous transformation.

"Are you okay?!" Chat Noir asked, as he saw Bunnyx's take out her Miraculous both of their eyes widened as its shape became distorted, flashing between its camouflage and Miraculous mode. Both of them then turned to Timetagger who laughed mockingly, pointing his weapon at them.

"Enjoy your trip to the ice age, fluffytail." Timetagger said with a sinister smile on his face.

* * *

Ladybug landed on a building nearby from the Louve, his vision impaired by the water that was welling up in his eyes.

"Crap." He muttered to himself, punching a nearby chimney before falling to his knees as he saw the ground below him turning a darker shade of grey with each tear that fell. "I'm so pathetic." He remarked to himself dryly, feeling ashamed that Chat Noir of all people had to see this side of him. But he couldn't help it, everything that happened today was against him, making him recall the memories and emotions he had repressed for weeks. But now on top of all of that, he had to face the prospect of everything Bunnyx had informed them of.

A future where he was useless in his attempts to recover the butterfly Miraculous.

He took out the pocket watch from his yo-yo, one that was exactly the same as the Rabbit Miraculous at he stood up. For a moment he remembered everything that happened; he remembered a future where the world was destroyed; he remembered a future where he couldn't save his best friend, himself, or the person he had believed to be a comrade. But Ladybug then suppressed those memories, gripping the watch in hand with great frustration causing more tears to fall down his face.

So long as this Bunnyx was around it wasn't his problem to deal with.

"Tikki, spot-" As he tried to transform back, his head started to hurt again. Ladybug writhed in pain, holding his head as he fell to his knees. This time the effect more piercing, indicating that Timetagger was abusing his abilities to the fullest extent.

Ladybug lifted himself up as he started to grow angrier at the fact that this was happening. That his future self could allow this to happen under his watch as Ladybug. If he was supposed to be so great in the future then why couldn't he and Chat Noir just take out the time traveler from the start?

Unless...this was meant to happen.

Ladybug felt another rush of pain in his head. He gripped the watch in his hand now feeling the resolve to finish what his, alleged, future self began.

"Lucky Charm!" He said throwing his yo-yo into the air and from it received a small ring.

* * *

"Enjoy your trip to the ice age, fluffytail." Timetagger said with a sinister smile on his face, but then his aim was set off by a familiar yo-yo wrapping around his arm redirecting the blast somewhere else. Timetagger quickly teleported as Ladybug then helped the two heroes up. As he helped Chat Noir his partner's grip lingered, even though he looked lost on what to say Ladybug could see the attempt was there. But he was then snapped out of his thoughts as he heard Ladybug's Miraculous beep.

"You used your Lucky Charm?" Chat Noir asked in concern.

"Chat Noir, think you could distract Timeboy over there?" Ladybug asked changing the topic to try and snap Chat Noir out of his guilt.

The hero blinked and then nodded as he smiled with a playful determination. "Leave it to me." The cat-themed hero dashed off while Ladybug dragged Bunnyx behind the ice cream stand.

"Sorry, Minibug, Looks like I didn't have a solution after all." Bunnyx started to say but Ladybug interrupted her.

"I need you to give me your Miraculous."

Bunnyx stared at him before getting annoyed. "Are you serious?!"

"I realize I don't deserve to ask this, but I need you to trust me on this." The black-spotted hero said sincerely, bowing his head humbly.

Bunnyx's expression softened for a moment as she sighed in exasperation. She'd never admit this out loud but it wasn't like she could ever refuse anything Ladybug asked. "Fluff, counterclockwise." She said detransforming. "But what are you going to do? My Miraculous is broken."

"A Miraculous is meant to be the catalyst for Kwami, so using one while it's damaged is extremely harmful for the user." Ladybug explained. "All I need to do is knock Timetagger into the future for your mission to be complete right?"

"Yes, technically."Bunnyx said as she saw him pull out a pocket watch exactly like hers.

"Are you ready baby bunny?" Ladybug asked as Fluff nodded eagerly.

"Ready for what?" Bunnyx asked as Ladybug then stood up.

"For the plan of course!" Fluff responded as she flew into the Miraculous just as Ladybug jumped back into the fight.

* * *

Timetagger scoffed at this with a cocky grin on his face. "So little Baby Cat and Bug think they can actually win?"

"We may be from the same city, but you're on our turf now." Chat Noir said as he rested his staff on his shoulders.

"That's where you're wrong. You're both still wet behind the ears, if your future selves and the fluffy tail couldn't defeat me what makes you think you can?" Timetagger asked as both heroes Miraculous beeped. Chat Noir's ears perked at the sound. "All I have to do is wait 5 minutes and then both of your Miraculous are mine." He said with a cocky grin but it faded slightly as Ladybug smirked.

"Nice to know that even ten years from now villains are still the same as they are now." Ladybug remarked with a smirk as he took out something from his belt.

"Whatever." Timetagger said disappearing with a grin on his face.

He teleported behind Ladybug with his gun aimed at the back of the hero's head, but then was shocked as Chat Noir almost hit him with his staff. Timetagger jumped back, stunned for a second as he saw the two heroes standing back to back. Chat Noir had his staff at the ready while Ladybug was looking down at a pocket watch in his hand, winding it up with a small ladybug printed ring.

"5 on the dot." Ladybug said. For a second Chat Noir glanced back at his partner in confusion but then broke out into a smile as a familiar portal appeared before him.

"No problem." Chat Noir said as a yo-yo appeared from the other portal wrapping around his arm and then dragging him inside, disappearing behind him.

The sight caused Timetagger to become a little annoyed at the confidence of the two heroes; the two heroes that were meant to be far weaker than their counterparts in the future.

"No matter the villain, no matter the Hawkmoth, all of you share one weakness." Ladybug said as he closed the pocket watch with a rare confident smile on his face.

Timetagger gritted his teeth, teleporting again to attack but as he reappeared, about to attack again his eyes widened in shock as Ladybug took on a few form, blocking the attack with a red umbrella. Timetagger was knocked back as the new hero opened up his umbrella, resting it on his shoulder while adjusting his top hat. Timetagger already knew of Ladybug's ability to unify the power of two Miraculous, something that everyone in the future knew about. But it wasn't like this new form was going to save him or his partner.

"Heh." Timetagger smirked in amusement as he jumped back to his feet. "Think having a cottontail is going to help you beat me?"

"I'm called Rabbit foot for a reason." The hero remarked as both enemies attacked each other, however, it was different from before. For each time Timetagger appeared, he was shocked to witness an attack always waiting for him. Even when he tried to attack Rabbit foot's comrades he was deterred from that as well.

"Ugh! You're just a baby-bug!" Timetagger said as he grew more annoyed, and somehow even more so as he saw Ladybug chuckle. "What the heck is so funny?!"

"Nothing. It's nice you see you haven't changed that much Noel."

"Huh?" Timetagger's eyes widened with shock, as he heard the Ladybug from the past saying his name of all things, his true name. "How-" He murmured but then shook it off, teleporting again this time aiming to send the annoying hero into the far distant past but as he reappeared he saw that Rabbit Foot was ready for him, throwing his umbrella directly towards him. Timetagger teleported again, reappearing a few feet away.

"Ha! You missed-" The villain was about to mock, aiming his weapon but then was blinded by a red umbrella that had already invaded his space. Time seemed to slow down as Timetagger saw Rabbit Foor use his umbrella to gatch him off guard, revealing that he was using the umbrella to obscure Timetaggers new from the portal he had created just in time to see Chat Noir being pulled through and destroying his gun with his staff, breaking it as everything went black.

* * *

"Ah. I feel bad." Rabbit foot said, capturing the Akuma as Timetagger turned back to normal still passed out. "Poor kid was probably affected by the akuma just as much as I was." He said as he knelt by Noel's side.

"Poor kid? He's basically our age!" Chat Noir pointed out.

"Ladybug, Chat Noir." The future Alix said walking up to them. "Thanks for your help."

Chat Noir's ears immediately flattened as he looked between his partner and the hero from the future, wondering what reaction his partner would have. However, much to his surprise, Ladybug bowed his head respectfully. "I don't apologize for being cautious about a stranger. However, I do see now that I was acting unprofessional and for that I apologize."

"Don't worry about it." The future Alix brushed off. "I can't fault you for actually doing your job. I guess I was just a little taken aback by the bluntness and how you already knew who I was. How did you know, if you don't mind me asking?"

Chat Noir noticed Ladybug gripping his pocket watch Miraculous before he spoke up seemingly trying to hold back his feelings. "Fluff, counter clockwise." Ladybug said catching the rabbit Kwami in his hands and then handing her off to her partner.

The Future Alix saw the pocket watch in his hand. "Thats...is that the Miraculous from the past? The one from the Miracle box?"

Chat Noir was confused by the sight of the Miraculous as well. Ladybug couldn't have gone to Master Fu that quickly could he?

"It's not from the Miracle box that one is still safe." Ladybug said as his Miraculous began to beep for the final time. "Our time is almost up, but if you want the whole story then ask that Future Ladybug of yours. Maybe he'll tell you."

"Hah, you're just as mysterious now as you are in the future minibug." Future Alix chuckled as she transformed back to Bunnyx. Just as she did so Ladybug threw his yo-yo in the air.

"Miraculous Ladybug!" He said turning everything back to normal. Bunnyx looked down at her Miraculous seeing that her original watch and Alix's watch had both been fixed. Meanwhile, Noel came to, looking around in confusion as Ladybug helped him to his feet.

" Ladybug? And Chat Noir? You're so young! Where am I?" He asked.

Bunnyx used her power to create a portal for them. "C'mon, Chris, let's go home."

"Hey, future me, when am I gonna get my Miraculous?" Alix asked rolling up.

"As soon as you're as cool as I am, mini-me." Bunnyx said waving good-bye as she disappeared into the portal along with Noel, disappearing like they were never there.

For a brief moment, Chat Noir felt anxious, afraid even to turn to his partner but that tension was broken with Alix then crying out.

"Okay spill, what's up with you having the exact same watch as me!" Alix demanded standing before the hero.

Chat Noir's ears flicked as he saw the watch that Ladybug was originally holding onto was no longer in his hand. It appeared to have disappeared along with the Miraculous Ladybug.

"That's a story I'll tell you in the future." Ladybug said playfully as he held out his fist. Alix chuckled as she mirrored his gesture, the two of them then looked at Chat Noir, prompting him to do the same.

"Kind of in a hurry here kitty." Ladybug prompted.

Chat Noir bumped his fist against theirs reluctantly, unable to bring himself to say anything as he saw his partner leave again, along the rooftops.

* * *

"Nooroo, dark wings fall." Hawkmoth said as he turned back into his civilian identity.

"Master, I—" His Kwami said but was immediately silenced by a single glance from his owner. Gabriel left his lair and sat down on a chair within his study, resting his head in his hands. He didn't even react as Nathalie walked up with a series of reference books that he had asked for.

Without a single word needing to be said she wrapped her arms around him supportively as he found some comfort in her presence.

* * *

At Pont des Arts. Ladybug, Chat Noir were eating ice cream with Mr. Raimer, having defeated him once again after he was Akumatized.

"I'm so sorry. I don't know what happened." Mr. Raimer apologized. "But I am trying, I've being trying to talk to more people."

"Don't worry Mr. Raimer, we're always here to help out. Helping yourself can take time." Ladybug said as Chat Noir finished off his ice cream.

"The problem with Pigeons in Paris is that they have it too hard here. Maybe you should move to the suburbs, or try to make friends with some other type of animal. A goldfish for example."Chat Noir said half-heartedly but then felt another rush of anxiety as he saw Mr. Raimer actually considering his suggestion and Ladybug slapping his forehead at his partner's words. It had been a few days since their paths crossed with Bunnyx, and since then Ladybug hadn't said a word about their...argument.

It was basically driving him crazy, as Chat Noir was partially afraid of his partner snapping again. He wasn't sure as to why, but it felt instinctive that he had to always be wary of those around him.

"Another type of animal? That might be a good idea, Chat Noir. I'll think about it." The older man said as the two heroes then left having finished their ice cream. Has the sun began to set and they ran across the rooftops Ladybug stopped all of a sudden.

"This is where we part, see y-"

"Wait!" Chat Noir yelled out reflexively as he felt shame heat up his face looking at Ladybug's confused face. "I...What I mean to say is..." Chat Noir stammered as he tried to come up with the words as nothing sounded like the right thing to say.

Ladybug's expression softened into a sad frown as he jumped down from the chimney he was standing on and standing before his partner. "It's alright. I'm sorry for snapping at you. I shouldn't have raised my voice. Must have really weirded you out."

Chat Noir felt his heart begin to crack seeing Ladybug trying to comfort him. He found some courage in the shame he felt and blurted out the first words he thought of.

"Why were you being so...defensive about Bunnyx? Even though she was trying to help us..." Chat Noir faltered for a moment, but this time didn't let his fear hold him back. "I've never seen you act that way before."

Neither of them said a word as only the sounds of Paris filled the silence.

"You won't be able to unhear what I have to say." Ladybug warned with sincerity but could see that Chat Noir wasn't deterred at all.

Eventually, Ladybug turned his head away, unable to look his partner in the eye as he faced the Eiffle Tower before them in the distance. "I know, this may sound unreasonable to you, the Kwami's may be over thousands of years old but they're still young in mind. Nooroo is the youngest of all the Miraculous and he won't be saved for over ten more years."

"Was that why you couldn't trust Bunnyx, or any hero from the future? Because they didn't save Nooroo?" Chat Noir asked feeling guilty about even asking his partner about this.

"...It's not just that." Ladybug said with a heavy tone, hanging his head as he tensed up. He could feel that something happened, something bad. And if he knew his partner it was something that would hurt to say aloud. Ladybug shut his eyes tightly, wincing at a memory that Chat Noir couldn't even begin to guess, but then was shaken as Chat Noir grasped his hand.

"You don't have to talk about it. I'm here for you, not just as your incredibly handsome and Charismatic partner but also your friend." Chat Noir said as his expression softened. "Is it something you can't tell me? Like when you couldn't tell me about the Master?"

"It's kind of hard to explain." Ladybug admitted. "If it were yesterday, or even a few days earlier I could've better explained it. But..." Ladybug's voice faltered as he took a deep breath, finding each word harder to speak aloud. "You don't want to know what I think."

"I really do though." Chat Noir insisted.

"...Every time we fight an Akuma I'm glad that we're able to free someone from Hawkmoth's control, but every battle we fight is small victory. We don't gain any ground in defeating Hawkmoth."

"Right but he doesn't gain any ground in defeating us either."

"That's not the point." Ladybug said shaking his head. "The longer it takes us to track him down the longer Nooroo remains in his grasp, and I don't even want to think about Durusu."

"Their Kwami's?"

Ladybug nodded. "Nooroo is the youngest of the Kwami's and as far as I know something bad happened to Dursu's Miraculous, it shouldn't be broken like that.

"The last time I trusted a wielder of the Rabbit Miraculous I was stupid. I trusted her on a whim and because of that I didn't see her betraying me until it was too late."

Chat Noir gripped his partner's hand tighter as he heard his painful words. "Were you two close?" He asked hesitantly, not wanting to step on a bombshell by accident.

"She was someone I considered a friend, a comrade..." Ladybug then chuckled as he covered his eyes in his hand, only showing his pathetic smile. "But thinking like that just made me an easier target. A real idiot."

Chat Noir didn't know what to say.

"Bunnyx reminded me of her a lot, and I guess that it brought up some unpleasant memories." Ladybug said darkly, his tone hinting that he was hiding more than he was letting on.

"How did it happen, if you don't mind me asking." Chat Noir asked as the street lights began to light up. He could see his partner being to tremble, pushing himself to speak. Ladybug looked at him with an unreadable expression, saying nothing as he sat down on the rooftop, watching as the city began to light up as night fell.

"The Rabbit Miraculous gives the user the power of Recollection, the ability to look, and traverse through the past. You're not supposed to change anything at risk of you disappearing. But she never wanted to be the kind of hero that would just let her friend sacrifice himself for the sake of everyone else." Ladybug said mournfully as he repeated the words that pained him to say aloud as he grew angrier. "I trusted her, I believed her when she said that she needed help. But in the end...she just used me with no regard for what she was leaving behind. "Ladybug shook his head as he tried to push away the memories. "She sacrificed everything, knowing the risks...and her Miraculous destroyed her. I kept replaying our final moments in my head over and over again. Believing that there had to be another way, some other way where no one had to go that far. But I realize now that was just me being stupid; I actually believed someone who told me she had my best interests in mind." He said with a laugh, finding it even more ridiculous as he said it aloud to himself. "I was okay, I was so close to moving on, but then..." Ladybug gritted his teeth together, hilding his head in frustration as he tried to suppress the fury of emotion that threatened to overtake him again. He couldn't bring himself to say the words.

Chat Noir was stunned as he had never heard such anger coming from his partner before, not even during their worst fights together. Ladybug was the one who always kept a calm head, but Chat Noir never once thought at what cost.

"You can laugh if you want." Ladybug said, hoping that he would be chided, scolded for falling to such an emotional low. If he had done his job properly then he wouldn't have felt this way, if he had just done more-

But he was pulled from those thoughts as he felt Chat Noir hug him tightly.

"You're not dumb for trusting in adults. If she hurt you this much, no matter what her intentions were, then it's something you don't have to feel responsible for." Chat Noir said.

"...It wasn't just that." Ladybug said unable to look him in the eye. "She took me to a future where we both failed, where the entire world was destroyed. Where..." The image of Chat Blanc flashed in his mind as he reflexively touched his neck with a shaken expression.

_Where I couldn't save your life._

"No matter what happened in that future, it wasn't your fault."

"I know." Ladybug said lamely.

"No- you're not listening." Chat Noir said more seriously, trying to bridge the gap between them. "It's not your fault." He said Ladybug felt his back hit a wall, looking down at his partner while Chat Noir held his face in his face, making him look at his earnest face. "It's not your fault. You're not responsible for every bad thing that happens to Paris."

Ladybug gritted his teeth as the overwhelming emotions tried to escape.

"You don't need to always be strong for my sake." Chat Noir said honestly, never wanting his partner to duffer on his own.

_But I do. Because every time she showed up I lost you, different versions of you. Those other times may have disappeared, but I remember. I've always remembered every mistake I've made._

Ladybug couldn't bring himself to say those words, never wanting to burden his best friend with the same horrible truth he was.

" I may not know exactly what happened, but this person isn't the same one who betrayed you. She wants to help. So if you can't trust her, then trust me, I won't let anything bad happen, I promise."

"Chat-"

"I mean it. Just let your best pal make unreasonable promises just this once."

"Which is why I need to ask you something." Ladybug said honestly.

"If something bad happens and I can't keep my emotions in check, I want you to-"

"Got it." Chat Noir nodded in affirmation.

"Huh?" Ladybug looked up in surprise at his partner. "I need you to-"

"Yeah, I heard you. You're not going to lose me. So long as we have each other then, we'll keep each other safe. If anything bad happens to you I guess I'll just have to save you like the charming knight I am." Chat Noir said with a proud smile, hugging him. "That's what a Chat Noir is supposed to do right? Keep you grounded and to support you." He felt some pride as he heard Ladybug laugh out of genuine surprise, smiling gratefully while his eyes still held sadness. Chat Noir pulled his partner close, allowing him to rest on his shoulder as they felt some peace looking at the city light up before their eyes when night fell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- Concept Art link: https://the-angst-lord.tumblr.com/post/633179946985062400/rabbit-foot-concept-art-along-with-some-omitted  
-Keeping' things vague cuz I do not know anything past season 3
> 
> \- Sorry this chapter took so long to come out but it had many weeks of work going into it due to the foreshadowing it has to set up
> 
> \- All of the fluff from the earlier chapters is now balanced out
> 
> \- Ladybug and Chat Noir's relationship is one of my favorite parts to write. And I feel some pride when comparing them to when they first started out...would be a shame if anything happened to it
> 
> \- Chat Noir cannot keep promises imma say that now
> 
> \- Rabbit foot was originally going to be called black rabbit, but I wanted to keep in the theme of lucky charms.

**Author's Note:**

> \- Marin is just trying his best but is easily overwhelmed.  
-Adrien is a sneaky boy who has practice in evading his "wardens"  
-Chloé is meaner at first, but I will try to tone it down in later chapters. 
> 
> [Mandarin dialogue is in brackets]


End file.
